According to a recent Deloitte survey, some 80% of execs said they considered the “employee experience” to be “very” important or important. However, just 22% reported that their companies did an excellent job establishing a pleasant and nurturing workplace. What’s more, a Gallup poll found that organizations in which employees were highly engaged were 21% more profitable and 17% more productive than those that weren’t. So, employee engagement has a definite affect on your organization’s success. Read on for info on creating a positive employee experience.
The Issue
Engaged employees do what needs to be done to boost their company’s bottom line. Because they feel their contributions are valued, these employees are inspired and motivated to do their best work. However, some organizations don’t go far enough in terms of fostering such amilieu. What’s often missing is an over arching approach that encompasses employees’ positions, the work environment, employee relationships, and the company in general.
Creating a Favorable Employee Experience
- Know your employees. Do you “get” what motivates your employees? Or, just as importantly, what turns them off to the point where productivity might be affected? Well, you should. You need to fully grasp what their workdays are like and get to know their thoughts through employee satisfaction surveys and the like.
- Up the communications quotient. You want to have free and clear channels of communication; your employees should always feel like their viewpoints are welcome. This can be done through town halls, communication forums and social media.
- Give them what they need. You must equip and enable your managers to boost their effectiveness. Give them discussion guides, proper training, and toolkits, for example.
- Foster collegial support. This is about establishing a space for peer-to-peer support, which promotes teamwork and generally ups the volume of connecting going on. Connected employees work better and more effectively together, which has a favorable impact on the bottom lineand creates a positive employee experience. Try employee resource groups and peer networks.
- Have your employees back. Your employees should know that you want each of them to reach their personal career goals. You want them to have no doubt that you’re devoted to every person’s professional growth and development. This can be accomplished through, for example, consistent coaching and feedback, as well as courses and training tools.
- Be consistent with touch points. You can use employee experience touch points – performance management, onboarding, learning and development, and Employee Value Propositions — to reinforce a favorable employee experience. You just need to be sure these touch points are used consistently.
- Skip “sink or swim.” We know it’s tempting to toss an employee in the deep end to see how he or she performs. However, research shows this approach is not productive. Instead, focus on introducing new employees to the organization’s culture and processes as well as to fellow employees.
- Make the workplace comfy. It’s simple: physically comfortable employees are more productive and focused — and the opposite is also true. Consider standing desks, ergonomic chairs, more-vibrant wall colors and warm lighting.
- Recognize accomplishments. Don’t be the supervisor who only talks to employees when something’s gone awry. When an employee accomplishes something special or reaches a key goal, praise them, and make them feel valued.
Now that you understand more about creating a positive employee experience, you can take the steps necessary to promote a motivated workplace. After all, the numbers are there; it’s been proven that a content and motivated workplace can positively affect the bottom line, which is a win for the company and all stakeholders, including your employees.
