HR leaders across multiple sectors are already investing time and effort into improving the ‘employee experience’.
Although still a relatively new concept, employee experience is a natural progression from the ‘customer experience’ focus, which many businesses have already adopted. The core premise is that by taking time to consider everything from an employee perspective - working environments, processes, tools available, facilities etc. - it’s possible to come up with new ideas that result in better performance and productivity. Happier, more engaged and more focused employees provide better service to customers and are more effective in their jobs.
Creating an HR strategy to boost the employee experience means considering the broadest range of factors impacting employees on a day-to-day basis. It’s even worth considering the very earliest stages of employee interaction, including recruitment, and thinking about how that could be improved for prospect employees too. Physical elements such as workstations, meeting rooms and toilet facilities can be considered; as can environmental issues such as temperature and noise levels; and not forgetting people factors such as management communication and company culture. All of these and more will impact the employee experience.
How to persuade your leadership team to invest in the employee experience
Where you begin to focus your strategy for change is obviously important, but what is often a challenge for HR leaders is gaining backing from the wider senior management team to invest in new initiatives. Consider these two compelling reasons to present as evidence when you put your case together:
1. It makes sound business sense and should positively impact the bottom line
Recent employee experience research carried out by management consultants, Deloitte, demonstrated some compelling arguments. Companies with a top-quartile employee experience achieve twice the innovation, double the customer satisfaction and 25% higher profits than those in the bottom-quartile for employee experience.
2. It’s good for the company brand
One of the most effective ways of building positivity around your brand is for your employees to spread the word. Upbeat reviews from your current employees on social media or employee review sites such as Glassdoor can be incredibly effective, particularly if you are looking to recruit new talent. Even when employees simply talk enthusiastically to friends and family about their experiences at work and the products or services provided - it helps to bring your brand and company ethos to life in ways that can be as effective (but not as expensive) as any marketing campaign.
Technology can help you to better manage employee experience
Creating the best first impression is a cornerstone for good recruitment and has a big impact on the experience of new employees from the beginning. Many HR leads are now investing in onboarding software to ease the process and make it as efficient and stress-free as possible for both parties.
Survey software tools are a practical and useful addition to the HR manager’s toolkit. Obviously, these can be helpful in all kinds of scenarios - but especially when gathering data on employee experience.
And there are a multitude of ways that HR software can help HR to improve the employee experience, including talent management planning and self-service, for example. Why not visit the Access employee experience hub for more ideas?
