The Employee Experience Defined

In this two-part series, we’ll dive into the EX, or employee experience, and the numerous ways it can drive your business forward. Part 1 will look closely at what it is and questions you should ask yourself in key areas of your organization. Part 2 will address how analytics can help enhance today’s EX by creating a richer, more robust experience for all involved.  

EE is out, EX is in

While employee engagement is a fundamental aspect in ensuring satisfaction on the job, the reality is it’s just one of several elements that should round out an entire employee experience (EX) for today’s workers.

Employee experience is the culmination of the physical environment that an employee works in, the technology provided to help them function efficiently on the job and then finally, the culture within an organization. The culture is ultimately what defines how workers feel about the meaning and purpose of their work and how strongly they connect with others in the organization. Just as the customer experience is important, treating your employees in a similar way, can also bode well for business.  
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In a survey conducted by a leadership-development company, research showed that employee experience was six times more likely to be linked to productivity than just engagement alone. But creating the right experience requires a new way of thinking from today’s HR executives, suggests consulting giant Deloitte. Statistics prove that distractions are abound and traditional solutions that focus on compliance and training processes simply don’t work in today’s digital landscape. They refer to the need for ‘design thinking’ which, according to the company, transforms HR from a “process developer” to an “experience architect.” It removes the beaurocratic red tape that often exists and stifles a company and focuses on the people and the experience instead, using a simplified approach and technology to influence change.
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What are areas your company should consider wrapping design thinking around? While you first need to check the pulse of your workers to see what’s working and what isn’t, here’s a quick list to get you started and some questions you need to ask yourself as you look to fine-tune the employee experience.

1. Onboarding – Are your workers given proper access to technology and software quickly so they can effectively carry out their job? If your onboarding process is cumbersome, you risk losing people before they’ve really started. One study even found that more than three quarters of new hires met or exceeded their first performance milestones when a formal process was in place compared to half in environments that lacked one.
2. Benefits enrollment – Do you make it simple for employees to choose their benefits? Your offerings should be treated as an online shopping experience where packages are easy to understand, items can be placed in a shopping cart and employees can ‘check out.’
3. Salary and time off – Is it easy to request time off for employees? Do they get paid in a timely manner? Simple self-service portals can help enhance the overall experience and help employees feel more in control of their on-the-job journey.
4. Career advancement and performance evaluations – Do you have a system established for regular touchpoints with employees? Making sure employees are on a clear path and understand what’s needed for advancement is key to their overall satisfaction. A system or dashboard that features their progress may be useful.
5. Rewards and recognitions – Do you offer performance-based bonuses and incentives for a job well done? Smart PPE coupled with online tools and dashboards can help make it easy to identify opportunities for rewarding employees on the job and open up a gateway for more communications. 

Next week, find out more about the EX as Corvex defines it. Interested in learning more about how the Corvex platform drives integrated engagement? Find out how to boost safety, quality and productivity here.