In recent years, the term employee "experience" is rising sharply in popularity and is increasingly an item on managers' agendas. But what exactly is employee experience? And above all: what can you do with it? This article therefore answers the questions surrounding this relatively new phenomenon.
Definition employee experience
Employee experience encompasses everything an employee experiences, perceives or feels in the organisation throughout their employment. This overall employee experience provides an overarching picture of the relationship between individuals and the organisation.
The approach has its origins in marketing, where the "customer journey" is visualised and all "touchpoints" are made visible. This way, employee experience is about the most impactful moments for the employee. Examples of these moments are the recruitment, onboarding, training and exit processes. This assumes that employee experience is a variable principle that can evolve over time. All organisations have a basic experience in which recruitment, onboarding, training, exit and alumni play an important role.
Why is employee experience important?
Any significant experience or step in employment will influence an organisation's culture, branding and performance. Ask for feedback at every experience will help organisations understand how they support their employees to be successful. Consider here, for example, the onboarding process. This is an important experience where employees become familiar with the culture and tools that can help them succeed, preferably in the short term. If this is not done optimally, it can take longer before the employee will make concrete contributions.
In developing such a feedback loop it is important to start with the most important touchpoints. In general, the moments below are relatively easy to measure and at the same time have a strong influence on the employee experience.
Recruitment
Ideally, regardless of the outcome of the application, the candidate's experience should only produce promoters for the organisation. This is good from an employer branding point of view.
Onboarding
Onboarding is relevant for all new employees. The timing is important as it can take employees a while to develop a good perception of onboarding.
Employee survey
Between the onboarding and exit process there is a relatively long time. So it may be smart to also collect feedback in between by means of a employee survey which provides insight into employee satisfaction and engagement.
Retirement
Feedback from all employees through a exit questionnaire can provide valuable feedback for the organisation. This feedback can then be used to better bind good employees to the organisation.
What is the role of HR software?
Not only are the above characteristic moments influential but also touchpoints with HR software, for example, contribute to the employee experience. The movement from cloud to mobile applications, among others, can create a completely different experience. More and more employees are, for instance, able to apply for leave directly via their smartphone or perhaps even more easily: see their assessment or pay slip. It is important to think carefully about how the organisation wants to position itself in this respect and be ahead of other organisations. In any case, this digital movement can mean a lot for the employee, employer branding and associated employee journey.
How to get started with employee experience?
To properly start mapping the employee experience or journey, it makes sense to look at the part that is most relevant. Think about applying exit questionnaires and/or interviews when unwanted staff turnover within the organisation is high.
It may then take some time to recognise patterns and make connections. The important thing is to start with at least one component. With this information, the organisation can create a reasoned story that can then be used to drive the realisation of a better and more effective employee experience.
Literature
Rewriting the rules for the digital age, Global Human Capital Trends 2017, Deloitte Consulting LLP.
Josh Bersin, "The HR software market reinvents itself," Josh Bersin blog, July 19, 2016.
