Creating a seamless employee experience that mirrors user experience design is key to understanding, engaging, and retaining top talent in today’s competitive market.
I’ve recently been working with a company to conduct a large customer survey to pilot a new product line. They have invested a lot of time and energy to understand their customers’ experience. Having worked as a coach in this organization, it struck me how much less they knew about the experience of their employees. We are working to change that.
Crafting an exceptional employee experience should be a strategic priority for your business to attract, retain and engage top talent. Much like user experience design (UX), an employee experience design (EX) should strive to understand the interactions, emotions and perceptions employees have during their journey with a company.
Empathy: Understanding Employee Needs
Empathy is a foundational principle of UX design and of a positive employee experience. In the context of UX, empathy refers to understanding the user’s needs, frustrations and goals which are learned through direct observation, interviews and data analysis. Likewise you should understand the unique needs, aspirations and pain points of your employees.
One borrowed approach is to create employee segments. Just as UX designers create personas to understand user segments, we can use employee personas based on generational cohorts, job roles and individual preferences to tailor employee development programs or benefits options. Overuse of segmentation is a watch-out, but it is a way to get organized.
Ease of Use: Simplifying Processes
Another central UX principle is ease of use. When applied to employee experience, this principle significantly improves how employees interact with workplace systems, processes, and tools.
Organizations tend to evolve toward complexity, becoming bogged down with cumbersome software systems, complicated communication maps and outdated workflows. By routinely assessing for unnecessary complexity, you can save employees time and reduce frustration. You can also automate routine tasks, such as expense reporting or scheduling meetings to make employees’ lives easier.
Continuous Improvement
In UX design, feedback loops are critical to refining and improving a product. Designers rely on real-time feedback from users to understand what’s working and what isn’t, then iterate based on that information. The same holds true for the employee experience. Receiving continuous feedback is essential to understanding employee sentiment, identifying pain points, and making improvements in real time.
The traditional approach to give and take employee feedback—annual reviews—is no longer (has never been) sufficient. Tools like pulse surveys, one-on-one meetings and peer reviews provide employees with an opportunity to voice concerns, give (and receive) feedback throughout the year, fostering a culture of open communication and continuous development.
Acting on employee feedback is crucial. When employees feel their feedback is ignored, it leads to disengagement and reduced morale. Companies that act on employee suggestions demonstrate that they value their workforce, which boosts loyalty and retention. Too often leaders don’t even ask, for fear of not being able to deliver on team member needs. Even if you can’t do it, telling employees why you cannot make the desired change makes them feel heard.
Personalization: Tailoring the Experience
In employee experience, personalization means tailoring the work environment, benefits and development opportunities to meet individual employees’ needs. Personalization in EX can take many forms, from offering flexible working hours, remote work options, or customized career development plans. Employees who have some control over what, when, where and how they work are more engaged and productive.
Maintaining a Cohesive Experience
In employee experience, consistency means delivering a cohesive and positive experience across the entire employee lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding to daily work and eventual offboarding, and for employees at all levels and locations, in-person and remote. These employee groups have different specific needs. However, they have common needs for a sense of support, belonging and purpose. These needs are fulfilled by consistent engagement and communication.
How do UX experts know what customers want and feel about their product? They ask real customers about their user experience. Likewise, you should engage real employees in a conversation about their employee experience.
