The past few years have cast the spotlight on businesses unlike ever before. Those employed and those not, were given the opportunity to truly evaluate their priorities and desires as they relate to their employment. While employees consider what matters most, employers must simultaneously look inward at providing superior Employee Experience (EX).
What is EX?
In a nutshell, Employee Experience is the big picture. While Employee Engagement taps into how employees respond, EX is about how employees feel. EX is comprised of every interaction someone has during the entire course of their employment. It is a combination of both functional and emotional needs; aiming for an optimal balance of the two.
Why is EX Important?
When EX is prioritized, employees experience higher levels of genuine engagement with their roles and for providing better customer service. In turn, productivity is increased and overall quality of work performed improves. In addition, EX creates a strong culture that gains the attention of top talent, easing recruitment efforts and reducing turnover.
How to Improve EX
Improving EX will strengthen your organization, however the journey to achieving the perfect balance may not be linear. To improve EX, businesses will need to focus on what drives employees and what they are most passionate about. This will look different for every organization. It is also important to note that employees’ most basic functional needs must first be fulfilled in order to proceed with EX improvements. Here are some ways to kickstart your EX strategy:
- Cater to Connection: employees value a strong sense of belonging. Focus on collaborative communication to nurture relationships and pave the way for connectivity.
- Increase Leadership Visibility: as with many strategic initiatives, your organization’s leaders play an important role in EX. Making your leaders more available through an open door culture and humanizing leaders via transparent commentary and shared experience will go a long way.
- Drive Development: employees are your company’s greatest asset! Motivate them with integrated career goals that truly align with their own, allowing them to tap into their greatest potential.
- Remove Physical Barriers: if you find your current seating arrangement is not conducive to EX, consider making some changes. Make traditional meeting rooms into a brainstorming space, or swap cubicles for an open seating plan.
- Customize Communication: in a world where communication can sometimes feel like drinking from a firehose, it can be hard to garner attention. Consider more unique communication methods that utilize targeted, personalized messaging that will really cut through the static.
- Put Your Listening Ears On: it’s not enough to elicit employee feedback. Truly listen to what your people have to say and create diverse focus groups to appreciate insight and expand on ideas in a collaborative setting.
Now is the time to invest in your company’s future by improving Employee Experience.
To find out more about the wide variety of services RLB People can provide you with contact the team at people@rlb.ca or visit their website at people.rlb.ca.
