When it comes to making your talent goals a reality, HR experts agree that "happiness" is akin to chasing a rainbow but Employee Experiences are where it's at.
If you put an emphasis on improving your employer brand through valuable initiatives designed to attract, engage and retain staff, you are keeping pace with your competitors.
If, however, you go beyond the predictable (think workspace design, trendy benefit programs, teambuilding) and branch out to what's new and great, you are ahead of the game; for today at least.
Recently, a 2017 Forbes article points to major trends in HR will be centered around the employee experience. “We define employee experience simply as seeing the world through the eyes of our employees, staying connected, and being aware of their major milestones." (Susan Peters, Senior Vice President, Human Resources at General Electric)
For instance, milestones of life that millennials are experiencing today are collectively referred to as the adulting of the largest workforce in history. If we are to treat our employees as we would like to treat our customers, we need to design programs to help them with what's important. In other words, dust off the brown bag lunch meetings to discuss Retirement Plans, Budgeting and Cooking Classes, Home Buying and DIY workshops. Multi-generational team building is Engagement 3.0.
Thinking beyond your workplace has become even more important to the experience your employees have with your company. No matter how hard cutting-edge employers try to make their offices seems like playgrounds, coffee shops, college campuses or tiki bars, it is still work. Employees want to have experiences outside of work. Prepare to design sabbatical leave policies, outdoor adventures, and global volunteer opportunities that have nothing to do with their job. The key point here though is that these outside activities have a huge impact on their job.
The impact of positive employee experiences touch everything from work performance, client interaction, home life, parenting, defining purpose and compassion, health and wellness to engagement. As we blur the lines between work and home, that should come as no surprise.