With organisations keen to hire and retain top talent in a severely disrupted market, and ensure that teams are delivering success, it’s safe to say that there’s a heavy focus on improving employee experience.
However, what exactly does it constitute and how is it achieved? Is is the same for firms across the board? Plus, does it all boil down to cushy offices?
Emma Bridger, director of People Lab, dismantles a few myths and highlights the values that create a truly effective employee experience: meaning, engagement, appreciation, autonomy and more.
Bridger draws upon thousands of real life examples in the private sector, public sector and beyond, from brands like Rolls-Royce and the British Council, to remind us that no two organisation are alike in terms of improving employee experience.
That said, Bridger rejects the importance of comfortable offices and grandiose perks, and instead focuses on the ‘intrinsic themes’ that motivate professionals and drive successful organisations. Bridger details the ‘individual needs’, ‘expectations’ and ‘motivations’ and how they relate to ‘the organisation’, ‘the people’ and ‘the work’.
Bridger notes the importance of organisations taking team feedback on board to influence how the organisation can optimise its employee experience. Additionally, appreciation is a vital aspect of employee experience; professionals often want to feel like their work is making a positive impact, and recognition of that will in turn encourage professionals to behave warmly to other colleagues.
Connection is another key theme that Bridger draws upon, noting that professionals can derive meaning, work hard and feel positive having supported professionals in a similar position. Ultimately, organisations need to remove friction to ensure success, and Bridger offers some useful tools to improving employee experience.
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