Today’s professional setting has made a positive employee journey a necessity rather than merely a nice to have. It has become clear that the modern organizations that manage to deliver a holistic workforce experience across all key events, from the first sight of a potential hire to the very end at retirement, do not only manage to hold onto great talent but also create amazing companies that treasure creativity and development. In this blog, we are going to define the stages of the employee experience and provide some actionable advice for the enhancement of each of the stages. We will also explain why focusing on employee journeys is a necessity.
What is the Employee Journey?
The employee journey is the whole lifecycle of an employee’s relationship with the company, from the first time an individual learns about the organization to the end, possibly through retirement or separation. This understanding is necessary because each touch point, from recruitment or onboarding to some type of development, serves to shape the manner in which employees see the company and their place within it.
According to a survey conducted by SHRM, 92% of professionals in this domain believe that an enhanced employee experience is critical but only 53% have structured programs in place to support this effort. Interestingly, those statistics would suggest that many organizations are missing an opportunity to consciously design the employee experience.
How to Create the Employee Journey?
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to create employee journeys:
Phase 1: Recruitment—Making the First Impression
Recruitment is the first important interaction an employee will encounter when he or she starts his or her active role in the organization. It determines how engaged an employee will be in regard to an organization and whether he or she will want to join or find it irrelevant. A compelling recruitment procedure that showcases how the company does business, and the values and credibility of the institution is important in retaining the best employees in the company.
A Glassdoor survey found that candidates looked to conform to companies with positive recruitment practices, resulting in retention indicators of up to 70%. Companies that focus on developing enticing job descriptions, gathering prompt feedback, and opening up the position to all potential candidates maximize the chances of filling the position with the right person.
Ways of Enhancing The Recruitment Experience:
- Clear Job Descriptions: Be more specific on the job description as per the organization’s culture, what is required of them, and the growth prospects in the organization.
- Technology Integration: Utilize AI-based software and ATS (Applicant Tracking System) in order to ease the process of hiring as well for both the recruiter and the candidate.
- Regular Communication: Communication that is upcoming without failure is essential in ensuring that the candidates are too active while being recruited.
Phase 2: Onboarding – Setting the Ground for Success
Onboarding comes into play once the right candidate for the position is selected. This is the stage when the candidates take on a new role in the organization and move from being applicants to being employees, the rate at which they adapt to this new position is largely based on the type and quality of the onboarding program. According to research conducted by the Brandon Hall Group, strong onboarding practices can improve retention rates of newly hired employees by up to 82%, and increase productivity by more than 70%.
Onboarding which entails educating employees in advance about the culture of the organization, the organization’s systems, and employees’ expectations in the underlying organization makes employees appreciated and encourages quick participation.
Steps to a Seamless Onboarding Process:
- Pre-boarding: Completing administrative-related issues like paperwork and giving out equipment to the new employee ahead of the actual start date.
- Cultural Integration: New employees should be fitted into the organization’s culture from the first day. To achieve this, new joiners may have mentoring sessions or team-establishing activities.
- Clear Roadmaps: Help the new employees envision what their first weeks and months which will involve training and performing will be like.
Phase 3: Employee Development—The Steady Climb
Once employees are welcomed into the company, it becomes critical to retain and develop them further. The best companies are aware that the improvement and nurturing of talent is something that never comes to an end and needs purchase in terms of training, feedback, and avenues for career growth. According to Gallup, such organizations that devote emotional resources to training their employees increase their profitability by eleven percent and productivity by seventeen percent.
The role of engagement is also huge in development. But, an employee who is encouraged to engage fully does a lot more than just produce results. He/She has a higher retention rate with the organization than those who aren’t involved in their work. SHRM research has found that with employee engagement, organizations are likely to register a 2l% increase in profitability and a 17% decrease in turnover.
Ways to Create Employee Development and Engagement:
- Customized Learning Solutions: Provide skilling and cross-training opportunities as a form of employee engagement to prevent where all the tasks get repetitive.
- Regular Feedback and Acknowledgement: Understanding where the employee is and the areas they need to work on makes employees require feedback regularly. Moreover, feedback will be given on the appreciation systems where employees will be recognized for performances.
- Career Pathing: Enabling employees to perceive their long-term career within the institution by providing different levels and future ways one can move.
Phase 4: Performance Management – The Stage that Aligns the Goals for Success
Performance management is the process and the main event that takes place on the employee’s side. Systematic assessment and feedback not only allow employees to remain on the same page as other people working towards the company’s ambition, but they also tackle problems, refocus attention, or even eradicate misunderstandings.
According to the Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends 2014 Survey, 82% of the respondents reported that performance management is a key business process, and only 10% of the companies believe that they have appropriate systems in place. This gap however indicates a very urgent need to change the approach to performance reviews while making them more regular, open, and positive in nature.
Best Practices for Performance Management:
- Ongoing Feedback: Provide frequent mini-assessments and capture feedback on performance in real time to allow for immediate and necessary changes.
- Goal Setting: Clearly describe the anticipated outcome for employees using SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) techniques that are capable of achieving the desired results.
- Development Planning: Performance reviews should also emphasize the aspects where one needs to develop professionally and provide avenues for development if needed.
Phase 5: Retention — Keeping Employees Engaged and Motivated
Employee retention has proven to be quite the thorn in the flesh when it comes to the management of the workforce. A survey by LinkedIn Global Talent Trends article postulates that flexible working environments have a 137% retention advantage. Employees are looking for work-life harmony, opportunities for professional advancement, and upward mobility in the organization.
In order to retain skilled and talented staff, organizations have to provide more than just salary. Instead, such organizations should create an environment that supports both professional and personal development, maintains channels for people to communicate freely, and provides room for flexibility.
Strategies to Improve Retention:
- Flexibility and Work-Life Balance: Remote working options, flexible time or schedules, and offering a reasonable additional benefits package can enhance retention positively.
- Growth Opportunities: Three characteristics coupled with the provision of possibilities for promotions, leadership positions, and skill utilization are critical in averting boredom and therefore the possibility of employee turnover.
- Employee Feedback: Issues concerning employees should be addressed to their satisfaction and measured by conducting advanced surveys sometimes to find out the state of the concerns and take time to address them.
Phase 6: Offboarding— Leaving on a Positive Note
When employees exit an organization, either because it is their time to retire or because they have accepted a career opportunity elsewhere, the offboarding process is very important in managing relationships. An offboarding process that is not handled correctly would lead to alumni who are indifferent and worse still may even affect brand value.
To that extent, one such process is termed as offboarding where the HR department further builds on the commitment of employees even after termination. This, for example, may involve pre and post-retirement planning and management, as well as having an exit interview.
Tips for Making Offboarding Successful:
- Knowledge Gaps: Ensure that vital information is retained so that any interruptions within the team can be minimized.
- Exit Interviews: Seek input from leaving employees on their motivations and how the company can improve.
- Building Alumni Networks: Keep the relationship with the former employees even after their services are terminated through alumni. networks.
Phase 7: Retirement— A Smooth Transition for Long-Standing Employees
Fulfilling employment policies of continuing support or through providing funds, implementing gradual retirement, or granting them consulting opportunities can enhance the retirement transition for employees. According to a Mercer survey, organizations that implement programs supporting the transition into retirement somehow enhance employee morale, especially for employees who have been with the organization for a considerable amount of time and intend to remain in the future.
The experience and skills of the retirees can also be utilized by organizations through the retention of retirees via mentoring positions or part-time employment.
Assistance In Transitioning To Retirement:
- Phased Retirement: Through the use of part-time or reduced hours, employees are enabled to retire gradually.
- Retirement Planning Resources: To practically prepare employees on how to transition to a different life after working.
- Consulting Roles: Offer options of consulting or advisory roles to people with immense knowledge of company affairs to prevent them from becoming psychologically disconnected from the company.
Conclusion
Most companies agree that having a structured and well-designed employee life cycle, that starts from recruitment and goes on to retirement is one of the key success factors for any organization. These may be employees who will engage more, increase productivity, and lead to better returns for the business. Organizations will make sure that every employee goes through every stage of their life cycle and experiences that are carefully curated to keep them engaged and inspired up until the end of their goal time.
Change management has so far forced organizations to rethink exactly how they manage their human resources with a view to enhancing their performance. But with good action plans in place, organizations can have an employee journey plan that enriches the individual and also helps to win over the employee.
