Employee experience can seem like a puzzle that needs solving. However, a little empathy and a smattering of personal interest can go a long way. Put simply, employee experience is the summation of adventures, perceptions, and emotions that your employees associate with your organization throughout the employee lifecycle.
The key to unlocking its potential lies in adopting cutting-edge employee experience management software. It's not just about gathering employee feedback; it's about managing the entire employee journey, with precision.
“The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel. And if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers.”
Sybil F. Stershic
Employers who invest in optimizing employee experience see positive business outcomes too, such as:
Improved performance
Reduced employee attrition rates
Greater customer satisfaction
Improved business profitability.
These conclusions are backed by studies and data.
Research published by Deloitte highlights that an increased sense of belonging improves job performance by 56%, reduces turnover risk by 50%, and decreases sick days by 75%.
Research published in an Executive's Guide to Engaging Millennials, which reveals that millennials are over 22 times more likely to stay with a company that cultivates high levels of trust in the workplace.
Several success stories also document the business benefits of using employee experience management software:
For instance, Shell, the venerable oil and gas major, implemented a comprehensive digital workplace to enhance employee experience management. With that, it clocked in a productivity gain equivalent to earning an extra $42 million annually.
Similarly, VMLY&R, a significant global marketing agency, implemented a culture of feedback with the help of a centralized performance management solution. This employee experience enhancement endeavor helped the organization to increase their manager engagement by 22% and platform engagement by 15% and got them 261 feedback requests in the first six months.
Seeing such positive outcomes and the impact, decision-makers and leaders worldwide have begun prioritizing and exploring ways to introduce Employee Experience Management (EXM) in their agenda. However, implementing it at an organizational level necessitates strategic planning and rebuilding existing policies.
In this guide, we delve into the factors related to EXM that can help you with employee retention and how and employee experience software fosters a positive and progressive work culture. Your journey to maximizing employee satisfaction and organizational success starts with the right employee experience solution.
Employee Experience Management (EXM) is the process of creating desired HR environments, products, services, and events to help enhance employee experience while ensuring that organizational goals are met. This process closely mimics employee experience design (EED).
Often used interchangeably, employee engagement and satisfaction are narrower in scope than employee experience. They are components of the latter.
Employee engagement focuses on how involved an employee is in different organizational dynamics.
Employee satisfaction quantifies the satisfaction level of an employee with various aspects of professional life in an organization.
Employee experience, on the other hand, focuses on the inner workings of an employee, such as feelings, experiences, beliefs, and perceptions.
Suggested Read: The Rise of Employee Experience for Frontline Employees: Why & What's Next
In essence, EXM involves several approaches, processes, and strategies. Thus, it is helpful to deconstruct it into smaller chunks to build clear, well-rounded policies accordingly to improve both employee performance and retention.
Companies like WalkMe urge organizations to approach Employee Experience Management by identifying what employees value and continue to listen actively. Following this is possible with feedback collection, conducting surveys, and so on. On the other hand, Qualtric's employee experience approach suggests segregating and addressing the different environmental elements that make up and affect the overall employee experience. These include:
Company culture - The overall vibe resting on the pillars of leadership styles, organizational structure, and future goals focused on employee recognition.
Technology environment - The kind of tech tools employees use during different stages of their employee lifecycle, like a comprehensive employee experience platform.
Workplace environment - A mobile employee engagement platform ensures that all employees, regardless of location, can access vital company information and stay connected.
Delighted.com offers yet another way to look at EXM. It suggests considering how employees perceive and experience different events throughout their life cycle journey. The premise being that every employee milestone contributes to great employee experiences. Hence, per them, EXM should be weaved into each of these stages, starting from recruitment, onboarding, learning & professional development, and continue to receive focus until their exit.
Suggested Read: Navigating the Employee Journey: From Onboarding to Success
There's another way to view this. The Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR) proposes a new frontline employee experience model which explores the idea that employees must be treated as consumers of the organizational experience.
In this context, employee experience is treated on par with customer experience. EXM managers are urged to apply the same principles to employee experience as one would to customer experience. At the heart of this model are three principles that include:
Autonomy of independence of the frontline employee to enhance professional development
Flexibility to adjust the schedule, tasks, and work arrangements,
Ensuring belongingness as frontline workers often feel alienated or disconnected from the organization.
By embracing these innovative approaches and implementing actionable employee insights made from employee surveys and insights themselves, organizations can significantly improve employee engagement and create a workplace culture that values professional development. HR professionals play a crucial role in implementing these strategies, ensuring that the company culture is transformed into a source of pride and satisfaction for all employees.
Now, whichever of these approaches you prefer to follow, one thing is sure - EXM is a complex process involving several dimensions. Overseeing it properly ideally requires a dedicated role and position.
Within organizations that prioritize a positive workplace, employee recognition and organizational culture, the role of an Employee Experience Manager (EXM) is paramount. These dedicated professionals play a pivotal role in the company culture and ensuring that employees across the entire employee lifecycle enjoy a positive employee experience, ultimately contributing to enhanced business performance.
Coonecteam accurately describes the roles and responsibilities of EXM managers. This includes:
Ensuring employee well-being and helping create the best possible working environment.
Developing positive employee experiences during onboarding, training, and employee events.
Implementing fair leave policies for individuals
Designing organizational strategies that sustain positive employee experience while ensuring stability and growth of the company.
Creating and implementing employee feedback surveys to identify areas for improvements.
Overseeing internal communication and ensuring that campaigns align with employee needs and sentiments.
The role of an Employee Experience Manager is instrumental in cultivating a positive workplace culture and leveraging employee experience solutions to enhance business performance. These professionals are the driving force behind the creation of a workplace where every employee enjoys a positive and fulfilling journey throughout their employee lifecycle. According to SurveySparrow, using proper EXM tools benefits an organization with improved productivity, reduced attrition, and enhanced ability to assess employee suitability.
In the quest to improve employee engagement and streamline HR processes, organizations are turning to the best employee experience software solutions available. These tools not only simplify tasks but also enable employees to gain valuable insights, ultimately enhancing their overall experience. A survey commissioned by VMWare found that using Digital Employee Experience (DEX) solutions contributes to enhanced employee engagement, quick remediation, and improved productivity. The same study also found that it also helps mitigate security risks.
Whatfix explains that using employee experience management software streamlines HR processes. It simplifies tasks by automating manual processes and facilitating insight generation and forecasting.
Indeed, there are multiple benefits to investing in a dedicated EXM solution for your organization.
In that vein, here are some popular Employee Experience Software Solutions you can explore
Lattice Engagement, Culture Amp, SurveySparrow, and Glint: These are popular tools to understand employees better.
Qualtrics: It is an AI-driven tool that provides real-time insights and analytics related to employees' experiences.
Achievers: This is a psychologist and data scientist-designed tool that helps companies gain personalized insights, amplify employee voices, and turbocharge their performance.
Speakap is a specialized employee communication tool that helps implement internal communication campaigns by automating strategies and measuring outcomes.
Ideally, when you're looking for an EXM solution for an organization, it's good to opt for something that offers features to personalize tasks, announcements, and recommendations. Other helpful inclusions to look for include mobile compatibility for both in-office and front-line workforce, conversational interaction features, having the option of friendly reminders, and impact measurement facilities.
A comprehensive and effective strategy to implement EXM successfully requires intently examining the facets involved in whichever approach you follow - whether it is ensuring that employees are heard, improving their different environments, or the experience at different employee life-cycle milestones.
However, the real magic happens when this software effectively integrates with an organization's existing HR and IT systems. Here's how it can contribute to improved employee satisfaction and feedback mechanisms:
When an employee experience platform or software seamlessly integrates with HR systems, the onboarding process becomes more efficient and less overwhelming. New hires can access essential documents, training materials, and the company's values and policies through the mobile app, ensuring a smooth transition into their roles.
Integration allows for the gathering and analysis of comprehensive data regarding employee feedback, various key performance indicators and metrics, performance reviews, and satisfaction levels. By combining data from various systems, organizations can gain valuable insights into what drives employee engagement and identify areas for improvement.
A well-integrated platform can tailor the employee experience based on individual preferences and roles. For instance, frontline workers may receive notifications relevant to their daily tasks, while office employees can access information pertinent to their responsibilities, creating a more personalized employee experience.
Integration with IT systems enables employees to access IT helpdesk services directly through the app. This means quicker issue resolution, reduced downtime, and increased productivity, all of which contribute to a positive employee experience.
Employee experience software that integrates with existing communication tools fosters transparent and efficient communication. This ensures that employees receive timely updates, reducing the likelihood of misinformation or confusion.
Effective integration facilitates the collection of real-time feedback and actionable insights from employees. This feedback and actionable insights can be used to make data-driven decisions that enhance the overall workplace experience, making employees feel heard and valued.
When the HR team and IT systems work in harmony with employee experience management software together, it creates a cohesive ecosystem that supports employees throughout their journey. This heightened level of support and employee recognition and engagement contributes significantly to overall employee satisfaction and enhancing engagement.
With that, it also helps to follow certain tried and tested best practices.
Identify pertinent KPIs such as employee satisfaction, engagement, overall employee experience (positive or negative), etc.
Create communication loops that are inherently positive, engaging, and encouraging. After all, employee engagement depends on how motivated the staff is.
Encourage a culture of appreciation and positive reinforcement with the help of an employee engagement tool. Employee satisfaction is influenced by recognition and achievements.
Choose an employee experience management solution that can help you with internal communications as well. Speakap is an excellent option.
Collect feedback and conduct surveys to evaluate employee trends and sentiments constantly. This helps encourage employee advocacy through positive EXM initiatives.
Generate insights and reports based on Big Data, survey results, and qualitative feedback. Read More: How to make data-driven decisions for strategic internal communication - An internal communicators' guide.
Monitor EXM program performance continuously and promote active listening in your organization.
By incorporating these best practices into your EXM strategy and utilizing employee surveys and employee engagement tools effectively, you can elevate your organization's performance tracking, and performance reviews increase employee satisfaction and morale, and ultimately reduce employee turnover. These steps are vital in creating a workplace culture where every employee feels valued and engaged with the HR team, bridging the gap between the frontline and office workforce seamlessly.
Employee experience management has far-reaching effects on employee well-being and ultimately shapes an organization's trajectory toward business success. It directly correlates with customer experience as well. With this in context, senior management, internal communicators, and C-level executives increasingly must set aside more resources to implement EXM solutions.
It is certain that in the future, sound EXM policies will not only provide a competitive edge but will also furnish the necessary ammunition to retain and nurture valuable employees. Moving forward, areas that are likely to be impacted by EXM include:
HR policies and management, prioritizing employee well-being, and work-life balance.
Internal communications and employee engagement
Enhanced budget allocation toward EXM
Shift from legacy tools to modern EXM software solutions that offer real-time insights.
Awareness of the importance of training employees continuously.
In summary, investing in EXM is not just an organizational advantage—it's a strategic imperative for achieving business success. By prioritizing employee well-being, nurturing a positive work-life balance, and leveraging employee survey tools to track progress on key employee performance and indicators, organizations can set themselves on a path toward providing exceptional customer service and securing a bright future.
Experience the power of SpeakAp's EXM solutions today and prepare for a brighter tomorrow. Our mobile-first employee app is the ultimate resource for creating an engaging work environment that prioritizes job satisfaction and employee sentiment.
To learn more about how your internal communication ammunition can help you supercharge your EXM, contact us today for a free demo