Employee experience is constantly evolving. Know all about the perks of elevating the employee experience with a human-centric approach.
As the pandemic has reset the work trends in unimaginable ways, many in the leadership seat are looking to recreate the workplace magic. How are they doing this?
With hopes of getting their company certified as a “great place to work”, human resource leaders and the top management are leaving no stone unturned in offering highly competitive perks to attract and retain the best talent in the industry. From providing management training programs to nap pods and pet insurance—companies are going all out!
You’d think that this alone should amp up employee engagement. I beg to differ…
An article that I read in The Washington Post some time ago, clearly stated that ‘it’s not all about the perks’. Employees today have started looking above and beyond material offerings, this simply means that it’s time for us to rethink our approach to employee experience.
Findings from a Gartner report suggested making a conscious shift from an employee-centered value proposition to a more human-centered value proposition.
Carolina Valencia, a vice president of Gartner’s HR practice, elaborates:
“Companies have been engaged in an arms race to offer the best perks. But once basic needs are met, people are more powerfully motivated by feelings than by material features. Employees today want to be treated as people, not just workers.”
With the workplace culture enduring a seismic shift in recent times, one thing is for certain, there’s never been a more important moment than now for leaders to make the employee experience more human-centric.
Taking the Human Route
While investment in office perks is always a good thing, you need to reinvent your employee experience to create a meaningful and lasting connection with your employees. Delivering deeper connections has helped in bringing about a 28% spike in the percentage of employees that are most likely to recommend your organization to others.
Organizations need to look at ways of improving and supporting the employee’s well-being. It starts with putting your employees at the center—think of ways in which you can bring meaning into their work. This might even require you to rethink work itself as well as the culture and space that you provide for people to work in. Let’s be very clear that this is not just your HR department’s problem.
Leaders need to champion this effort by implementing feedback tools and being open to honest dialogues between themselves and the employees. If you ask me, it pays to reward collaboration over competition on any given day. The hustle culture is not always the solution, make your workplace kinder.
With all that has transpired in recent times, several events like “The Great Resignation” have vaulted employee experience to the top making it a burning priority for most organizations. According to LinkedIn, nearly 96% of talent professionals believe that employee experience has become a critical agenda item for businesses both big and small.
Building a Positive Employee Experience
Creating a good employee experience feeds into your customer experience as well. In a recent Forbes study, 70% of executives revealed that improved employee experience leads to improved customer experience. That’s not all, companies that prioritize building a positive employee and customer experience have witnessed two-fold revenue growth.
When you embark on a journey to focus on employee experience—along with laying the groundwork for valuable relationships you’re also giving your business a competitive edge.
So how do you structure your employee experience strategy?
Source: LinkedIn
From my experience over the years, here are four ways in which you can create a human-centric employee experience:
- Promote professional and personal growth: While most organizations rush to provide learning and development programs, you also need to cater to the personal growth needs of your people. This could include anything from leadership initiatives, and career coaching to community services.
- Build a culture that values inclusion: It’s crucial to build an integrated and inclusive workspace that prioritizes individuality and values the input of all the team members, alike.
- Take on an empathetic leadership model: As leaders, it’s important to pay heed to the overall well-being of your people. Be empathetic and find unique ways to connect and collaborate with your larger team. This will boost employee morale and lead to a happy and healthy work culture.
- Create a common purpose and inspire a shared vision: Your employees want to feel invested in the organization’s purpose. To get to the end vision together as an organization, you need to walk your employees through your goals and vision.
Time to humanize the employee experience
Employees today seek a deeper connection with their organization. To craft a winning employee experience, you need to align your purpose, your brand, and your culture. While leading employers are gearing up to position their organizations for the next generation of employee experience, take my word when I say that humanizing the employee experience is not a passing trend!
After all, your people are your biggest assets, and creating a more human workplace will be good for everyone!
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