Shahid Nizami once said, “You cannot buy your way into the heart of employees with perks, nor can you dazzle them with fancy office spaces and well-stocked pantries.” While creating a work environment that is physically enjoyable and comfortable is relatively easy, it does not always engage employees in the long run. What truly works is to create a lasting input (employee experience) which will generate heartfelt output (employee engagement). 

Businesses that focus on improving their employee experience shows better productivity and improve employer branding which drives better return of investment to company. Workhuman Resources study revealed that organisation that scores in the top 25 percent on employee experience report nearly three times the return on assets and double the return on sales compared to organisations in the bottom quartile. 

See also: Why & How To Improve Your Candidate Experience

What it takes to bring a good employee experience 

Creating employee experience that will lead to employee engagement is more than just making a Friday football and Monday pizza. It requires employers to pay more attention to their people. Needless to say, HR and leaders need to treat their own employees like customers. 

Gallup survey found that today’s employee is a consumer of the workplace. Employees are no longer satisfied with clocking in and out and receiving a paycheck. Employees are looking for more meaning in their work, a supportive, collaborative environment, and an employer that can match the lifestyle they want to enjoy. 91 percent of employees told Gallup that a role that allows them to have greater work-life balance and better personal well-being is “very important” to them.

Designing employee experience that matters 

With that in mind, here are five questions you should be able to answer in order to develop a comprehensive employee experience strategy. 

Question #1 – Does your employee experience strategy align with company’s purpose, brand, and culture? 

Rituals play an important role in defining an organisation’s culture, meaning that experiences like having new hires, getting performance reviews, or employee termination will influence how the people in the organisation feel and think about the company’s culture. During their tenure, employees become spectators in the full life cycle of their peers. That said, watching a friend receive public recognition might reinforce a good workplace culture as much as giving personal recognition. 

Question #2 – Do you have your employee life cycle right? 

There are at least 7 life stages employers should focus on when developing employee experience. These elements contain both key milestones and continual demands such as attraction and providing an engaging workplace. The stages are as follows: 

• Attract – focus on elements of company’s culture to attract top talent. 
• Hire – focus on hiring strategy that place fairness, and no bias or ghosting. 
• Onboard – affirm the decision employees made when joining your workforce.
• Engage – focus on building strength and purpose. 
• Perform – focus on reviews, feedback, and performance. Don’t forget to always remind your expectation of an employee’s work while giving the resources they need. 
• Develop – focus on coaching and career growth. Having a flexible, personalised career path in place would likely help. 
• Depart – focus on a positive exit experience. 

Note that if you want to have a unique and powerful employee experience, every part of the employee life cycle should be implemented according to your distinctive organisational identity. 

Question #3 – Have you reminded the manager about his role? 

Gallup stated that manager-employee relationship is the most important relationship of an employee’s career journey. Managers affect employees’ work experience in how they manage them and develop their strengths. That means any employee strategy must prioritise the identification and development of great managers. 

Question #4 – Does workplace team collaborate well in the workplace? 

People perform at their best when they trust and respect the people they are working with. Employees also need to see that their contributions are valued within a team. They need to know who their trusted partners are during onboarding, and their partners continue to evolve as employees learn who they can win with throughout their tenure. 

Question #5 – Is employee well-being among your top strategy list? 

Gallup global research revealed that what makes a good day – and a good life – is surprisingly universal. It includes factors such as having a life full of love, having the energy to do what you want to do, and giving back to one’s community. This identifies that purpose, social, financial, physical, and community should be in your list when designing a well-being program. Things like charity, 500 miles walking with community, or giving time for employees to develop their skills of interest during workday is indeed boosting work motivation and happiness, leading to success for both employees and employer. 

Read also: It Pays to Get the Employee Experience Right