The Evolution of Employee Experience: A Competitive Advantage

The new ways of working not only proved to be challenging for employers. Employees also found themselves in a new era of workplace disruption, a world with hybrid working models, and communication problems. Some of these employees lasted. Some didn’t–to the point that the Great Resignation happened. It’s a worldwide phenomenon that everyone, most especially organizations, became very concerned about.

Gallagher Employee Experience Specialty Practice’s yearly report, the State of the Sector 2022, discusses how the employee experience–a worker’s holistic perception about his or her stay in an organization–is a competitive advantage. Every organization must aim for an employee experience that brings the focus back to the employees’ wellbeing, diversity, and inclusion. But despite all the industry articles and trends circling around employee experience as well as 73% of respondents confirming the discussions at a C-suite level, Gallagher’s report indicated that the words don’t translate to actions and there is little progress from last year.

The question is: Have companies learned their lesson and maximized this opportunity?

It’s typical that the Human Resources group would be expected to craft employee experience, but another key takeaway from the State of the Sector 2022 is that internal communication is also a key factor in building a strategy for workers hungry for trust, a sense of community, purpose, and wellbeing. The internal communications’ role has expanded from just delivering the message of an organization’s purpose to covering a variety of focused themes and messages to improve higher morale, talent retention and greater collaboration among many other benefits. 

The small number of companies who get to strategize employee experience concepts that are focusing on purpose and culture, learning and development are thriving. Because we are people with different experiences and standards of well-being, there is no fixed solution or formula to crafting employee experiences that work–to a culture that develops and improves the lives of everyone in the organization beyond professional means. However, there are certain key touchpoints that were recurring in the conversation of employee experience that can guide every organization.

1. Culture - What people believe in, where each of them are going, and how it “feels” to work in the organization

   
   

2. Rewards, recognition and benefits - What employees “get” for their work and loyalty

   
   

3. Working environment - How employees are well-equipped to do their jobs well

   
   

4. Wellbeing - How an organization supports people’s physical, financial and social well being

   
   

5. Career - How an organization supports professional and personal growth

   
   

6. Communication - How an organization engages and brings people on the journey