Employee experience: What it is and how to improve it
10 de November, 2023
In a highly dynamic and competitive job market, in which the satisfaction and motivation of professionals is not solely the result of the salary they receive, the concept of employee experience has become increasingly important.
According to the Employee Experience Guide 2022, employees value a professional context that helps them learn and reach their potential, they like to feel that they are valued and recognized, and they are looking for a real sense of belonging to the organization in which they work.
That’s why leaders need to design and optimize the entire employee experience, from recruitment to eventual departure.
What is the employee experience?
The employee experience refers to all the interactions an employee has in the company where they work, whether they are interactions with technology or systems, with the workplace itself, with colleagues and leaders or with organizational policies.
The employee experience can change over time and, moreover, it is subjective in that it is very much related to how people feel.
For this reason, it is crucial that human resources managers understand the importance of assessing employee satisfaction and adapting the company’s value proposition with the aim of improving the whole experience.
How can we improve the employee experience?
1 – Ask employees for feedback
The starting point for optimizing the employee experience is to ask them how they feel.
These internal questionnaires are a very valuable tool for measuring the pulse of professional satisfaction and motivation, for gauging whether people feel valued and for identifying opportunities for improvement (they certainly exist).
2 – Promote diversity, equity and inclusion
An organizational culture that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion plays a fundamental role in the employee experience. New generations of professionals tend to be more demanding of these values, which cannot be seen by companies as a mere buzzword to improve their reputation.
Organizations must be intrinsically diverse, equitable and inclusive, so that employees feel welcomed, respected and valued.
3 – Offer flexibility
Having a flexible working model has ceased to be a benefit and has become, for many, a given.
According to a survey by the German institute Ifo, the Portuguese do, on average, 0.8 days of teleworking a week, but would like to do twice as much. These figures demonstrate the importance that many professionals attach not only to remote working but, more generally, to flexible working models (hybrid arrangements, flexible working hours, four-day working week, etc.).
Employees see a direct relationship between flexible working and their quality of life, so flexibility is a key aspect for organizations to consider in order to optimize the employee experience.
4 – Implement a solid onboarding process
First impressions count for a lot and tend to last over time. An unsatisfactory onboarding experience can negatively influence the employee’s perception of the company from then on.
Don’t underestimate the importance of a well-structured welcoming process: one that explains the company’s processes to the employee, but also the culture and values of the organization; one that starts by assigning tasks, but also encourages relationships with colleagues and makes people feel welcomed and accompanied.
5 – Give priority to people’s well-being
It seems logical that professionals have a more positive experience in companies that care about their well-being and implement concrete measures to that end.
According to the Global Wellbeing Survey, 82% of companies see employee wellbeing as a priority, but only 55% of organizations actually invest in strategies to promote it.
Improving the employee experience largely involves developing measures that put people and their well-being at the heart of the organization’s concerns.
This strategy has to be holistic and can include aspects as diverse as providing flexible benefits, encouraging physical activity, offering mental and emotional support, encouraging work-life balance, recognizing and rewarding people’s dedication, fostering professional development, having an inclusive culture, promoting social moments that foster informal connections between people, among many others.