×
First-time login tip: If you're a REBA Member, you'll need to reset your password the first time you login.
03 Apr 2020

How to combine employee engagement with employee experience

How engaged are your employees? You may host regular team meetings, send out surveys, encourage feedback, and provide engaging rewards and benefits for staff. But do you really know what it is to truly experience being a part of your organisation?

79AE-1585827429_HowtocombineemployeeMAIN.jpg

What is the difference between employee engagement and employee experience?

Employee engagement is a familiar phrase, and encompasses all the things that measure how engaged your workforce is. Are they proud to be an employee of your company? Do they picture a long, successful career at your organisation? And are they willing to go the extra-mile?

Employee experience instead encourages a dialogue between employees and organisations. It goes one step further and nearer to the core of your workforce’s day to day experiences. What do employees hear, see, say and do? Do your staff believe in your organisation? Are they comfortable to raise issues and ask questions? And what do they want from their job?

How can you combine both employee engagement and experience in your organisation?

It may feel like the line between employee engagement and employee experience is a slightly blurred one. But the key action is for leaders and managers to really put themselves in their employee’s shoes. Ask yourself; what are the range of experiences your staff have during their lifecycle at your organisation?

If an employee’s experiences – what they see and feel – are misaligned with what they are actually asked to deliver for your organisation, ultimately they will feel unfulfilled, less engaged and may be at risk of leaving for a new job. You can avoid this worst-case scenario by starting a plan today to provide the best possible employee experience.

1. What are your priorities?

What questions do you need to answer, and in what order? Working out your priorities will allow you to focus on key areas and make changes quickly and effectively.

2. Are your leaders and managers empowered to take action?

It’s often said that ‘people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses.’ So, flip that on its head and make sure that your management team are able to take action quickly to improve your employees’ experience.

3. How can you collect employee experience data?

Encourage honest feedback from your employees, and do it regularly. In a fast-paced work environment it can sometimes feel like a chore for staff to fill in a survey or feedback form. Why not get creative instead? For example, use an emoji-based system to measure staff morale, or a token voting box to make it interactive. Or strip it back to basics and have more informal one to one meetings, or coffee and catch-ups.

4. Are you genuine in your cause?

If you’re genuine with your intentions, your staff will be genuine with their feedback. It’s a two-way process where the old saying ‘honesty is the best policy’ really rings true. Admitting that changes need to be made, and building upon sometimes negative feedback, is the first step to successfully combining employee engagement and experience. 

What are the benefits of combining employee engagement and experience?

Having a more holistic approach towards employee engagement and experience comes with a host of benefits. It goes without saying that when your staff are more engaged, work culture, behaviours, and productivity will be better.

Employee experience goes beyond standard engagement metrics and delves deeper into the realities of the everyday for your staff. Use this new data and feedback wisely, and you can enable your employees to create real change for themselves, and the wider organisation.

This article is provided by Simplyhealth.

In partnership with Simplyhealth

Our health plans make it easy for people to maintain their health&wellbeing.

Contact us today