Employees are the lifeblood of any company and their experience should be a top priority. Happy employees are more productive, engaged, and creative. They also stay with companies longer, reducing the need for constant recruiting and training. So how do you create a great employee experience? Here are some ideas.

What is Employee Experience?

Employee experience is something that an employee experiences throughout his tenure in a particular organization. It includes all the important aspects right from the onboarding process to the various tasks he performed while working and the kind of experience he witnessed. The time spent by employees in terms of weeks, months, and years is crucial for them. As it can make or mar their career, leaving a huge impact on their life, be it personally or professionally. Thus, it goes without saying that employees must feel comfortable and engaged with their work environment.

Benefits of Employee Experience

Employees are an integral part of a company. They are the reason behind the success of any company. As they toil hard to achieve their monthly targets and muster up the courage to face various challenges. Employees do all these things for the exceptional performance of the company. Thus, it is highly important to provide an enriching experience to the employees. Plenty of reasons support this opinion. This includes;

1. A healthy environment will make them feel content and happy. It will help to increase their productivity as they will not find their respective work monotonous.

2. Also, they would feel an urge to serve the company for a longer period of time. The company need not put any extra effort into retaining the employees.

3. Moreover, a healthy environment will increase the goodwill of a company as word of mouth and first-hand experience are often considered valuable ways to build a reputation in the market.

4. It is quite evident that in today’s stressful life, employees often look to spend quality time with their family and friends. This gives them peace of mind and relaxing life. Therefore, with a good employee experience, they can create a balance between their personal and professional life. 

5. Furthermore, a good employee experience leads to more employee engagement. People at the workplace would feel free to contact each other be it with colleagues, supervisors, or the boss. 

Impact of the Pandemic on Employee Experience

It is needless to say every aspect of life has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and professional life is no exception to this. Workplaces have undergone a lot of changes from the way interviews were conducted in the past to the employees working in hybrid mode presently.

There are a number of ways in which the pandemic has affected the workplace which are discussed as below:

Hybrid Mode

Employees are now required to work in hybrid mode. They are asked to work from the office on some days and rest days at home in a week. This is quite difficult to follow for some companies as their work demands the physical presence of employees in the office.

Mental Health

The pandemic led to an increase in the number of employees with mental health issues, depression, and anxiety. To be specific, employees often find their work-from-home routine tedious. Not interacting with enough people apart from family members has affected their communication and social skills as well.

Less Productive Work

Also, some employees lose their productivity while working from home. They struggle to work for the required period of time due to personal reasons. This may include household chores or other family responsibilities while working. 

Lack of Ownership

The trend of working from home has made employees detached from their work. Now since many companies have asked employees to work from the office, there are many people who still want to work from the comfort of their homes. They are reluctant to accept their work responsibilities.*

How to Improve Employee Experience

Employee experience is the most important factor in employee engagement and productivity. It is important to make sure they have a positive experience while working. Whether you’re looking to improve communication between employees and management, or simply strive to create a more relaxed and stress-free work environment, there are many ways to go about it. 

1. Appreciating the employees

Make your employees feel valued and appreciated, through recognition programs and rewards. In this way, employees do not feel left out and would always feel enthusiastic about doing their work. 

2. Great Culture

Enhance the company’s reputation by creating a culture of engagement that makes employees happy to come to work every day. Also, it is really important as it also helps to reduce the rate of absenteeism.

3. Boost creativity

Companies can make employees feel valued by creating an environment that allows them to be creative and express themselves. The main motto should be to create the best workplace for the team members through innovative ideas, tools, and processes.

4. Working on time management

Manage your workforce effectively with time management software that can be customized for different types of workers.

5. Health-related policies

Provide a safe, healthy, and productive workplace with health & safety solutions that are easy to follow. In the present era, there is a dire need to focus on health. Thus, companies must take regular steps to keep a check on the health of their employees. This can include health insurance, dental insurance, and other plans.

6. Better communication

Employers should focus on creating a sense of community and connectedness in the workplace, encouraging employees to take time off when needed, and maintaining open communication with staff.

7. Implement flexible work arrangements

One of the biggest challenges facing employees during this time of crisis is the need to balance work and personal responsibilities. Many people are now working from home for the first time, and they may not be used to the new routine. Organizations can help by implementing flexible working hours. This may also include working from home, part-time hours, or job sharing.

8. Training and development opportunities

It is really an important part of an employee’s professional growth. Regular training for various tools or software makes employees more knowledgeable and responsible for their respective duties. The training should be done on regular basis.

9. Better facilities

There are many employees who look for various facilities at the workplace that give them a better experience. By doing so, businesses can ensure that their employees stay with them for the long haul, and contribute to the success of the organization. Such facilities include wifi coverage, flexible working hours, fancy infrastructure, etc.

Conclusion

In the rapidly changing world of work, employees are increasingly seeking out workplaces that offer them an engaging, enriching, and sustainable experience. This is why it is important for businesses to focus on creating an enjoyable and motivational environment for their employees. Undoubtedly, this will help the companies to reap many benefits in the long run.