Improving the employee experience: Engagement, Workspace and Beyond
In a digital world with increasing transparency along with fast-paced work culture, employees now give more importance to a productive and engaging work experience. Taking this into consideration, organizations are now working towards developing an integrated focus on the entire work experience bringing together the workplace, engagement, company culture, and management practices that create an impact on employees’ performance.
Research by Deloitte points out that nearly 80 percent of executives rated employee experience very important (42 percent) or important (38 percent), but only 22 percent reported that their companies were excellent at building a differentiated employee experience.
A growing challenge
Understanding and improving the employee experience is critical for employers to grow and develop their business. A Gartner survey revealed that only 13% of employees are fully satisfied with their experience.
Enterprises should move beyond thinking about experiences at work in terms of perks and rewards and instead focus on delivering meaningful and values-based work culture. Companies need to build a foundation of culture and engagement to positively impact employee experience.
Get the design right
In recent years, Indian workspaces have evolved a lot, thus changing the impact they used to have on employees. Employees expect office models that are efficiently designed and are equipped with natural elements and world-class amenities so as to create a healthy work-life balance.
The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace study showed that people who work in spaces with natural features reported 15% higher levels of overall wellbeing. Furthermore, the respondents expressed feeling 6% more productive and 15% more creative at work. Here are a few ways to transform your workspaces:
- Design ergonomically crafted work areas with varied seating arrangements.
- Inculcate biophilic and natural elements like indoor plants, natural lighting, water features, etc. to create a stress-free and positive work environment.
- Soundproofing to create quiet zones
- Minimalist design concepts to create flexible spaces
Strengthen engagement
A study by Gallup found that highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability. Workplace interaction can form the foundation of strong peer support that encourages happier employees and healthier lifestyles. In this way, employers can magnify the positive interactions among their employees in order to improve growth and employee wellbeing.
Apart from this, offices designed with flexible and open spaces encourage employees to work collaboratively in an inclusive environment.
Culture at Foundation
Company culture is a very important part of employee experience. It fosters the feeling of belongingness, inspires innovation, and encourages teamwork.
It’s a part of the day-to-day employee experience and makes a really big difference in a company’s ability to attract and retain employees. According to a report by Forbes, employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work.
Conclusion
Employee experience is the next business frontier that needs to be fully explored and optimized, and the best way to start improving the employee experience is by making your workforce feel appreciated, connected, involved, and empowered.
By making simple changes to your workspace and encouraging employees to exchange innovative ideas with their peers, huge results can be achieved.
