flevyblog

Flevy Blog is an online business magazine covering Business Strategies, Business Theories, & Business Stories.
MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP STRATEGY, MARKETING, SALES OPERATIONS & SUPPLY CHAIN ORGANIZATION & CHANGE IT/MIS Other

Why You Need to Improve Your Employee Experience

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Motivating Your Workforce (51-slide PowerPoint presentation). It's no secret that employees who feel they are valued and recognized for the work they do are more motivated, responsible, and productive. This power point presentation will help supervisors and managers deliver training that will result in a more dynamic, loyal, and energized workplace. It is [read more]

Also, if you are interested in becoming an expert on Human Resource Management (HRM), take a look at Flevy's Human Resource Management (HRM) Frameworks offering here. This is a curated collection of best practice frameworks based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. By learning and applying these concepts, you can you stay ahead of the curve. Full details here.

* * * *

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.

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]

Want to Achieve Excellence in Human Resource Management (HRM)?

Gain the knowledge and develop the expertise to become an expert in Human Resource Management (HRM). Our frameworks are based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. Click here for full details.

The purpose of Human Resources (HR) is to ensure our organization achieves success through our people. Without the right people in place—at all levels of the organization—we will never be able to execute our Strategy effectively.

This begs the question: Does your organization view HR as a support function or a strategic one? Research shows leading organizations leverage HR as a strategic function, one that both supports and drives the organization's Strategy. In fact, having strong HRM capabilities is a source of Competitive Advantage.

This has never been more true than right now in the Digital Age, as organizations must compete for specialized talent to drive forward their Digital Transformation Strategies. Beyond just hiring and selection, HR also plays the critical role in retaining talent—by keeping people engaged, motivated, and happy.

Learn about our Human Resource Management (HRM) Best Practice Frameworks here.

Readers of This Article Are Interested in These Resources


20-slide PowerPoint presentation
High Employee Engagement ties directly to financial benefits for a company and companies with high Employee Engagement typically have distinctive and compelling Employee Value Propositions (EVP). We can define an EVP as what we offer our employees in exchange for their effort and commitment. This [read more]


 
21-slide PowerPoint presentation
 
 
17-slide PowerPoint presentation

About Shane Avron

Shane Avron is a freelance writer, specializing in business, general management, enterprise software, and digital technologies. In addition to Flevy, Shane's articles have appeared in Huffington Post, Forbes Magazine, among other business journals.




Complimentary Business Training Guides


Many companies develop robust strategies, but struggle with operationalizing their strategies into implementable steps. This presentation from flevy introduces 12 powerful business frameworks spanning both Strategy Development and Strategy Execution. [Learn more]

  This 48-page whitepaper, authored by consultancy Envisioning, provides the frameworks, tools, and insights needed to manage serious Change—under the backdrop of the business lifecycle. These lifecycle stages are each marked by distinct attributes, challenges, and behaviors. [Learn more]

We've developed a very comprehensive collection of Strategy & Transformation PowerPoint templates for you to use in your own business presentations, spanning topics from Growth Strategy to Brand Development to Innovation to Customer Experience to Strategic Management. [Learn more]

  We have compiled a collection of 10 Lean Six Sigma templates (Excel) and Operational Excellence guides (PowerPoint) by a multitude of LSS experts. These tools cover topics including 8 Disciplines (8D), 5 Why's, 7 Wastes, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), and DMAIC. [Learn more]
Recent Articles by Corporate Function

  

  

  

  

  


The Flevy Business Blog (https://flevy.com/blog) is a leading source of information on business strategies, business theories, and business stories. Most of our articles are authored by management consultants and industry executives with over 20 years of experience.

Flevy (https://flevy.com) is the marketplace for business best practices, such as management frameworks, presentation templates, and financial models. Our best practice documents are of the same caliber as those produced by top-tier consulting firms (like McKinsey, Bain, Accenture, BCG, and Deloitte) and used by Fortune 100 organizations. Learn more about Flevy here.


Connect with Flevy:

     
  


About Flevy.com   /   Terms   /   Privacy Policy
© . Flevy LLC. All Rights Reserved.