What is employee experience and why should you focus on it?

At every touchpoint, from the moment a prospective employee looks at an ad for a job at your organization, to working in your organization, to the day they retire (and sometimes even after), they form a relationship with your company. These touchpoints are dynamic and shape the way an employee approaches their work, their relationship to co-workers, their goals, and the overall culture of the company.

What is employee experience, or “EX”? 

Employee experience, otherwise known as EX, in simple terms, is a holistic view of what an employee goes through at every stage of their journey. While this is subjective and doesn’t fit into a single definition, we can consider employee experience as the relationship a company and an employee create with each other at every stage of their shared journey. Similar to its counterpart, customer experience (CX), this is essential to a business’s success.

Why is employee experience important? 

Happy employees make your customers happy.

The pandemic brought about a paradigm shift in the way we viewed many things—work included. Nothing was ever the same again. People took a step back to introspect, and found that they no longer felt comfortable in workplaces that didn’t align with their values, resulting in the Great Resignation or the Great Reshuffle. At the core of this, is employee experience.

While employees quit their jobs and shifted their priorities, organizations also realized what mattered to their employees and started going the extra mile to help them. EX started gaining more prominence as those in leadership positions understood that the more engaged and happy employees are, the more creative they are, and that helps businesses innovate, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

The relationship between EX and CX is an important one. When employees are treated well and with empathy, they offer the same to customers. When employees are recognized for their contribution, they’re motivated to share ideas. When employees are happy, it’s reflected in the quality of their work, elevating the standard of your organization's products and services.

As a result, the way customers perceive your brand changes for the better, improving retention and loyalty.

How can you improve your employee experience? 

Now that we've established what employee experience is and why it's important, let's take a look at what you can do to make positive EX a priority.

Communicate proactively  

Behind every successful business is great communication, especially great internal communication. Be prompt in your communications towards employees at every stage. This will ensure that they’re aligned to your company's vision. When employees are aware of the bigger picture, they’re also clear about the role they play in it. Clarity cuts down any unnecessary or redundant processes, giving employees an environment that allows them to focus and work peacefully.

Encourage employees to share 

Whether it's ideas or grievances, provide employees a safe space to share what they have in mind. A simple way to do this is by getting your entire organization on an EX platform like Connect that gives them the chance to network with co-workers across hierarchies. When employees get talking with each other and form meaningful bonds, they work as a cohesive unit. By being part of an online network, all employees, regardless of their location or mode of work, have the opportunity to learn and grow.

Focus on employee engagement 

There’s no doubt that employees give their best when they’re engaged. With EX platforms, you have the opportunity to create interest groups around topics like books, sports, or music, where employees can meet like-minded colleagues. This doesn’t just keep employees engaged, but provides a balance when not everything they do at your company is about the work. True engagement brings out the best in employees without putting them under pressure, and the best way to do this is to provide a community-like setup where employees can be themselves.

Build transparency and trust 

Messages from the leadership and letting your employees know about what’s happening in your company is a great way to build trust. EX platforms like Connect provide you with the ability to hold virtual town halls or ask me anything (AMA) sessions with the management. When employees are given regular interactions with the management or the leadership, when there's effort from both sides to learn each other's perspectives, trust becomes automatic. Mutual trust leads to higher employee retention.

Create a healthy work culture 

Employee experiences and work culture are intertwined. Good work cultures cannot exist without exceptional employee experiences and vice versa. To maintain a healthy work culture, you need to know the pulse of your organization. An EX platform comes with built-in surveys to help you understand where your employees stand. By consistently addressing your employees' grievances, ensuring that individual values and goals are respected, and good work is recognized and rewarded, you create an environment where everyone can flourish. Naturally, this creates pleasant employee experiences.

Wrapping up 

In today's world where remote work and hybrid work is the norm, it's important to not only have the right monetary benefits in place, but to provide secure virtual spaces or platforms that connect your entire organization with each other and your vision. Positive employee experiences need EX platforms, and if you are looking to level up, get started now.