Why employee experience will be your #1 priority
What is employee experience?
Employee experience (EX) is everything an employee observes, feels, and interacts with as a part of their company.
It’s distinct from employee engagement: While engagement is the end goal – engaged employees are more committed and productive – EX is a means to get there. Improving your EX can improve engagement, which can help employees feel more committed and be more productive.
As competition for talent gets tighter, companies need to work for employees and not the other way around. That’s why more businesses are looking at everything they do through the lens of EX.
“Employee experience is about doing things with and for your employees, not to them”
4 key components of employee experience
EX is a big concept. Breaking it down into the 4 p’s – people, place, product, and process – can make it more manageable.
People | The who
- Relationships with managers, teams, and leadership
- Interactions with customers and suppliers
Place | The where
- Physical work space
- Flexible work options
- Work-life balance
Product | The what
- The work itself and how stimulating it is
- Having a match between tasks and skill level
Process | The how
- Rules and norms for how work gets done and is rewarded
- Degree of complexity in tools and technologies
Employee experience roles are on the rise
The number of LinkedIn members whose current job title includes the phrase “employee experience” has increased 2.4 times since 2014, a sign that companies are starting to make this a priority.
Source: LinkedIn's Global Talent Trends Report, 2020
Where employee experience is most important
Percentage of talent professionals who say employee experience will be “very important” in shaping the future of HR and recruiting.
Source: LinkedIn's Global Talent Trends Report, 2020
Dive deeper into other trends that can change the way you hire and retain talent.
Download the full Global Talent Trends 2020 report today for more valuable insights, case studies, and tips.
Why employee experience matters
Top reasons companies invest in employee experience
Businesses invest in a better EX because they’re looking for better results. Over two-thirds say they’re increasingly focusing on EX in hopes of getting employees to stay longer and be more productive.
Increase employee retention - 77%
Increase employee productivity - 71%
Meet the high expectations of younger workers - 40%
Attract more candidates - 29%
Percentage of talent professionals say they’re increasingly focused on employee experience for these reasons.
Source: LinkedIn's Global Talent Trends Report, 2020
A positive employee experience is linked to lower attrition
LinkedIn data reveals that employees stay longer at companies that rated highly on certain EX factors, compared to companies that rated poorly on those same factors.*
lower attrition
for companies with highly rated
compensation and benefits
lower attrition
for companies with highly rated
employee training
lower attrition
for companies with a highly rated,
purposeful mission
* Based on LinkedIn behavioral and survey data on over 1,000 companies.
How to improve employee experience
5 areas that need your attention
Only half of talent professionals say their company provides a positive EX. When asked what their company should improve, pay was the most popular answer. But while bad pay can hurt your EX, good pay won’t make up for poor processes, management, or tools that need fixing.
Compensation and benefits
Simplified admin process
Open and effective management
Intuitive tools and technologies
Training opportunities
5 tips to elevate your employee experience
-
Listen and act continuously.
You can gain credibility with employees when you take action on their feedback in a timely manner. The key here is to survey frequently, so you create a continuous loop of feedback and action. If you can’t take action immediately, be sure to set those expectations up front.
Map the journey.
Find out what moments matter most in an employee’s journey. Uncover important experiences and milestones through employee interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Your EX is unique, so you can’t find these answers anywhere other than from your own employees.
Share ownership.
Think about how to involve employees in identifying and solving problems. Getting people to perform their regular tasks with an employee-first mindset could require a shift. Need a new learning platform? Don’t just have your learning and development department make a decision. Ask employees how they like to learn.
-
Map the journey.
Find out what moments matter most in an employee’s journey. Uncover important experiences and milestones through employee interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Your EX is unique, so you can’t find these answers anywhere other than from your own employees.
Share ownership.
Think about how to involve employees in identifying and solving problems. Getting people to perform their regular tasks with an employee-first mindset could require a shift. Need a new learning platform? Don’t just have your learning and development department make a decision. Ask employees how they like to learn.
Win small.
Rather than a massive overhaul of whatever system or process is broken, try a small fix and see what you learn. Questions like, “what’s the one thing you’d change about your onboarding experience?” or “if you could get rid of one rule that we have, what would it be?” can help pinpoint where to start. Don’t underestimate the power of minor improvements.
-
Share ownership.
Think about how to involve employees in identifying and solving problems. Getting people to perform their regular tasks with an employee-first mindset could require a shift. Need a new learning platform? Don’t just have your learning and development department make a decision. Ask employees how they like to learn.
Win small.
Rather than a massive overhaul of whatever system or process is broken, try a small fix and see what you learn. Questions like, “what’s the one thing you’d change about your onboarding experience?” or “if you could get rid of one rule that we have, what would it be?” can help pinpoint where to start. Don’t underestimate the power of minor improvements.
Be open.
Show where you’re putting money and time. Share feedback results transparently and quickly. Employees want a two-way dialogue. Being up-front builds trust, so communicate your track record and business cases where and when you need to.
View employee experience case studies
Discover 3 more trends that can change the way you hire and retain talent.
People analytics
Meaningful insights will
inform talent decisions
at every level.
Internal recruiting
Your next hire will come from
within your company – if you
can find them.
Multi-gen workforce
From Gen Z to baby boomers
and beyond, good talent is
ageless.
Learn how LinkedIn Talent Solutions can help you through all stages of the employee lifecycle
Planning
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Hiring
Get the right people in the door with easy-to-post jobs, smart sourcing, and branding.
Developing
Nurture the people at your company with learning, engagement, and performance tools.
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