Are you paying enough attention to your “Employee Experience”?

Natalie Gleeson - Head of Human Resources - Liwa Trading Enterprises LLC

The term “Employee Experience” is open to interpretation and varies from one company to the next but at its heart, it is a feeling about the organization you choose to work with.

That feeling is curated through all points of contact with the organization and starts well before the actual first day on the job.

Being interested in the subject I tend to read the articles published (as opposed to skimming through the ones I am not so interested in 😊) and have extracted the points that resonate with me.

Firstly, how strong is your talent brand?

It is easy to forget how small the world actually is now, and establishing a solid reputation is important as it forms the foundation of how future employees will feel about your company. This could be through what they see about your organization on social media or hear through a friend-of-a-friend’s experience interviewing or working with you. It all positively or negatively influences the feeling.

Also, I recently attended a presentation by Adjunct Professor Tammy Erickson of the London Business School with the title “Building Organisations for the Future” and her term “asset appreciation” has really stayed with me. When you are hunting for the best talent and you think about your employee value proposition and attracting that talent to your brand, is the candidate (asset) going to be more valuable to the market after working with your organization? That win-win scenario is really something!

Secondly, how robust is your talent acquisition process?

From that first call or email to a candidate to the time they complete their onboarding, are you putting your company’s best foot forward? Is your communication consistent, respectful and clear all the way through? If at each interaction you are able to reinforce your company culture and show consistency, a level of trust develops.

Thirdly, once the employee starts on the job, it’s about creating moments that matter(taken from the LinkedIn learning session by Pat Waders). I really like that description of the time that you are employed with the organization. Do you recognize performance, celebrate achievement and special life moments? Do you engage with your employees not just about their day job but also about coming together in humanity and supporting the community and/or great causes? There is a sense of belonging that grows through shared experiences and doing something good for the world.

Lastly, when an employee leaves your organization, are they leaving feeling proud to have worked with you and continue to be brand ambassadors for you going forward? This is a true sign of a great “Employee Experience”. Continuing to consistently treat people who leave your organization for whatever reason with respect and professionalism speaks volumes about the authenticity of culture of the business.

In summary, a feeling sits at the heart of the “Employee Experience” and in the fast pace environment we all work in now, not paying enough attention to this element that forms the foundation of the relationship between the employee and the organization can negatively affect your business. Are you paying enough attention to it?