Employee experience...
As I have stated in my book, it is an extremely young but very promising data-based discipline that is “much talked about but little understood.”
Through the interactions both in my workshops and in the client meetings I see that everyone has a different definition of employee experience.
Some call the employee experience as the table tennis and dart boards, free dress code practices on Fridays in the company. Some define the employee experience as a communication platform through where employees can follow the important events in the company or the announcements of the newcomers etc. Some define it as the chocolates given during the holidays and the welcome kits given to the newcomers. Others refer to employee engagement surveys conducted once a year as employee experience. None of this is wrong. But all of these are singular and out-of-context applications that makeup only a tiny portion of the vast ocean called the employee experience.
As I stated in my digital employee experience training on Udemy, trying to define employee experience with these singular applications is like trying to explain to someone what the sea looks using a glass of water.
It is possible to make a clear definition that will allow us to shake hands on what employee experience is and bring everyone together on common grounds.
As I expressed in my book that both in terms of its compatibility with the customer experience definition, the older sister of employee experience, and its easy understanding, I have always liked the definition made in the book The Employee Experience written by Tracy Maylett and Matthew Wride in 2017.
“Employee experience is the sum of the impressions employees get from their interactions with their organization.”
However, defining this discipline correctly represents only a good start for organizations to provide their employees with a healthy and positive work experience. What organizations really need is how a good working experience can be designed, implemented and made sustainable. In fact, if possible, they need a recipe or a user’s manual that will serve as a guide. In order to meet this expectation, I have always known the importance of providing a structured roadmap to organizations that will help them provide their employees with a healthy and positive working experience.
For this reason, I created a model that I describe in detail in my book, which I call the 5f(x) Model in Employee Experience, which is the first and only employee experience model in Turkey and the third in the world that came with a published book to back it up.
This model was created to be a structured guide for organizations to provide a healthy and positive work experience to their employees, if followed thoroughly and consistently.
Let's take a brief look at each layer of our model step by step.
First, let’s start by stating that the first four A's in the 5f(x) Framework represent the inputs and the fifth A represents the output.
1. Purpose: Presenting a solid reason for being that does not only focus on the agenda of the organization but also engages and excites the employee and brings all stakeholders together on a common denominator that can benefit people and society is the key point for a healthy employee experience.We examine the purpose in two layers.
Why: It is essential for an organization to be able to express strongly why it embarked on her journey.
How: It is critical to define the rules of the road according to which the organization will act during the journey so that it can find the right “comrades” with which it will embark.
2. Meaning: Is the relationship that brings the employee and the organization together meaningful? In other words, can the employee find a strong meaning in his/her relationship with his/her organization?We examine meaning in two layers.
Adding Meaning: Does the employee have the means to contribute to his/her colleagues, team and organization?
For example, can s/he contribute to job descriptions, task/responsibility matrices, process flows, policies and procedures, career paths, training & development opportunities by expressing their own ideas according to their expectations, interests, needs and wishes?
Finding Meaning: Is what the employee does for his/her organization seen, noticed, and made to feel the value of this contribution?
The generous use of appreciation, thanks, and apologies are crucial elements in the meaning-finding layer.
3. Spaces: It is vital to provide the necessary spaces for the employee to work, rest, improve himself and socialize.We examine the spaces in two layers.
Physical Spaces: Are the physical working spaces such as offices, stores, production areas, meeting & training rooms and the spaces to relax and socialize such as dressing rooms, lunch halls or cafeterias clean, tidy, safe, ergonomic, hygienic and comfortable?
Digital Spaces: Do you provide platforms where the employee can conduct meetings, trainings and interviews as if they are in the office during remote work, and access the communication network and information resources of the organization?
4. Tools: Are you able to offer all kinds of software & hardware and tools that the employee will need in order to properly fulfill the duties and responsibilities expected of him/her to perform?We examine the tools in two layers.
To Do the Job: Are the software and hardware needed by the employee to fulfill his/her duties and responsibilities adequate and appropriate for the job to be done easily and with pleasure?
In Return Of The Work: Are the benefits and privileges that have monetary value for the employee and his/her family because he/she is a member of your organization attractive and competitive compared to the market?
Belonging: As we mentioned before, belonging, the fifth A, refers to the output that occurs when the first four A's are implemented properly.I define belonging as the feeling of “I am where I want to be, I am doing what I want to do, I am with the people I want to work with”.
In employee experience, the 5f(x) Framework is a model designed to offer a universal construct that can provide a healthy and positive work experience not only for a specific target audience such as the Turkish culture or the white collar, but also for all cultures, any role, position or title from any generation.
If your organization needs a smart, total feedback platform that will help you track the experience you provide not only to your candidates and employees but also to your customers in an end to end, data driven and meaningful context, you are more than welcome to reach Pisano.
I wish a healthy and positive work experience both for you and for all the employees on whose lives you have a direct influence.
Because we all deserve a better working experience.