For more and more employees, it is important to find a job that enriches their lives. They want a workplace that they enjoy going to and an employer that is there for them and values their performance. Salary alone is no longer a sufficient reason for choosing a job, which is why companies have long been working not only on their customer experience, but also on their employee experience and thus on the experiences that their employees have with them as employers.
What is the employee experience all about?
Julian Lute, strategic consultant at Great Place to Work®, defines the employee experience as “the overall assessment of all interactions between an employee and their company and its workforce”.
A successful employee experience begins at the job interview at the latest, accompanies employees throughout their entire period of employment and ends with the exit interview. According to HR expert Jacob Morgan, companies should consider three environments when it comes to the employee experience.
- The cultural: shared values, lived corporate culture, well-being at work, team spirit, appreciation, sense of purpose
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The technical: the necessary equipment for communication, project management, information flow
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The physical: environmental design, interior designs, colors, smells, ergonomics, noise vs. silence
The goals of the employee experience are a positive working environment, increased productivity and employees who are happy to stay with the company for longer.
What role does mental health play in the employee experience?
In a study by Great Place to Work, almost half of those surveyed rated their workplace as psychologically and emotionally unhealthy. The consequences for employers are serious; dissatisfaction, less motivation, less productivity, more fluctuation – to name just a few. In addition, according to studies, around 34% of all employees quit their job due to mental stress.
Conversely, it is obvious that happy and satisfied employees feel better at work and are therefore less likely to quit. Mental health is therefore an important foundation for a successful employee experience. Companies that give the mental health of their employees a central place will be more successful in their efforts to create the most positive employee experience possible.
Conversely, a poor employee experience can have a negative impact on the mental health of employees and, in turn, lead to people no longer feeling well, being less productive and more likely to look for new jobs.
The most common mistakes that companies make in the employee experience include
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Too little flexibility in work design
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Lack of prospects
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Poor management and corporate culture
It is fitting that a German survey conducted in 2022 cited stress, lack of appreciation and lack of promotion opportunities as the three most common reasons for resignation.
5 tips for a successful employee experience
How individual employees experience their everyday life in a company is very individual. However, numerous studies have produced common denominators that almost all employees find positive in their employee experience:
1) Appreciation – preferably in all directions
Employees who feel values and seen not only describe themselves as more satisfied. They are also more productive, motivated and cooperative and thus become important multipliers of a positive corporate culture. After all, a good mood is contagious.
2) Support – no matter where, no matter when
Whether they are on the production floor, in a co-working space or working from home, employees expect the support they need no matter where they are. Managers should therefore always have an open ear and the necessary (digital) tools available to offer their team the best possible support wherever they are.
3) Health as a priority – both physically and mentally
Whether physical or mental, health is and remains the most valuable asset. Companies that recognize and promote this have a clear advantage in the modern job market. However, a company health program alone is not enough. An appropriate corporate culture is just as important.
4) Listening & asking – joys, wishes, concerns, worries
Employee feedback is important. It is important to keep asking questions and listening. However, it is just as important to follow up with the right actions and not let communication break you down. Only then will employees feel accepted, seen and valued.
5) Trust – in the team, in the manager, in the company
People are social beings and being part of a team can be very rewarding. However, the basis for this is mutual trust and this is based on healthy cooperation in which not only successes are celebrated, but also conflicts are dealt with and resolved.
Expert tip: Building trust always starts with trust. Managers should remain authentic and communicate openly. It can also help to find personal common ground.
You can also find more tips on how to build trust in the company here (https://wpgs.de/fachtexte/vertrauen-aufbauen-misstrauen-ueberwinden-tipps-und-psychologie/).
How can mental health solutions help improve the employee experience?
With a platform like Likeminded, employers create a more positive employee experience because they are able to
1) … improve the overall satisfaction of their employees
Employees receive support via the platform in everyday life as well as in challenging times and with professional and private issues. In this way, companies care for their employees holistically.
2) … make their employees more productive and resilient
HR managers receive a helping hand that provides something for the personal development of each individual and enables an active exchange of experiences, for example between managers. The option of booking individual coaching sessions via the platform can also take the pressure off HR teams.
3) … retain their employees more strongly
A mental health platform is not only a “selling point” when talking to potential new talent, but also an effective tool for creating a positive corporate culture in which, for example, conflicts are resolved in a healthy way.
A platform like Likeminded thus creates a solid foundation for a successful employee experience from the first to the last working day.
In short, in terms of a successful employee experience, companies need to start looking at employees not just as workers, but as people with individual talents and needs. The well-being of employees must play a greater role in the employer brand as well as in the corporate culture so that people are ultimately satisfied and stay with the company for longer.
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