Ben Ingram, EX Practice Lead at WONGDOODY
The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of, if not the, greatest accelerators of organisational change and digital transformation in modern business. While we have seen major innovations in product and service offerings, and tectonic shifts in purpose and direction, no aspect of business has been more deeply and rapidly changed than Employee Experience.
With the need to so rapidly adopt a remote working model, organisations were found lacking in the necessary tools, process and training to avoid some amount of negative impact on employee engagement, productivity and happiness. Now, as we look forward to a return (in some form or another) to workplaces, many are also faced with challenges around their fundamental policies when defining their flexible working arrangements.
One thing we can be sure of is that the ability to offer and successfully facilitate a flexible working model will be key to attracting and retaining the best talent. This, combined with what was already a growing suite of expectations, has made the need to invest in a positive employee experience greater than ever.
Myself and my company have been no stranger to these challenges; faced not only with the task of maintaining an award-winning culture and operating model based on face-to-face collaboration, but also the unification of multiple design businesses around the world. All from our kitchen tables, bedrooms and (for the lucky amongst us) gardens.
The secret to a successful company, especially during these times, is putting employees at the heart of every decision made. It is so critical to understand and respect that, without each individual, there is no company.
Employee experiences can create a symbiotic relationship between the organisation and each of the individual people who chooses to work for it. Note ‘people’ are humans with an ever changing and evolving personality, behaviours and needs, rather than generic ‘employees.’ The formula is fairly Newtonian in nature – simply balance the purpose, value and enablers of both parties.
Purpose is the very reason an organisation exists and why people, be that as an employee or customer, are able to build long-lasting relationships with them. A shared belief in both what you’re working together to achieve, and how you conduct yourselves while doing so, is pivotal in retaining the very best talent. It’s in those most challenging of times, from pandemic to weekends spent in the office, that we ask ourselves “Is it all really worth it?” – a question that can often only be answered by the heart.
Outside of those moments, and hopefully for the majority of our life at work, the key driver is value. Ensuring a clear understanding of the mutual benefit – to both yourself and the organisation – of your role. Today and into the future.
For the business, this is simply and intrinsically linked to their bottom line. As passionate as we may be about what we do, for most businesses, money continues to make the world go round. For employees, the definition of value is an evolving one and not always an obviously equal relationship. While we’d all love to walk away with a financial reward equal to the value we’d generated that day, it’s unfortunately not an all that sustainable operating model. Instead, employers should be looking to provide a varied portfolio of value. Combining basic and bonus remuneration with personal and professional development, travel and lifestyle perks and flexibility around how an individual structures their time at work.
Finally, enablers. Provision of the correct environment, process, policies and tools to work as productively as possible in your preferred way. It’s important to note that this should not be read as simply digitisation of employee-facing tools and services. Key to successful enablement is an understanding of the changing ways in which your employees work and how to cater to them. Even as we find ourselves living in a digital world, we should not assume that digital is the complete solution. Case in point this last year, where we have all been left wanting for interactions not conducted via a screen.
The question is simple. Why wouldn’t you want to get the very best out of your employees for the longest time possible? Particularly when you bear in mind that their salaries alone represent 25-40% of your overheads.
The answer, however, involves constantly and consistently challenging yourself, your peers and the organisation as a whole to do your very best for your employees.
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Source: http://hrnews.co.uk/employee-engagement-post-covid-19/
