Employee Experience vs Employee Engagement: Same Same, But Different. Here’s Why

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Employee experience vs employee engagement: Similar sounding, yet different. Dive into this blog to find out how they differ and know their key benefits.

Let’s face it - buzzwords like “employee experience” (EX) and “employee engagement” (EE) are getting thrown around quite a bit in the biz world.  We hear you if you too feel they seem like different names for the same thing. Turns out, they’re not. And knowing the exact difference between the two (beyond the semantics) is super important. 

Here’s why: Both play unique roles in your organization’s and (your performance) success. When you understand the employee experience vs. employee engagement distinction and the right set of tools to optimize each, you are better equipped to build a thriving workplace. We mean one where employees don’t just show up clockwatching but are ready and motivated to make a difference. Isn’t that fab?

In this blog, we'll explain what these terms mean and clarify the exact distinction between employee experience and employee engagement. We’ll also shine a light on why mastering both is the key to building a high-performing, loyal workforce. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Employee Experience vs. Employee Engagement: Understanding what they mean

  • Employee Experience (EX) is the sum of how an employee feels about your company, from their first interaction to their last. This includes the whole ride, right from their first impression as a potential job candidate, and continues through onboarding, working experience, up to departure (including the farewell party😆). Every touchpoint along this journey—good, bad, ugly, or confusing adds to the employee experience, both for the frontline and in-office workers.
  • On the other hand, Employee Engagement (EE) is a term that encompasses something narrower in scope. It captures the daily commitment within the employee experience. It’s the part that specifically zooms in on how committed, motivated, and enthusiastic an employee feels at any moment.  In other words, EE is all about how much someone buys into their role and the organization’s goals. So, unlike EX, it’s way more focused, tracking the here-and-now of each employee’s connection to their work. 

Let’s move on to understanding their differences more in detail. 

Employee Experience vs. Employee Engagement: breaking down the key differences

1. Scope & Focus

Employee Experience takes into account the big picture over the long term. After all, EX includes everything from onboarding and growth opportunities to work-life balance. Employee Engagement  is more specific and real-time in that sense. EE checks whether employees are motivated and are contributing meaningfully at any given time.

2. Timeframe

EX is fluid and ongoing, capturing every past and present interaction that feeds into the employee’s perception and impacts future engagement. EE fluctuates as it is all about how employees feel right now, based on the dynamic current conditions. So, it can change at any time. 

3. Responsibility

EX is the entire team’s responsibility, from HR to leadership and IT. Unsurprising, as it covers everything from job design, culture, benefits, and overall employee well-being. 

EE, in contrast, is mostly influenced by managers and rests on their shoulders. According to Gallup Research, managers account for 70% of the variance in engagement. Again, this is no surprise, as they set the tone, so if they’re unengaged, chances are, their team will be, too.

4. Measurement

Measuring EX  requires looking at feedback across the employee lifecycle, including the different touchpoints from onboarding satisfaction to using tools to offboarding. On the other hand, measuring EE is simpler(yay!) and best done using surveys focusing on an employee’s commitment, job satisfaction, and alignment with company values.

Now, let’s go over why both matter.

Why you need to nail both Employee Experience & Engagement

Acing EX and EE in your organization is essential to creating a thriving environment. These two elements are symbiotic and feed into each other. Exploring their benefits individually will make it easier to understand how.

Let’s go over the benefits of building positive Employee Experiences

  • Improved acquisition prospects: First impressions are everything.  According to Glassdoor research, 77% of job seekers say a positive experience matters. Good employee experiences attract the best talent!

  • Higher retention: Employees who love their work and workplace tend to stick around longer. When this happens, it saves your company money and helps you build a stable, loyal team.

  • Enhanced engagement: A strong EX feeds into a higher engagement (and translates into higher employee engagement scores). This ensures employees are motivated, connected and perform to the best of their abilities.

  • Increased productivity: This one’s as simple as Happy employees = productive employees.

  • Better customer experience: Engaged employees work better and make for happy customers, who in turn mean loyal customers and growing revenues🤑. 

Are you inspired to take action? Check out this Employee Experience Platform Implementation Checklist

Here are the benefits of harboring high employee engagement

  • Higher productivity: When employees are engaged, they take initiative, drive projects, and deliver quality work. This is what defines the difference between the best and average organizations out there, isn’t it? On the other hand, the opposite hurts. According to a recent report by Gallup,  disengaged employees cost the global economy approximately $7.8 trillion annually due to lost productivity. (You definitely don’t wanna be one of them!)

  • Improved business outcomes: More productive employees perform better and this leads to enhanced business outcomes. Companies with engaged employees see better profitability, innovation, and customer satisfaction. According to research, companies prioritizing employee engagement see up to a whopping 233% greater customer loyalty and a 26% increase in annual revenue.

  • Employee retention: High engagement keeps turnover low—A no-brainer there. And in case you’re looking for proof, here’s what the numbers say: Engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave their organization (yep!)

  • Positive culture: Engaged teams have high morale and help create a positive culture where everyone wants to participate.

In essence, a positive employee experience enhances engagement, and engaged employees contribute to a supportive culture. Together, they create a more substantial workplace culture that improves brand reputation and customer interactions. Statistically, employees who report having a positive employee experience are 16 times more engaged than those with a negative experience. So, when you prioritize both, you can navigate better business outcomes and boost productivity and profitability while ensuring your customers are raving about you.

Both EX & EE matter and one cannot exist without the other

Employee experience and engagement aren’t trendy buzzwords—they’re crucial to building a workplace in which people want to work.  As an HR, if you're going to make a happy, productive team that will contribute to long-term success, you need the right support system. In today’s digital age, this has a one-word answer: technology. Speakap’s award-winning tech can empower you to level up both employee experience and engagement.