Candidate experience has been a popular focus for many employers, as this experience can make or break an employer’s chance at hiring top talent. However, once you’ve got the candidate in the door, you don’t want to risk losing them because your company has a poor culture or offers a terrible employee experience.
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Deloitte’s recent 2019 Human Capital Trends Report found that only 42% of HR leaders believe their employees are satisfied with their day-to-day work practices, and only 38% believe they are satisfied with current work-related tools and tech available.
These recent Deloitte findings show that employees are still dissatisfied, and it’s time for organizations to shift their approach. According to Deloitte Managing Director, Bill Docherty, the employee experience is social and should be aimed at creating meaning for the individual through both daily work practices and tech used in the workplace.
Docherty joins us to discuss more details about Deloitte’s latest research and what employers can do to improve the employee experience.
HR Daily Advisor: According to Deloitte’s recent research report, 84% of respondents say improving the employee experience is important. Why should employers and HR professionals strive to offer a great employee experience?
Docherty: Over the past several years, issues related to productivity, well-being, overwork, and overwhelmed employees have grown tremendously. As a result, organizations need to shift from the traditional “employee experience” and try to create a more “human experience” for workers.
This means that organizations need to create a culture where relationships are enduring, learning is continuous, and work has meaning centered around human identity. Creating such an environment will not only cause workers to feel more connected to the organization, it will contribute to increased productivity.
HR Daily Advisor: Deloitte also found that many workers were not very satisfied with the experience their employers provided—such as a positive work environment, growth opportunities, and a trusting and supportive leadership team. How can employers improve in these areas?
Docherty: Creating a more satisfying experience for workers starts with leadership, and creating a human experience requires a different type of leader. Twenty-first-century leaders face unique challenges, making it critical for organizations to hone leaders from within the organization to develop critical skills including managing through influence, promoting transparency, and thriving in a more collaborative and connected world. Making these changes in leadership will drive worker engagement and productivity.
HR Daily Advisor: Deloitte suggests that in order to create an enduring relationship between employers and workers, experience must come from and be focused on the individual. How can HR professionals and employers focus on individual experience? Should employers take a “one-size-fits-all” approach?
Docherty: Organizations need to focus on the individual and recognize the daily challenges that workers are facing. With a deeper understanding of how technology is impacting a worker’s job, for example, organizations can take steps to reinvent their approach to human capital with the worker in mind to create opportunities for continuous learning, accelerated development, and professional and personal growth.
Additionally, digital workplace platforms can assist in providing employees with tech options that work best for them as individuals. Deloitte’s 2019 Global Human Capital Trends report found that only 38% of respondents believe their employees are satisfied with current work-related tools and technology available.
Technology is a big factor in employee satisfaction, and digital HR is no longer just nice to have—it’s essential. Platforms like Deloitte’s ConnectMe are both social and customizable for individual employees. Whether they prefer using a chatbot or calling an HR rep live, these platforms allow them to leverage the communication tools that work best for them.
HR Daily Advisor: Bersin™ research found that when employers try to focus on the human side of work, they’re more focused on things like perks and rewards, rather than offering meaningful work. How can employers offer meaningful work to retain talent looking for a good employee/human experience?
Docherty: As leaders look to effectively lead their organizations in this challenging and ever-changing environment, they must adapt to the forces restructuring work and the implications on the workforce, all while embedding a meaningful work experience.
For example, an organization can create meaning by offering continuous learning experiences for workers or restructuring from a hierarchical model to a “network of teams” model to encourage collaboration and innovation.
Organizations have a huge opportunity to take advantage of new technologies that can take over repetitive tasks for workers, which will create more capacity in jobs, allowing for workers to take on more strategic, complex roles. All of these changes will help drive worker satisfaction and a greater connection to the organization.
If you want to improve the experience for your workforce, and retain your top talent in the process, keep these tips in mind.