Truth is, most of us can’t find the employee experience on a map. And it’s hard to change something you can’t see.
“Employee Experience” is a phrase we hear thrown around a lot in the workplace. And we all know we want a good one… we just don’t quite know what it is or how to change it. This episode offers some clear direction and tactics on how to own and enhance your own employee experience.
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I’m the founder of Lead Above Noise—a firm specializing in retaining, engaging, and developing talent. And one of the most powerful drivers of talent retention and engagement is an impactful employee experience. I’ve worked with dozens of companies to help them understand what the employee experience actually is (and isn’t) and how to dial it up to amazing. And the great news today is that you don’t have to wait for your company to take action. You can take your experience into your own hands. So let’s talk about how.
But first—if you’re a regular Modern Mentor listener and feel like this podcast adds value to your life, please take a minute to review us on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge difference in helping other people find the show. And if you don’t have Apple Podcasts—share a favorite episode on LinkedIn or Twitter! I’d really appreciate it.
OK folks. Question. If I asked you to describe your own employee experience, what would you talk about? Would it be money? Flexibility? Office space? Virtual team yoga sessions?
Truth is, most of us can’t find the employee experience on a map. And it’s hard to change something you can’t see.
So let’s start with some basic geography. Where does your employee experience live? Why, it’s halfway between hygiene and sparkle of course!
I know, I know… little clarification please. OK, your hygiene factors are the things that you only really notice when they’re absent. They’re things like reasonable base compensation, a safe workplace, fair and equitable policies. When these are absent, you’re likely to walk. But when they’re present, you rightfully take them for granted.
Now your sparkle factors—these are your sexy extras. Your fancy holiday parties, your team yoga sessions, free food in the office. I always tell clients “hey—if you can swing ‘em, bring ‘em.” Sparkle factors are great. But their shine wears off quickly.
Your actual employee experience lives between these two poles. And I define it as the collective set of conditions that allow you to do four key things at work:
When we get these 4 things right, then we nail the employee experience.
I work with clients to craft a collective experience. But all the same principles apply at the individual level.
So now if I were to ask you to describe your employee experience, you might reflect on things like…
Your access to basic tools, systems, and resources; how quickly decisions get made; how complex or simple basic processes at work are; and how empowered you feel to execute without having to ask permission. These things ladder up to your ability to Deliver.
You might also reflect on the quality and quantity of feedback you receive, whether you’re learning and growing on the job, and whether you have access to training and development. Whether your leader coaches you or tells you what to do. These all represent whether you feel able to Develop.
You might talk about your relationships with colleagues, or the sense that the tasks of your day ladder up to something purposeful. You might consider how much of the “real” you you’re able to bring to work, whether your voice feels welcome at the table. These all represent how you Connect.
And finally. You might think about boundaries and whether you’re able to set and hold them. Or how often someone says thank you for the work you’ve done. You’d think about whether self-care or emotional and physical wellness are priorities at your workplace. These will paint a picture of your ability to Thrive.
Now, when I run a session with an HR team on the employee experience, this is usually the part where I see dozens of shoulders relax. Because suddenly we’ve taken this very conceptual and amorphous thing and made it tangible, actionable, and ultimately measurable.
But knowing what comprises the experience is trivia. Understanding what to do with this knowledge—how to actually shift the experience—is where the money is. So friends, let’s follow the money.
Here’s what I invite you to do—to advocate for and shift your own experience.
1. Assess. Consider how well you’re able to deliver, develop, connect and thrive right now. No hard science here. Just think about the ups and downs of your days. And when you hit a snag—does it tend to fall in one of these quadrants?
Are you frustrated waiting for decisions? Are you bored? Feel disconnected from your team? Battling burnout? Really give a think. And choose the quad that most needs your TLC right now.
2. Imagine. If suddenly this experience were flipped, what would feel different? Like has your boss suddenly empowered you to make your own decisions? Are you being stretched with a new project or are you participating in a leadership development program? Are you suddenly logging off at 6 p.m. or just feeling super appreciated for the hard work you’ve been doing?
Really imagine what would be different if suddenly your experience were altered. Get crisp on what actions or changes would have delivered that different outcome.
3. Choose. As I like to say, the employee experience is not a singular thing, but a menagerie of moments. We don’t strive to overhaul it in a day, but to adjust it one bit at a time. So based on your imagined better experience, choose one small thing you are empowered to change. Just one.
It could be proposing to your boss that decisions within a certain set of parameters should be yours to run with. Or it could be deciding you go offline at 6 p.m. or that you start scheduling one coffee a week with a colleague you haven’t talked to in awhile. It could be asking for access to information or for permission to join another team’s meeting or to speak with a customer to better understand how your work supports their needs.
The possibilities are endless. And you only need to choose one to start.
4. Act. Do the thing. Talk to the boss, invite the colleague to coffee, shut down for dinner with your family. And see how it goes. Because none of these ideas are earth-cracking.So just do it. And then note—do you feel better or worse?
5. Share. Now tell someone what you did, what you learned, what you’ll do next and why. A contagion of empowered employees owning their experience is the most professionally beautiful thing I can imagine.
Maybe this sounds simplistic. But I’ve spent years honing this approach. And every time I speak, train a team, or run a Pulse Check for an organization, I’m amazed that they're amazed by how incredibly simple an impactful employee experience can be to build.
Join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your organization is looking to dial up its Employee Experience.