Positive employee experience is a powerful tool in the business performance and employee productivity playbook. It can contribute to employee engagement as well as increased revenues. In fact,\u00a0companies investing in employee experience are four times as profitable as those that don’t<\/a>. Employee growth, employee pay, average revenue and profit, and revenue and profit per employee were all areas that the companies outperformed others that didn\u2019t invest in employee experience.<\/p>\n So, at this point, most businesses know they need to prioritize employee experience<\/a> (EX). But there’s a catch — the standard can be really high.<\/p>\n Companies are regularly establishing customer experience goals and communicating the value of quality customer service. We recently discussed customers’ increasingly high standards<\/a> for their experience with a brand or business.<\/p>\n Your employees are the frontline for customer contacts. So, they are well versed in the high value attention your company aims to provide. They are customers of a wide range of businesses, too. Their expectations of employee experience are shaped by the treatment they get as consumers in their personal and professional lives.<\/p>\n Employees’ expectations are also shifting right now due to COVID-19. McKinsey research<\/a> found that more than 80% of their respondents said “the crisis is materially affecting their daily work lives.” Plus, they are looking for connections that feel safe and familiar.<\/p>\n This longing to connect and build resilience provides an excellent opportunity for the company\u2019s employee experience strategies. The approach needs to be calibrated to the now largely virtual workforce. Nevertheless, keeping top CX priorities in mind can help you effectively focus your employee experience efforts.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s discuss how the desire for convenience, personalization, a conversational approach, faster response times, incorporation of their input, and empathy from CX can be translated into the employee experience.<\/p>\n This can mean many different things for the employee, just as it does for the customer. You might make work more convenient for your workforce by:<\/p>\n Finding ways to help employees achieve a happy work-life balance by offering conveniences can encourage morale. You\u2019re more likely to have employees bragging about where they work, which reduces your recruiting costs<\/a>. Plus, you\u2019re less likely to deal with turnover.<\/p>\n As an employer, you definitely need to consider the needs of your broader workforce. Yet, taking stock of different segments and individual needs and seeking to communicate on a more personalized level can positively impact employee well-being and work effectiveness.<\/p>\n McKinsey\u2019s research during COVID-19<\/a> found a wide range of experiences across workers. Remote workers reported 50.9% engagement, compared to non-remote workers\u2019 40.4%. Of the remote workers, 58.2% with dependents reported positive work effectiveness, compared to only 19.8% of those without saying the same thing.<\/p>\n Looking at this positive work experience among remote workers along gender lines is also telling. The 79.4% of males versus 37% of females (both with dependents) reporting positive work experience remotely is a big divide. McKinsey also reported, \u201cthe top priority for remote-working women right now is balancing work and private life. For remote-working men, that need doesn\u2019t even rank in the top ten.”<\/p>\n Segmentation and personalization is key to offer the employee experience needed to support people in the way that best suits them. Engaging all employees in a dialogue<\/a> and reaching out to connect and empathize (more on that below) will reap dividends.<\/p>\n You want to get something accomplished. To one person you say, \u201cDo this, now!\u201d To the other you say, \u201cI\u2019ve noticed you\u2019re struggling to get this finished. What\u2019s getting in your way?\u201d The more conversational approach of the second attempt is more likely to help build a long-term relationship. Unless you want that relationship to be more dictatorial; we don\u2019t recommend it!<\/p>\n In terms of taking a conversational approach to employee interactions, you might bring purpose to the forefront. Explaining (concisely) how a task fits in with an overall company objective or the values of the organization, gives that responsibility a greater context.<\/p>\n The conversations you have about purpose \u2014 the employee\u2019s own and how those connect to the business mission \u2014 can help engage them in bigger-picture thinking. This helps get everyone pulling in the same direction, feeling connected and motivated.<\/p>\n Replying to customer emails promptly can provide a competitive advantage. Your business may even have a policy that outlines that your customers never be left waiting hours or days for a reply. The same is true of employee communications. They are just as likely to feel anxious, disrespected, and underappreciated if their contact with company leaders is left unattended for too long.<\/p>\n The average response time for a business email<\/a> is 16.83 hours, or 12 hours and 10 minutes, or 11 hours and 48 minutes \u2014 depending on the study. Responding to customers has a shorter window still.<\/p>\n For employees to have a positive experience, you\u2019ll want to:<\/p>\n Just as customers expect to see some results from their feedback, employees want to know their input matters at work. If you survey employees about culture or a new policy or procedure, close the loop<\/a> by reporting on feedback findings and integrating that into the change effort. This helps to:<\/p>\n Involving employees in change efforts and communicating transparently can also improve engagement, especially among remote workers. Further, if everyone\u2019s voice is heard and respected, it can help cultivate a culture of inclusion<\/a> and collaboration.<\/p>\n Empathy is at the forefront of employee engagement efforts these days. Since 2017, more than 90% of employees, HR professionals, and CEOS have said empathy is important<\/a> at work, according to BusinessSolver.<\/p>\n Compassionate leadership can make a positive difference<\/a>, according to McKinsey. They recommend that leaders:<\/p>\n Empathy and emotional intelligence can be learned. Find out how<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Employee](\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/expect1-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCX Effect on Employee Experience Efforts<\/h2>\n
Convenience<\/h2>\n
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Personalization<\/h2>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/expect2-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nConversational Approach<\/h2>\n
Faster Response Times<\/h2>\n
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Incorporate Their Input<\/h2>\n
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Empathy<\/h2>\n
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![\"Empathy](\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/expect3-1-1024x681.jpg\")
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