This is an Encore Episode of #WorkTrends
Sponsored by Alpha Dental
Today we’re talking about something that drastically impacts day-to-day experience of millions of people who go to work every day. But before we jump into today’s podcast, go ahead, ask yourself these two questions, are you ready to really improve the employee experience in your organization, and what does a positive workplace culture look like to you?
Let’s take a look at some insights to set the stage. According to Zippia, paying tribute to important moments for a job well done goes beyond making employees feel warm and fuzzy. It has a direct connection to their productivity, commitment, and retention. Their recent findings show that strong employee recognition programs reduce turnover by 31%. 37% of employees, they say that the best way to increase engagement is through manager recognition, and 92% of workers are likely to repeat an action if they are recognized for it. 80% said they would work harder if they felt more appreciated. And one in three report that they have not received any recognition in over a year, if at all.
Meet Our Guest: Thomas Kunjappu
Thomas Kunjappu is the CEO and Co-Founder of Cleary, the employee experience platform for high-performing teams. Under Thomas’ leadership, Cleary elevates engagement in remote and hybrid work environments, with a solution designed specifically for the modern workplace.
With his background as a product innovator at companies like Twitter, Medallia, and HP, Thomas is a technology industry mover and shaker who understands the special connection between human behavior and business results. He’s also a very cool person who is easy to find online and at industry forums. So I’m thrilled he’s joining us here to discuss the latest issues and trends in employee engagement and how to sustain a positive employee experience.
Why a Positive Employee Experience Matters
Thomas, let’s start by clarifying the concept of employee experience. Why is it so important?
Well, it originally started with the idea of customer experience, where businesses focus on understanding what customers are going through at every step of their journey, and responding with feedback loops and processes that ensure customers have a good experience at every stage in the relationship.
But who actually takes care of customers? Employees do.
So employee experience grew out of that realization, and thinking about the employee journey in a similar way.
How Work Realities Are Changing
What does it take to create a positive employee experience in the post-pandemic world?
I think we’ve all felt the shift. Being an employee now is very different in a remote or hybrid environment. Work is much more distributed, flexible, and dynamic for many of us.
But with 50-100% of people working in this dramatically different way, any employer that wants to create a positive employee experience must also think about how to support employees in a dramatically different way.
Who Owns the Employee Experience Now
So in this new environment, who is responsible for ensuring employees are engaged, recognized, and supported?
That’s arguably the sole job of leaders and managers — getting the right people in the right places, and helping the whole company grow in the same direction — with leverage from the people team, right?
HR has shifted from focusing only on ensuring the company doesn’t get sued to actively ensuring a strong talent brand that attracts great people and fosters a positive employee experience so people want to stay.
Others have a role, too. For example, internal communications and even IT. A lot of different functions contribute because a positive employee experience is really everybody’s responsibility, now.
Tech’s Role in Employee Experience
HR tech can make a difference here. How does Cleary help organizations accomplish this?
Well, our tools fit into three categories that support our vision of a great workplace with a positive employee experience. That includes communications, culture and team efficiency. And it all comes together with journeys and moments that matter for employees, starting with onboarding.
With so many organizations trying to do more with less, we’re focusing on helping people redeem time by offering templates to streamline all kinds of processes.
For example, if you’re managing a strategic product update or managing change-related communications, we’ve got dozens of templates to help you get started much faster than if you’re starting with a blank canvas…
To Learn More About the Positive Employee Experience
For more insights into creating a positive employee experience, listen to this full podcast episode. And be sure to subscribe to the #WorkTrends Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Anytime you want to continue this conversation on social media, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Let’s talk!
