A strong employee experience (EX) lays the foundation for a long-lasting career. In his book The Employee Experience Advantage, Jacob Morgan describes EX with a simple formula:
technology + workspace + culture = EX
What’s the definition of the employee experience?
EX is how employees:
- interact with their tools at work
- engage with their environment
- feel about their company’s vision and purpose
And EX isn’t the same as engagement. According to Gallup, employee engagement is “the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace.” Think of it as a unit of measurement for the EX.
How does engagement relate to the employee experience?
Engagement soars with a strong EX. Gallup found companies with high engagement enjoy 81% less absenteeism and 23% more profitability. Unfortunately, a global engagement study paints a bleak picture.
A mere 15% of all employees said they weren’t engaged at work, according to the same study. If someone isn’t enthused about their company, it’s possible they’ll share their experience online. This spells disaster for organizations with a lackluster EX, given 71% of candidates told Gallup they use or have used referrals to learn about jobs.
But employers know EX — especially culture — is key to retention. Quantum Workplace revealed 66% of executives believe their work culture is more important than business strategy. In fact, the same survey revealed 70% of leaders at high-performing businesses cite culture as the key to organizational success.
Tech plays an equally important role. In an HR.com survey commissioned by Paycom, 82% of HR professionals agreed tech positively affects employee engagement. Plus, 83% said self-service HR software is the best way to convey HR and payroll data to employees.
Ways to improve the employee experience
No two employees are identical, but all of them thrive in an inspiring workplace. You can boost EX in your organization by:
- fostering a culture of wellness, engagement and transparency
- equipping employees with easy-to-use HR tech
- maintaining an environment where people feel comfortable bringing their whole, honest selves