Why You Need to Improve Your Employee Experience

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, HR Strategy: Job Leveling (26-slide PowerPoint presentation). Job Leveling is a disciplined approach to gauge the value of work for individual positions across the organization. It entails ascertaining the nature of work done by each position, authority levels, and the effect of each job on business results. Jobs that are configured inadequately bread [read more]

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What Do We Understand by the Term Employee Experience?

Employee experience refers to an employee or worker’s perceptions and feelings about their workplace. It includes their journey through each touchpoint of a company. It starts from employment and ends at either resignation or retirement.

Employee experience consists of several aspects and components of an individual’s workspace. It can entail the environment, culture, tools, technology, benefits, etc. In addition, it can include the elements that drove the employee towards success and achievements.

Thus, employee experience encompasses the combination or amalgamation of everything that occurs during the work cycle of an employee with a particular company. For that reason, it consists of what they feel, learn, and go through during their employed state. It includes their physical and mental experiences as well.

What Are the Various Components That Shape Employee Experience?

Employee experience depends on several factors and elements that define its existence. Overall, the daily interactions of an individual in their work environment plays the most significant role. Nevertheless, multiple smaller parameters also have an effect.

A few of these components that shape employee experience consist of the following:

Company Culture

Company culture is one of the most vital elements that determine employee experience. It connects and bonds each worker associated with a specific company. The component signifies how it feels to work for an organization. In addition to that, it directly impacts the performance and engagement level of the employees.

Company culture influences the way an individual perceives their office and job. Furthermore, it is an element that manages employee motivation, dedication, and satisfaction.

Work Environment

The workplace attitude and environment have a considerable influence and effect.  According to a study by Oxford Economics, one of the most important factors in employee satisfaction is the office environment. It is on the experience an employee garners in their company. Suppose a person struggles in their office and feels discomfort every time they go to the office. In that case, it is safe to assume that their workplace environment is not good. If that happens, the employee experience would not be progressive and constructive. Using plenty of plans around the office has been shown to improve productivity as well as natural light and well equipped recreational areas.

It is on the experience an employee garners in their company. Suppose a person struggles in their office and feels discomfort every time they go to the office. In that case, it is safe to assume that their workplace environment is not good. If that happens, the employee experience would not be progressive and constructive.

The aspect and component of the work environment do not solely involve the physical one. It can also refer to the remote workspaces. Overall, the work environment should remain comfortable and enjoyable, irrespective of the place.

Work Technology

Nowadays, each work and job revolves around technology. It implies that a mere office task or a field responsibility would both require the use and application of technological advancements. That is why the presence and use of technology during work determines the employee experience.

If a company offers the required gadgets and tools to their employees, it can make the work and tasks of the latter easier. In addition, it would increase their productivity and efficiency at completing an assignment or project. It can also influence the aspects of communication, work environment, and office culture.

Conversely, a lack of the necessary work technologies can decrease the proficiency and productivity of an employee. It can impact their work pace. Thus, it can result in a lowered or negative employee experience.

Why Is It Necessary to Improve Employee Experience?

Employee experience directly influences the dedication, productivity, work output, and motivation of a worker. The positive side encourages them to keep working for an organization without feeling dissatisfied and burnt out. On top of that, it can increase employee engagement rates significantly. Moreover, it can make a worker loyal to the company. This effect can enhance the organization’s growth and progress scale, leading to several achievements and overall success.

For that reason, it is essential to improve the employee experience. A few ways to do so consist of the following:

Employee Enjoyment

The easiest way of improving the employee experience is to allow the workers to enjoy their time at their company. In other words, an appealing and jolly environment can promote better feelings and perspectives from the worker’s end. It is possible in several ways. For instance, you can bring your remote team together with icebreakers and happy hour games. It allows all the employees who work from home to gather together on a virtual platform and enjoy. They can also communicate freely and comfortably and connect.

Rewards and Perks

Employee experience can get enhanced if a worker receives appreciation and acknowledgment. It can be for the superior quality work they deliver. In such cases, the individual would feel like an active and irreplaceable element of their organization. It gives them a sense of assurance and satisfaction, improving their overall experience at their company. This feeling can get enhanced even more if the employee receives appropriate rewards and perks for a well-done job. The other privileges the workers can receive can be a free lunch at the cafeteria on a particular day of the week or an increased number of paid leaves.

Effective Communication

An office employee can feel extremely satisfied and happy with their company if they can communicate with others efficiently. It entails the opportunity to provide their feedback and opinions without oppression and suppression from the higher-ups. In addition to that, it includes the instances where they get to converse with others. It can be with those of their department or team. It can be to share their daily progress or a casual talk. Irrespective of the reason, an effective communication system allows an employee or worker to feel bonded and improves their experience if an organization facilitates it.

Issue Accommodation

Employee experience can get enhanced exponentially if a company agrees to accommodate any personal issues that a worker may have. It does not imply that the organization should accept trivial problems. The reasonable causes can consist of a severe injury, pregnancy, death, etc. In such instances, an employee would become grateful to their company if the latter helps them in any possible way. It can be by providing them a half-day or a paid leave. In other cases, the company can aid the employee monetarily. It can be by lending them some money. However, it should not have any interest added to it when they pay it back.

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