This precept has been gaining validity while new generations join a labor market whose guidelines are determined by the characteristic dynamism of the third decade of the 21st century.
When uncertainty has made a hole in daily life's work, social and family niche, it is natural for people to reassess the weight of experiences in their everyday environment. Although, from a business perspective, the scope to influence affairs in the social and family sphere is limited, there is a tacit responsibility on the part of the administration to offer the spaces, openness, and security necessary for the team members to have a satisfactory experience (EX).
Talking about spaces within the modern workplace requires removing the obsolete idea that it represents only the cubicle, the office, and the common area the collaborators visit daily. The concept of spaces is not limited to the individual's physical environment. Still, it now integrates the symbolic dimension that encompasses the most personal elements of the individual.
A prominent example of how the generation of symbolic spaces positively impacts the perception of the employee experience within an organization is manifested in the opportunity when offering members of the LGBTQ+ community ways to express who they are without fear of retaliation or discrimination. This practice can be extended to the different demographic categories within an organization since it is a comprehensive effort involving all the departments in charge of dealing with the human capital that makes up the company.
Now, managers' commitment when starting these efforts lies in doing it with human responsibility, avoiding falling into the traps of tokenism at all costs. Perception is one of the most highly developed skills in modern society; thinking employees will not notice when you are not talking about honest effort is to disrespect the organization and the people within it. On the other hand, to the extent of transparency and openness regarding the initiatives and actions, the collaborator will positively respond to the stimulus since he will perceive that he is being respected and listened to.
Once we've discussed the importance of the team member feeling respected and listened to, we can continue to the next aspect that we believe is involved in the employee experience: openness.
When we talk about openness, we must consider within it the visualization of the executive order in a horizontal sense. This scenario allows you to eliminate the common problems that exist when business communication takes place vertically, for example, uncertainty regarding policies, lack of feedback, distance from the organization's core values, and loss of a sense of corporate identity.
Horizontal openness does not represent, in any way, a scenario in which all employees are key players, and there is no order to make decisions. When we talk about horizontal openness, we refer to a philosophy where chains of command and bureaucratic barriers are limited to a minimum regarding inter-company communication. This philosophy allows the rapprochement between peers while narrowing the distance between managers and the rest of the employees, promoting dialogue, communication, exchanging ideas, and solidifying the sense of community within the organization. These experiences, well carried out, could generate communication spaces such as two-way forums to discuss company policies that concern all company members.
As it's evident, achieving good quality in the employee experience is a multidisciplinary effort that integrates elements such as perception, identity, communication, and security within the organization. Leading an organizational culture where this factor is nurtured and cared for positively impacts the company's corporate climate and in the public eye; it is one of the most potent elements when attracting fresh talent to the ranks of the organization. In a market where salaries have become increasingly competitive, and there is a real hunt for talent, offering a corporate culture where having a fantastic employee experience is sought after and valued can be the necessary incentive that makes the difference between your company and the competition.
The last topic that I will talk about in this post that concerns the employee experience is security. In terms of safety, the certainty the space where the people are working (physical/virtual) is committed to covering the needs and unforeseen events that arise throughout the employee's career within the company. As I said at the beginning, the company's scope on the employee's life is limited, but that doesn't mean that efforts cannot be made to offer certainty in covering the collaborators in case of unforeseen events. These efforts may be focused on providing quality medical services, emergency financial support, or things as simple as payments arriving on time. All these elements contribute to the employee experience, whose footprint is transformed into loyalty and brand presence in the labor market.
The central point of this discussion can be summarized as follows: taking advantage of the opportunities offered by generating a satisfactory work experience is necessary for a context where the labor market begins to value human quality above economic income. Making efforts in this area will mitigate your team churn rate and will settle the environment for the public where all employees are valued, regardless of their rank or role in the company. The commitment to create or adopt a unique employee experience culture has opened the doors for companies to experiment and find the best way to adapt these practices to their work methodology and generate more business opportunities.
