Employee experience – How to keep your employees happy from start to finish!

Employee experience focuses on how employees perceive your company – from their first day to their last. We took a closer look at this unique perspective on HR for you.

Employee experience is a hot topic in HR. But what exactly does this buzzword mean? In this article, we'll explore: 

• What employee experience is; 

• Why investing in employee experience is worthwhile for your company; 

• Where you can start to improve the employee experience in your company. 

What is employee experience?  

Employee experience refers to the totality of experiences that an employee has with your company. This includes the time they work for you, but also the phases before (as an applicant) and after (as an “alumni”). If you are an HR manager, employee experience, as a concept, should be valuable to you. It gives you a comprehensive impression of how your company “feels” to its employees – throughout their entire employment relationship. 

Why is it worth looking at employee experience? 

Investing in a positive employee experience is, first and foremost, worthwhile for your employees: by creating positive working conditions, you increase their well-being. But your company also benefits. Investing in employee experience is almost always an investment in your own employer brand. And companies with a strong employer brand are extremely productive. When employees are satisfied and motivated to go to work, they often work in a more results-oriented and efficient manner. Since they are also loyal to you as an employer, your company minimizes its employee turnover. This saves you the costs of recruiting and training new employees.

What influences employee experience? And how can you improve it? 

Broadly speaking, the factors you can influence can be divided into three areas: technology, workplace design as well as culture and processes.  

Below, we provide a brief overview of what each dimension entails and what you can do to get it right. 

Technology 

Technology is an important hygiene factor. If it works well, we almost forget it's there. If it is prone to malfunction or difficult to use, it quickly becomes a problem in our everyday work life: we cannot do our work properly and have to invest a lot of time, energy, and effort. This frustrates employees and worsens their employee experience. 

This gives you some simple guidelines for work equipment that you can implement to ensure a good employee experience. You should... 

• regularly invest in your technical equipment to ensure that it is as up to date as possible; 

• offer good in-house technical support in your company; 

• make sure you have sufficient backup devices that employees can use if their actual equipment fails;

• test new hardware/software with your employees for user-friendliness before investing in it and

• provide your employees with sufficient training on how to use their equipment. 

This will help you avoid unnecessary problems that put a strain on your employees. At the same time, you will increase their productivity. 

Workplace design 

Make it your mission to design attractive workplaces and workspaces in your company. In particular, you can positively influence the following aspects: 

• Cleanliness: Ensure that your workspaces are clean and encourage your employees to get involved in keeping your office tidy. For example, it should be a no-brainer for them to report any damage, litter, or dirt they come across, or (if possible) to clean it up themselves. 

• Comfort: A workplace should primarily serve to promote productive work. Nevertheless, you can also invest in comfort in your office (e.g., a couch or indoor plants). This creates places where your employees can relax and spend their breaks together. It also promotes team building. 

• Rooms for concentrated work: Some employees simply need silence from time to time to be able to concentrate on their work. Or they may need a place where they can be undisturbed for a short time for personal reasons. If possible, create rooms with few workstations or special rules that allow for quiet work. 

• Spaces for meeting and collaborative work: You should also design spaces specifically for employees to work on certain tasks as a team and exchange ideas, e.g., meeting or workshop rooms. 

• Benefits: Even if the office fruit basket has long since become a cliché, invest in small amenities and benefits that make your office a little more of a feel-good place. Anything that does good and makes your employees' lives easier is allowed, whether it's a new, better coffee machine, cereal for breaks, or height-adjustable desks. You can also offer your employees other benefits, such as a company bike and subsidies for gym membership or use of local public transportation. 

Culture and processes 

Your company's culture and processes accompany your employees throughout their time with you. Some aspects are only relevant in certain phases, while others are real “evergreens”: 

• Recruiting and onboarding: The first few weeks before and after signing the contract are crucial in determining whether employees will be happy in your company. That's why you should invest in an excellent recruiting and onboarding process to ensure that they get through this critical period smoothly. 

Tip: In our blog post on this topic, we share our onboarding checklist with you. You'll also find helpful tips on social media recruiting in our blog. 

• Employee motivation and retention: One of the most important levers for a good employee experience is ensuring that your employees feel motivated and continue to feel that their work is making a real difference. That's why you should invest in measures that keep their motivation levels high and empower them. 

Tip: You can find inspiration for motivational levers for your employees here.

• Talent management and training: Talent management is the targeted development of capable employees for roles that are particularly critical to your company’s success. You can either recruit these employees externally or train them internally. Talent management is important for the employee experience at your company because it ensures that high potentials feel valued and get the development opportunities they need. 

Tip: In our blog post on the topic, you can learn everything you need to know about talent management. 

• Parental leave and other time off: Occasionally, employees will have to take some time off from work: because they are having children, are ill for a long period of time, or want time off for other personal reasons. For a good employee experience, it is important that you act confidently in such moments. Treat every request for time off from your employees as justified and try to plan this time together with them in a way that benefits both them and your company. 

Pro tip from the fathers on the PIO editorial team: Encourage expectant fathers to take more than the usual two months of paternity leave. This promotes equality in your company and gives them the opportunity to gain experience in care work, which will also benefit them later in their regular work. 

• Offboarding and alumni management: Your employees' experience does not end when they resign or are dismissed. Even during and after this period, they continue to gather experiences that affect your company. For example, in the way they talk to others about their time with you and whether they recommend you as an employer (keyword: kununu rating). That's why you should also invest in a good offboarding process that ensures employees leave you with a good overall feeling. Especially if you part ways "on good terms" it's also worth keeping in touch with your alumni and nurturing them like any other stakeholder group. 

Employee experience is a helpful concept. It allows you to view your employees' relationship with your company not just in terms of specific situations. Instead, you take their entire period of employment into account. This allows you to think about your HR measures and processes holistically and avoid unpleasant surprises. That's good for your employees – and for you! 

Are you looking for help with employee experience and communication? Our PIO BELOVED team will work with you to find the right solution for your company. Simply contact us for a no-obligation introductory meeting. 

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