The 5 fundamentals of creating an employee experience in the workplace

The “employee experience” refers to the totality of an employee’s experience interacting with the organization they work for. This includes how an employee perceives their company’s intentions, good or bad. Employees who have a positive employee experience typically have faith in their organization’s decision-making and believe their place in the business has value. Meanwhile, a negative employee experience often leaves workers feeling out of place or disregarded.

As a result, it makes sense that a positive employee experience would lead to better performance. It’s a business leader’s job to create, build and maintain a positive employee experience. Doing so can be beneficially transformative for any business.

The five fundamentals below are essential in successfully creating an employee experience in your workplace:

1. Value the Employee-Customer-Shareholder Hierarchy

The bottom line matters to everyone involved in your business. Employees want a positive employee experience, customers want to be treated fairly and shareholders want to profit. Appealing to each of these three contingents is a trademark of every successful business. Doing so can be best accomplished by prioritizing your staff, whose quality work will naturally lead to happy customers and thus happy shareholders since they benefit from happy customers.

Some businesses crave customer attention or shareholder satisfaction to the point of neglecting the workers who are responsible for all facets of delivery the product. Without the fulfillment of a product, customers won’t be happy, or even existent. With clients and shareholders ceasing to exist without a quality staff, it’s easy to see why you should prioritize your team. When managers show their employees they understand this, employees will feel more valued.

2. Understand money isn’t the only driving factor

Compensation will always play a significant role in molding an employee’s desire to work, though once they’re at the job, money isn’t a driving force of the employee experience. Everything from the technology they use to the food offered helps mold the employee experience, even though these tend to vary from company to company. Businesses with a positive employee experience tend to listen to what their employees want.

3. Don’t let small annoyances pile up

Even seemingly small things like failing to fix a vending machine promptly or not offering up-to-par air conditioning can lead to a negative employee experience, with staff presuming they take second priority to customers and shareholders.

As a result, listening to employees’ requests and issues is a must. Otherwise, they may lose motivation to work hard for an organization that visibly doesn’t care much.

4. Make the higher-ups accessible 

Expecting the company CEO to be available for a meeting at the drop of a hat is unrealistic, but employees should feel comfortable enough to speak with higher-ups at the enterprise if the need arises, whether it has to do with an issue or a creative idea that could be beneficial. A business leader who takes time out of their schedule to meet with employees will have a better understanding of their needs while allowing the employee to feel needed and meaningful to the company.

It’s an excellent idea to let employees know they can always schedule a meeting, so they don’t feel too detached from the bigger players in the business.

5. Realize the extra time is well spent

Making more time for meetings and fulfilling more employee desires can often use up ample resources and make business leaders ask, “Is it worth it?”

Studies affirm it is. A PricewaterhouseCoopers study found the most committed employees put in 57 percent more effort at their job. Compared to employees who consider themselves disengaged, they’re 87 percent less likely to resign. A Gallup study concurred, finding that engaged employees outperform their disengaged co-workers by 147 percent in earnings per share.

The fundamentals of successfully creating an employee experience in your workplace revolve around valuing employees foremost, listening to their needs and ideas, acting promptly and making yourself, as the business leader, accessible. A positive employee experience can lead to more effort from your staff, resulting in everyone — including customers and shareholders — being content.