Why the Employee Experience Still Matters

With Employee Appreciation Day around the corner (Friday, March 3), cultivating a positive employee experience that not only engages and retains employees, but also empowers them is more important than ever. 

Namely recently teamed up with Bravely and Blueboard to discuss why the employee experience still matters from various perspectives, lending expert strategies, resources, and tools to help elevate the employee experience.

The panel included:

• Shireen El-Maissi, Blueboard Manager, People Relations and Talent Acquisition
• Brittany Westfall, Bravely Coach
• Jennifer Therrien, Namely VP, Global Talent Management and Development

Key Takeaways from the Panelists

Our panelists touched on workplace trends at varying points of the employee lifecycle, drawing on their experience in their respective roles and lending their expertise to guide employers in developing best practices for their own organizations.

“In my opinion, the employee experience begins at the interview process,” Shireen said, including that the interview process is a way to showcase and cultivate your company culture. To do so, it starts with transparency and involving other team members (vs solely the hiring manager). Shireen also emphasized that onboarding is just as important because that’s when employees start integrating into the company and your team. So the culture you create during the interview process should extend through the onboarding process.

1. Employee Experience Begins at Interviewing and Onboarding Stages

“In my opinion, the employee experience begins at the interview process,” Shireen said, including that the interview process is a way to showcase and cultivate your company culture. To do so, it starts with transparency and involving other team members (vs solely the hiring manager). Shireen also emphasized that onboarding is just as important because that’s when employees start integrating into the company and your team. So the culture you create during the interview process should extend through the onboarding process.

2. Prioritize Learning and Development Opportunities

“It’s about meeting people where they are at and finding the next step,” Brittany advised on learning and development. Brittany touched on how it’s critical for employers to listen to employee needs and find resources that support them. From upskilling and reskilling to encouraging passions, individualizing feedback and appreciation is essential for employees to feel valued and supported.

3. Considerations for Transitioning from Remote to Hybrid or Full-time In-office

“If you are an HR leader or you have been tasked to bringing your employees back into the office, whether it be two days a week, three days a week, or five days a week, there are some strategic steps you would need to take," Jennifer advised on the transition from a fully remote workforce to a hybrid or in-office arrangement. "First, you have to have an open conversation with your C-suite. You have to understand where they sit, meaning, do those leaders embrace remote and hybrid work? Or do they philosophically believe you must be in the office five days a week? Do you want your employees to return to work to ‘to be seen’ or more connected, collaborative, and innovative?

“Second, you must understand the 'why' behind the ask to effectively build your return to work strategy and change management plan. For example, if you ask your employees to come back to the office for more in-person collaboration, you would also need to consider whether your office has more personal or team meeting space. Suppose your office contains more private workspace and offices than huddles, breakout rooms, and team collaboration space. In that case, your groups are less likely to have the space they need to come together to collaborate and innovate.

“And last but not least, you need to leverage your technology to ensure that those who remain in remote or hybrid environments are not left behind," Jennifer continued. “It will be critical that your leadership team understand the potential for proximity bias and ways to overcome or prevent that to ensure your remote teams have equal opportunities and experiences.”

Other topics covered during the webinar included developing more personalized feedback and appreciation, interviewing best practices, upskilling and reskilling employees, and deep-diving into building an authentic, resilient culture.

Did we mention that attending also earned you SHRM and HRCI credit? Though we can’t guarantee all webinars will provide the credits, keep an eye out for upcoming webinars that might offer this additional perk!

Here are some additional resources from our panelist organizations focused on employee experience.

Blueboard

• 10 Employee Appreciation Day Ideas that Actually Work (Blog)
• Send a (Free) Appreciation Card to the Coworkers Helping You Thrive
• Maintaining Morale, Equality, and Connection in Our Hybrid Workforce (eBook)

Bravely

• Meeting Employee Needs with a People-First Plan for 2023 (Blog)
• Reframing Quiet Quitting to Reengage Employees (Blog)
• Securing Executive Buy-In and Budget (Guide)

Namely

• 5 HR Tech Tips to Drive Your Employee Experience Strategy (Blog)
• Employee Retention Strategies for 2023 (eBook)
• What Is Your Work Love Language? (Quiz)

Did you miss the webinar? No worries—we have more coming soon. Check out our upcoming webinars and register now. In the meantime, download Namely’s eBook on HR’s Guide to Boosting Employee Morale in 2023.

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