It’s time to measure and refine employee engagement
If we had to summarize our recent #BORNdigital webinar session with industry evangelist, Dion Hinchcliffe, we’d give it one word: WOW.
In this enlightening, virtual session, Pete Olson (Click’s Chief Product Officer) and Dion focused on how employee experience is evolving. Although employers have helped their team members maintain connectivity and even productivity in this remote world, there’s a severe lack of engagement. Employees are feeling fatigued and isolated, and – sadly – employee happiness has plummeted.
Given what we’ve learned in 2020, it’s imperative that companies deliver a more holistic digital experience moving forward. One that our employees demand that ultimately attracts and retains top talent. And there’s never been a better opportunity.
Transforming experience demands a key focus on culture, physical environments and technological infrastructure. According to Dion, “We’ve had technology that’s been accumulating in an organization, and we’ve always had the cultural environment which supported the physical environment. Now that we’ve dropped that away, the culture of the organization is struggling because the technological can’t yet take over for the physical.”
Pete echoed that the digital transformation challenge has been front and center for Click clients and prospects. It’s a problem that’s all too familiar, as corporations unleash a laundry list of systems that aren’t connected, aren’t intentional and, therefore, are missing the mark.
Adding a new tool into the ecosystem requires enablement, support and most importantly purpose. But given the clear gap between potential and performance, it’s essential. To get there, employers must develop a clear plan that is strategically aligned to the outcomes of the business. Pete posed a profound question that captures this perfectly: “How do you connect the tools and the process in support of the people – the managers – to fill that gap in both a coherent and a cohesive way?”
In order to deliver best-in-class employee experiences, you must take a hard look at your complete employee journey. And it all starts with onboarding. In fact, if you ask Dion, onboarding is the hub from which all other employee experiences stem.
So how do we act on the opportunity at hand? The need to introduce employee engagements that are #BORNdigital? Thankfully, Dion came prepared to share 6 key strategies to build an integrated, end-to-end experience that achieve rapid results:
1. Determine how to measure employee experience:
Leverage a holistic design that’s intentional in nature, and don’t do it by accident. Determine KPIs that matter to the business. Ones that are expected in the boardroom. Ultimately, the process needs to drive your business forward and resolve pain points.
2. Measurement is vital:
Yes, measurement again… it’s that important. Until you measure the impact you’re making on workers, you’re flying blind. Be sure to track the results of your program, but also ensure you’re measuring true KPIs that demonstrate success. Say no to fluffy vanity metrics!
3. Focus on the core employee experience:
Start with the most important moments. You can’t design it all, and you don’t need to. Instead focus where it matters, during the moments that matter.
4. Understand how employee experiences produce the best results:
Digital technologies play a direct and immediate impact on employee experience. Start with the foundations, evolve from there and don’t stop! Ultimately, if you’re not being strategic, you’re falling behind – and fast.
5. Create experiences for the most valuable digital journeys:
It’s all about treating your employees like customers. At the end of the day, they should be your greatest brand advocates. Take it from Pete: “You can create personalized scale by delivering a meaningful employee experience and providing seamless journeys – not only for preboarding and onboarding – but all of the HR activities that happen throughout the employee lifecycle.”
6. Measure and adapt until the experience succeeds:
Back to measure! But remember to constantly iterate. Use your data to uncover where holes and gaps exist, and adjust accordingly. Dion has found that it takes 3 – 6 iterations of employee experience adaptations to get it right.
Our captivating discussion ended with a few considerations from Click in which Pete shared tips and tricks to act on today. The clear takeaway? Digital-first is a must. It’s no longer a nice-to-have but instead a requirement in today’s world. More than that, your employees expect it.
When you’re ready to become #BORNdigital, trust Click’s Onboarding Consulting Practice. Our team of experts are here to analyze your business needs and build a fully digital, seamless employee journey process that just works. It’s the win you’ve been waiting for, and we can’t wait to help.
