Want to attract and retain good hires? Maybe you should rethink the experience your workers have as employees.
An article published by the digital magazine Talent Management (www.talentmgt.com) discusses the importance of shaping (or reshaping) the experience that employees have at work in order to attract and retain talent.
You might think you don’t need “talent” at your pallet manufacturing or recycling business. And some of the concepts discussed may not entirely apply. However, pallet company owners and managers recognize there is a cost to losing employees and the effort to find, recruit, screen, hire, and train new employees. And there is plenty of competition for those workers to boot.
The report by Talent Management points out that employee well-being and work-life balance have become important parts of an inclusive culture — and can serve as key differentiators for attracting and retaining talent.
Employee experience is not the same as employee engagement. Best-selling author and futurist Jack Morgan explained, “The same as the difference between updating a car by just painting the outside and replacing the entire engine. One method makes the car look nice, but the other actually improves its performance. Employee engagement is popular, but it’s a short-term fix. Employee experience is a long-term solution that addresses the core of major issues.”
He added, “…employee experience looks at the workplace with a long-term view. Employee experience improves core practices around people and involves truly knowing your employees and giving them what they care about to create an environment where they are empowered and valued.”
The 2020s are the era of human-focused company culture. According to LinkedIn’s 2022 Global Trends Report, “workers are now re-evaluating what matters most to them in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting employers to focus on the well-being and personal satisfaction of their employees.”
LinkedIn’s report stated, “Companies are adjusting their policies to ensure that employees feel cared about as human beings, not just as workers, making flexible work arrangements permanent, investing in wellness programs, and boosting their diversity and inclusion efforts. Employers and employees are building a new, more dynamic relationship, one based on trust and empathy.”
Mark Lobosco, vice president of talent solutions at LinkedIn, explained, “Good work-life balance is the highest priority for job hunters, outweighing even excellent compensation and benefits.” LinkedIn research shows that if employees feel cared for at work, they are 3.2 times more likely to be happy at work and 3.7 times more likely to recommend working for the company.
You could say the bottom line is that employees want to be treated like people, not just workers. Think of the Golden Rule. The idea applies to anyone, really, whether he or she is an IT professional or performing such routine tasks as operating a saw, running a pallet nailing machine, building pallets by hand, and so on.
When employees are pleased with how they are treated at work and with their overall experience the business benefits. A company will reap increases in employees likely to recommend their workplace, increases in high performers, and increases in intent to stay. Think higher productivity and lower employee turnover.
Here are eight ways to shape employee experience:
1) ‘Map’ the employee’s ‘journey’ with your company as you would for a customer.
2) Teach employees how they can contribute to a healthy workplace culture for themselves and co-workers.
3) Create opportunities for employees to hear personal experiences that can open their minds to different perspectives.
4) Provide the education and training that managers need to have the tools and strategies to support their employees’ experiences at work.
5) Educate employees about making choices that create a healthy work environment.
6) Align company values and purpose, and the resulting decisions and processes, with what employees say is important to them.
7) Determine what flexibility means to your employees and how you may be able to build it into their experience.
8) Recognize and reward employees for the value they create.
