7 Tips For an Excellent Employee Experience Strategy

From recruitment to career development, here are our top tips to consider when creating and sustaining a motivational, engaging employee experience strategy for your company

We’re living in times of economic uncertainty, which is impacting the way hire, the way we promote and the risks we take in business. However, in times such as these, nurturing a thriving and fulfilled workforce is something we can’t compromise. Now more than ever, employee experience is of utmost importance to businesses of all sizes – it’s the one surefire way to boost an organisation’s  resilience and success

As companies navigate through challenging financial climates, their focus must extend beyond mere survival. Ensuring that employees feel genuinely cared for, motivated, and, above all, happy within the organisation becomes paramount. A workplace culture that places emphasis on the various phases of the employee experience ultimately benefits from engaged employees who enable companies to overcome obstacles and even amidst adversity.

So how do you get started? Wanting to implement a positive employee experience strategy and actually enacting one are two very different things. And, as we all know, any organisational change can be a lengthy and difficult process. The payoff, however, can be huge – so here we’ll share the benefit of our extensive experience in this area and outline seven tips to implementing an excellent employee experience strategy. 

But before we get started – let’s discuss what an employee experience strategy is, the phases of employee experience and the elements of employee experience.

What is an Employee Experience Strategy?

An employee experience strategy refers to a comprehensive and intentional plan, designed by a company to enhance and improve the overall experience of its employees throughout their entire journey within the company. 

An employee experience strategy involves creating a positive and supportive work environment that addresses the needs, expectations and aspirations of the employees. A good strategy encompasses everything from onboarding to offboarding.

The ultimate goal of an effective employee experience strategy is to foster a workplace culture where employees feel valued, engaged and motivated, leading to increased productivity, satisfaction and, ultimately, retention of top talent – while avoiding issues such as Quiet Quitting.

What are the Phases of Employee Experience?

The employee experience has a number of phases that span the entire journey of an employee within an organisation. Understanding these phases is the first step in creating a thorough employee experience strategy – the experience of the employee needs to be considered from different points. 

These phases can vary from company to company, but some common ones include:

1. Attraction and Recruitment: This phase starts with the initial interaction between the company and potential candidates. It includes the recruitment process, job interviews, and the overall impression the company creates to attract talent.
2. Onboarding and Orientation: Once an employee is hired, the onboarding and orientation phase begins. This involves familiarising the new employee with the company culture, policies, and procedures, and introducing them to their role and team.
3. Integration and Training: During this phase, employees receive training and development opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge, ensuring they can perform their job effectively.
4. Engagement and Performance Management: Keeping employees engaged and motivated is crucial for their satisfaction and productivity. This phase involves ongoing feedback, performance evaluations and support to help employees excel in their roles.
5. Recognition and Rewards: Recognising and rewarding employees for their hard work and achievements fosters a positive and motivating work environment, encouraging continued excellence.
6. Career Growth and Development: Providing opportunities for career growth and advancement is essential for employee retention and loyalty. This phase includes identifying career paths, and offering development programs, and mentoring opportunities.
7. Work-life Balance and Well-being: Supporting employee well-being and work-life balance is integral to a healthy workplace. This phase may involve offering flexible work arrangements, wellness programs, and initiatives to promote a healthy work-life integration.
8. Exit and Offboarding: When an employee leaves the company, the offboarding process ensures a smooth transition and includes exit interviews to gather valuable feedback.

What are the Elements of an Employee Experience Strategy?

The elements of employee experience encompass various factors that contribute to the overall journey and well-being of an employee within an organisation. Here are a few of the most notable elements of employee experience to keep in mind:

1. Physical Workspace: The physical environment in which employees work, including office layout, comfort and amenities, can significantly impact their experience.
2. Company Culture: The values, norms and attitudes shared within the organisation shape the overall work atmosphere and employee interactions.
3. Leadership and Management: Effective leadership and management practices play a crucial role in guiding and supporting employees and fostering a positive work environment.
4. Learning and Development: Providing opportunities for employees to learn and grow through training, workshops and skill development programmes enhances their experience and boosts their professional growth.
5. Work-life Balance: Striking a healthy balance between work and personal life is essential for employee well-being and job satisfaction.
6. Recognition and Rewards: Acknowledging and rewarding employees for their efforts and achievements reinforces a culture of appreciation and motivation.
7. Communication: Transparent and open communication channels between employees and management help build trust and engagement within the organisation.
8. Inclusivity and Diversity: Embracing inclusion, diversity and equality and promoting an inclusive workplace cultivates a sense of belonging and equal opportunities for all employees.
9. Career Progression: Offering opportunities for career advancement and growth motivates employees to stay committed to the organisation.
10. Well-being Programmes: Implementing initiatives that support employees’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being contributes to a healthy and productive workforce.
11. Employee Feedback: Encouraging feedback and acting upon it demonstrates that the company values employee opinions and seeks to improve the work experience.
12. Team Dynamics: Fostering positive team dynamics and collaboration enhances employee relationships and overall job satisfaction.
13. Technology and Tools: Providing modern and efficient tools and technology can streamline work processes and contribute to a positive work experience.
14. Performance Management: A fair and constructive performance management system helps employees understand their strengths and areas for improvement, encouraging growth.

Our Tried-And-Tested Tips for a Remarkable Employee Experience Strategy

Based on our years of experience, here are the tips we’d recommend when it comes to implementing a motivating employee experience strategy:

1. The Employee Experience Starts With Recruitment — Make Application Easy

The employee experience doesn’t start on the employee’s first day. It begins far before that – when prospective employees decide to apply for a position within your organisation. You want to attract top candidates, and roadblocks can cost you in terms of remarkable talent. Consider the following questions:

• How easy and straightforward is your application process?
• Did you remove all possible barriers that might prevent a candidate from applying for a job at your company?
• When you interview candidates, do they come away with a good impression of your company, its values and what it stands for?

The recruitment phase is a great opportunity to get your employees invested and excited about your company early. If your candidates have a terrible recruitment experience, you could lose out on promising talent. But you could also do serious damage to your company’s reputation. Remember, these days employees share interview experiences over social media and on websites such as Glassdoor.

2. Take Onboarding Seriously

A good onboarding process has been shown to increase employee retention and productivity. Furthermore, a good onboarding experience has a hugely positive effect on employee engagement. 

Consider whether the employee journey starts off on a good note. Has your HR team set them up for long-term success? You’ll need to give new hires the tools, training and information they need to do their job effectively. What’s more, they should be made to feel welcome and wanted by their coworkers and by their line managers — remember, it’s a fact that managers account for 70% variance in employee engagement levels.

Provide new employees with a welcome pack, including a personal welcome message. As well as information about the company’s history, vision, strategy and values. You can also include a survey to find out more about the employee — their likes, dislikes and preferences. This could prove useful when it comes to giving employees personalised rewards.

3. Give Your Employees Meaning

If you want to retain your best talent and keep them engaged, it’s going to require much more than a payslip — after all, there will always be bigger companies willing to offer more money and extrinsic motivators. To keep your employees motivated and inspired, you need to give them meaning and purpose. This is what modern employees are actively seeking. They want to know they are making a difference and that they are contributing to a team with a clear direction.

To give your employees meaning, start with your company’s mission. What are you aiming to do? Be as transparent as possible and explain how your employee’s role feeds into organisational objectives. There are other ways of creating meaning in your workplace, including offering continuous learning, creating a sense of community and offering frequent feedback.

4. Prioritise Employee Appreciation

Most human beings have an innate psychological desire for validation and support. We want to know that our efforts are appreciated, and studies show that this has a significant impact on employee engagement levels. In fact, according to one study, 69% of employees claim they would work harder if they felt their efforts were being better recognised. Consider whether your managers regularly check-in with their employees to deliver recognition and reward. If you don’t have a formal scheme in place to reward employees for hard work and notable efforts, consider implementing one going forward. Here at People Insight, we have compiled a useful list of employee appreciation ideas you can incorporate now.

5. Provide Employees With Development Opportunities

Employees get excited about learning. In fact, it’s been shown that Millennials see careers as job opportunities. This is also true of Gen Z — professional success is central to their identity. To provide your workforce with a meaningful employee experience, you need to emphasise growth and learning opportunities. Demonstrate to your employees that you are invested in them and their careers. Meet with them to create personal and career development plans. Revisit them regularly and discuss what the company can provide in terms of support, development and resources.

6. Conduct Regular Employee Experience Surveys

Employee experience isn’t something you address once. It is a continuous process. You need to track your employee engagement and morale levels over time. This is particularly important during times of organisational change. Many factors can affect your employee’s experience, engagement and wellbeing, so it’s important to ask employees for feedback and input. Feedback and open lines of communication are important in an organisation, and they shouldn’t just go one way — your employees should know that employee feedback is equally important to the success and betterment of the company.

7. Use the Results of the Surveys to Affect Change

Conducting employee engagement surveys is just the first step. The surveys themselves don’t account for much if you don’t use them to create a better employee experience for your team. Show your employees that their opinions and thoughts matter by taking action. Implement change and strive to continually improve work life for your employees.

While designing your employee experience strategy, don’t let jargon or industry language get in the way. Bookmark our employee experience glossary for definitions of key terms, and resources to help you learn more.

Here at People Insight, we take a human, holistic approach to employee engagement surveys. Our surveys are tailor-made, specific to your company’s needs — we’ll also help you implement meaningful change with professional and experienced consulting services. Get in touch today to find out how we can help your business.