In the highly competitive modern workplace, creating a positive Employee Experience (EX) is akin to playing a team sport where success hinges on collaborative efforts across departments. Perry Timms, a leading figure in the field of People and Transformational HR, emphasises the need to prioritise workplace culture to unleash the full potential of teams. He challenges organisations to set ambitious goals and consistently invest effort in shaping a thriving culture.
The typical employee journey involves around 50 touchpoints, each potentially influencing the overall EX. The goal is to nurture engaged employees who contribute discretionary effort, directly impacting productivity and profitability. According to Gallup, prioritising EX leads to significant boosts in productivity, sales, and profitability, making it a smart business decision rather than a mere nicety.
Historically, HR has driven workforce experience changes, but the shift to remote work necessitates broader collaboration. Beth White, CEO of MeBeBot, highlights the evolving nature of EX ownership, expanding beyond HR to include IT, Operations, and management. This collective effort requires breaking free from rigid departmental boundaries to achieve organisational goals effectively.
However, many organisations stumble due to common pitfalls when setting up EX teams. Nayan Leadership identifies these pitfalls as overlooking diversity and inclusion, ignoring skill gaps, neglecting team development, and lacking clear team roles, which can result in decreased productivity and engagement.
Shakil Butt, CEO of HR for Hire, warns against misconstruing EX as mere rebranding. He emphasises its holistic nature, encompassing engagement, well-being, branding, and messaging, succinctly captured by Michael Jackson’s notion of “the way you make me feel.”
To foster impactful EX initiatives, organisations should create cross-functional teams comprising individuals from IT, Operations, Business Information, HR, Marketing, and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC). These teams bring diverse perspectives and expertise to optimise technology, streamline operations, manage talent, enhance communication, and ensure compliance, ultimately driving a positive EX.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) play a pivotal role in enhancing collaboration and diversity within cross-functional teams. By bringing together employees with shared interests and backgrounds, ERGs facilitate knowledge sharing, professional development, and stronger relationships, contributing to organisational effectiveness.
Selecting the right team members is crucial. Atlassian recommends considering not just skills but also personal qualities and past collaboration experiences when forming cross-functional teams. This diversity fosters innovation and improves problem-solving capabilities within the team.
Change management is integral to successful EX initiatives. Dedicated change management professionals guide employees through organisational transitions, ensuring smooth adaptation and acceptance of new initiatives. Effective change management involves assessing organisational readiness, addressing resistance, and fostering participatory decision-making.
To elevate EX within organisations, leaders must allocate resources, elevate roles within EX teams, and secure leadership buy-in. By prioritising EX and embracing unconventional talents, organisations can create workplaces that resonate with employees and drive tangible business benefits.
Julian Birkinshaw and Jordan Cohen advocate for time management strategies to focus on value-added tasks. By eliminating low-value activities and delegating effectively, employees can dedicate more time to EX initiatives, contributing to organisational success.
If you’d like help with reinventing your EX to make it future fit, you can fill out this framework.
Following which we will send you an assessment of your current EX with some tips on what you can do immediately to positively impact it:
Torque’s Future-Fit Assessment – Employee Experience (alchemer.eu)
