Employee experience, also known as EX, is a relatively new workplace trend that’s set to transform hiring processes and company cultures.
According to IBM’s Institute for Business Value, organizations that prioritize employee experience see a 31% higher revenue growth, compared to their competitors.
Forbes calls it the “new employer brand” and is expected to become more popular as it makes use of more innovative HR tech tools emerging in the modern workspace.
Let's look at how a good employee experience affects how job seekers proceed with an application, accept a job offer, and stay in their position—even when there are better, more enticing offers and incentives elsewhere.
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What is the Employee Experience, exactly?
When you’ve been waist-deep in job search, you’ve probably been asked to fill out repetitive forms countless times at some point.
How did you feel? Frustrated? In a rush? Ready to hit the exit button?
Newsflash: the employee experience starts from the moment your eyes land on the job description and continues throughout your entire time at the job.
The Self-Determination Theory (SDT), coined by psychologists Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan in the 1970s and 1980s, suggests that when employees’ basic psychological needs are met, they’re more likely to feel and perform better at work.
When employees feel supported, they’re also more self-motivated and participate more freely in team-building activities. This means better collaboration, although it should also be noted that different generations have varying expectations and criteria when it comes to employee experience.
Key pillars of EX
Employee well-being (EWB) runs in parallel with employee experience. It’s essentially the overall state of your psychological, physical, and social health at work.
With a good EX, job seekers get a better idea of what to expect in their role and can make plans to leverage their strengths and excel at work. To start, employers must be aligned with their HR teams to create an ideal candidate profile.
Good employee experience in the workplace can be evident in these areas:
- Collaborative professional relationships: Teams with consistent communication and regular check-ins squash issues and see results faster.
- Conducive physical work environment: Ergonomic chairs paired with the ideal work environment and sound level (e.g., instrumentals, ambient chatter, complete silence).
- Accessible learning & technology: Employees who can work from their preferred device or receive thorough training are more likely to strive for productivity.
- People-first company values: What do team members champion in and out of the office? Is a remote or hybrid-first workplace in place for work-life balance?
- Flexible schedules: Outside of core hours (especially with virtual teams), employees can choose to take their breaks and lunches whenever.
Employee satisfaction
The job characteristics model, developed by Richard Hackman and Greg Oldham, suggests five unique factors that influence career satisfaction (and performance):
- Skill variety: How varied are the skills and talents required for the position?
- Task identity: Do tasks amount to a clear, identifiable piece of work from start to finish?
- Task significance: What greater impact does your work have on your company? Your community? On people? Processes?
- Autonomy: How much control do you have over your tasks and responsibilities at work?
- Feedback: Do managers and direct reports provide constructive comments on what’s working and what can be improved?
The Motivating Potential Score (MPS) equation above gives an estimate of how motivated a job seeker may be in a certain role. This is based on intrinsic motivation. In a nutshell, it’s what you’d enjoy doing even when nobody’s watching or without expecting any rewards (like money or promotions).
Communication strategies for different generations
At the heart and core of EX is great communication.
How can we better understand each other? How can we look at an issue from another team member’s point of view?
How can we deliver messages with clarity, empathy, and confidence to people in the workplace?
For the first time in history, we have four whole generations at work. If you haven’t noticed, communication styles across different generations vary, and some are even opposites.
- Gen Z (1997–2012) - SMS and short messages tend to fare best with the youngest working generation. They prioritize work-life balance, which usually comes with strict boundaries with their schedule (e.g., no job-related texts or emails after 5pm).
- Millennials (1981–1996) - Prefer frequent updates and feedback. During hiring, consider outlining exactly when they can expect a response with numbers and dates to help them stay on top of their Google Calendars.
- Gen X (1965–1980) - As the original email champions, Gen X knows how to check everything off their (physical!) to-do list. They value their independence and prefer to complete tasks free from micromanagement or constant check-ins.
- Baby Boomers (1946–1964) - Classic, well-planned in-person meetings and phone calls are the way to go. They respond well to verbal affirmations and recognition, as well as clear career progression paths. With loyalty and hard work, they expect to be rewarded for such in the workplace.
How will technology impact EX going forward?
As digital experiences are now more easily personalized, technology has the potential to shape the hiring process according to the needs of job seekers. Do you look forward to in-person interviews, or do they make you feel awkward? Preliminary assessments, like the DISC test, may be able to predict that.
In any recruitment process, most (if not all) job seekers are looking for a smooth and convenient application journey.
When filling out web forms, if the page is too slow, or you get stuck on a section, or have to complete unnecessary or repetitive steps, you’ll likely decide to look elsewhere for your next job. And that could be a missed opportunity. What if you become the star candidate who got away?
Do you learn best by playing games? Some application processes offer fun timed tests that measure both hard and soft skills. There are also ones that use task-based interactive questions grounded in neuroscience to help employers find the perfect fit.
Some companies have already started experimenting with interactive and more engaging assessments to find the right person for the job faster. These activities can assess a candidate’s potential better, which bullet points on a résumé often do not show. Typical tests include data-oriented problem-solving or gauging creative thinking skills for innovative solutions. Candidates may also be evaluated based on their reaction times and ability to spot inconsistencies or errors.
To wrap up
With the technology we have now, the future of employee experience is bound to be more interactive and engaging, with processes developed to be more efficient for both applicants and recruiters. For job seekers, this should also raise the bar for company culture standards you should look for when applying for jobs: ones that care about the overall employee experience, even when you don’t end up with them.