The business value of employee experience (EX) can be measured in reduced turnover, increased retention, better quality talent acquisition, and internal mobility that preserves and expands institutional knowledge.
Yet, making the business case to modernize EX is still a struggle for some HR leaders.
Meeting today’s workforce needs is already challenging. Companies that lag in tech-enabled EX put their future at risk.
EX is the culmination of every interaction an employee has with your organization, from the moment they see your job opening to the moment they leave the company. Today, invariably that means interacting with HR technology across the employee lifecycle.
Paylocity research surfaced three themes that indicate stronger employee retention: empowerment, engagement, and enablement. Although retention is just one way to look at the efficacy of employee experience efforts, we can extrapolate these themes as key capabilities for modern EX technology (EXTech.)
1. Empower employees to share their voice.
In a perfect world, all people leaders are natural empaths.
But in a world of distraction and disruption, listening — and understanding — takes considerable effort.
With EXTech, proactive listening is built into an integrated HCM platform so each employee’s voice is not only heard but also demonstrably valued. This new wave of listening technology produces measurable improvements in the employee experience by:
- Asking the right statistically validated questions.
- Identifying strengths and areas of opportunity.
- Making best-practice recommendations.
- Providing tools to create action plans.
- Tracking data over time to monitor progress.
Today’s employees want to be heard. Tomorrow’s employees want to know their voices have an impact.
2. Engage employees by elevating positive interactions.
If employees want to be heard, it stands to reason they also want to be seen.
But hybrid work has given rise to proximity bias. Disjointed communications leave frontline workers feeling disconnected. And a teetering work-life balance can make employees cynical.
Of nine key employee engagement drivers identified by Paylocity research, several speak to employees’ desire to be part of a community. When EXTech is integrated into the same platform employees use every day to check their paystub or clock in, HR can drive a culture of engagement through:
- Inclusion. Next-generation EXTech is fully mobile to foster communication and collaboration among employees who may not otherwise have the opportunity to interact.
- Peer Relationships. Organizations can provide a springboard for employees to create personalized experiences and discover common interests through customizable groups.
- Recognition and Rewards. EXTech lets organizations showcase moments that matter when they happen by providing a frictionless experience for employees to give and receive recognition.
3. Enable employees with learning paths.
How do you prepare today’s workers for tomorrow’s undefined challenges?
By offering continuous growth opportunities that inspire curiosity, innovation, and loyalty.
The foundation of an internal training program is a learning management system (LMS), which can be used to assign courses and track completions.
The next level of workforce development is learning experience platforms, or LXPs. This more employee-focused approach enables users to pursue skills in growth areas that best meet their career goals.
Some features of an LXP include:
- AI-recommended learning paths.
- In-platform content creation.
- Gamification capabilities to enhance learning.
- Analytics that help leaders understand performance progress.
- Complete mobile compatibility and user-friendly navigation.
By investing in employee skills development, organizations can save on recruitment costs and retain valuable institutional knowledge.
The future of employee experience is now
There’s no denying technology is one of the biggest disruptors at play today. It also has the potential to amplify HR’s strategic impact on business outcomes exponentially. An intuitive, cloud-based HCM solution like Paylocity simplifies essential functions while driving a modern employee experience.
Get your complimentary copy of the new eBook, How to Empower, Engage, and Enable Tomorrow’s Workforce.
