November Compliance Corner: Employee Experience - the Key to a Thriving Workforce

The employee experience (EX) begins from the moment a job seeker reads a job posting through the time they leave the company and every aspect of the life cycle in between. Taking a holistic approach to EX leads to higher employee engagement, job satisfaction and retention. In this blog, isolved HR Business Partner Lisa Bright provides answers to some commonly asked questions.

What steps can a company take to boost the employee experience?

Here are four proven strategies for companies exploring how to improve employee experience at every stage of the employee lifecycle:

1) Increase workplace autonomy by ditching micromanaging. This will provide employees with a sense of job satisfaction, higher productivity and well-being. Promote work-life balance by offering flexibility in work schedules and timelines.

2) Invest in employee development by providing employees with access to training programs and continuing education programs that align with organizational learning and growth opportunities.

3) Ensure the organizational culture contributes to the success of both the organization and employees. Explore ways the organization can impact society and the environment. Create a collaborative culture by allowing employees to share ideas.

4) Prioritize and invest in digital transformation. Enhancing the digital employee experience allows employees to be more productive, provides two-way communication and improves business profitability.

How can a company measure employee experience success?

Here is how organizations can measure their efforts:

• Set employee retention key performance indicators focusing on turnover, conducting stay interviews and exit interview to gather information on why employees are choosing to leave.

• Measuring productivity through actual output and achievement assists in determining if the employee experience is positive or negative. Higher productivity indicates employee job satisfaction.

• Track employee absenteeism. High numbers of sick days taken could be an indication of high stress or poor workplace culture.

• Develop internal promotion goals to grow talent in existing employees.

• Measure job satisfaction by using online surveys, focus groups or interviews and provide employees with a tool to provide improvement suggestions and ideas.

• Conduct a wellness check survey using self-reported data.

What are the benefits of investing in a positive EX?

A favorable EX impacts the organization in many ways, including:

• Increases employee engagement, leading to higher motivation and output

• Attracts quality candidates and provides a competitive advantage

• Reduces the overall cost of employee turnover and increases retention

• Translates into positive customer satisfaction

• Fosters workplace collaboration and inspires creativity

• Creates a positive impact on the company's brand image

Looking forward, what trends will dominate?

The benefits of having a positive employee experience are beneficial today and will continue to be so in the future. Here’s what we can expect:

• Future workers will want to engage in meaningful work where they feel appreciated and have

  a work-life balance.

• Integration of artificial intelligence will automate repetitive or tedious tasks to streamline engagement.

• Personalized and holistic wellness programs offering access to resources for mental, physical and emotional health will rise in popularity.

• Companies that can champion ethical conduct, sustainability and salary transparency will be successful in attracting job seekers and retaining top talent.

The key to business success is a thriving workforce driven by engagement, and understanding how to improve employee experience is where it all begins.