Employee Experience remains an incredibly important area, and even more so in the time of COVID-19. Something that was recently made clear in a Future-Workplace study, showing that said experience is at the top of many HR-departments’ agenda.
50 %. That’s how many (out of the 197 business/HR leaders included in Future Workplace’s 2020 HR Sentiment Survey) expect their departments to focus more on the employee experience* during 2020. A number that was actually higher than for AI- and automation tech (41 %) and Performance Management (35%), putting employee experience at a firm, first place of initiatives for HR (though, of course, areas such as performance management and automation do have a place in the grander employee experience).
That said, it is important to not look at this top ranking in a vacuum. I.e. to also consider the circumstances in which it has occurred, and where the pandemic has played a role in the aforementioned increase in focus.
At least, this was a plausible point made in a Forbes article by Future Workplace’s Jeanne Meister, who gives a few reasons to why the employee experience is at the top of HR departments’ agendas at this very moment. Reasons including:
The longer hours and the loss of work/life balance that employees who – as a result of the pandemic – now work remotely.
The need for emotional closeness, which grows larger in a time of isolation and social distancing.
The risk of burnout and depression, increased with the pandemic and consequential lockdown (which seems only natural, with the stress and anxiety that has sprung from this crisis).
Now, while lockdowns may have been lifted, and while many are now returning to work, the need to address and actively consider the entire employee experience remains – even if the overall focus of your organisation is currently set on surviving another day. Or, as Tal Gilbert, Vitality USA’s CEO, explains:
“The way employers treat their employees during the Covid-19 pandemic will define what type of employer they are, and this will impact employee loyalty, motivation, and overall employee and customer satisfaction.”
Which we think summarizes this rather well.
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2020/06/08/employee-experience-is-more-important-than-ever-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/#711e474f34bc
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-23/working-from-home-in-covid-era-means-three-more-hours-on-the-job
* Employee Experience is here defined as “the sum of all experiences an employee has with their employer over the duration of their relationship – from recruitment, to on-boarding and career development, to exiting the organization”.
