Employee Experience through Technology and Personalization

The talent landscape is rapidly changing. The last couple of decades have seen major upheavals in terms of both talent and organizational demands. The 2020s are proving to be a decade of radical change. With the pandemic and GenAI, employee expectations are evolving faster, according to People Matter. Gen Z also brings different expectations for their organizations, where meaningful work, flexibility in where and how they work, and continuous learning are at the forefront.

Meaningful Work

Gen Z is looking beyond financial gains at their workplace. They want a sense of purpose that drives their work. Vantage Circle reports that even their material benefits aspirations are focused on the present rather than the future. This also includes Gen Z seeking socially responsible organizations with a vision for the betterment of the world.

Flexibility

McKinsey & Company, in one of their reports, states that regardless of the organization, the current generation seeks freedom and flexibility in their workplace. They view the workplace as a means to achieve their broader goals rather than an ultimate destination, placing significant value on flexibility in both work location and structure.

Career Progression and Learning

While Millennials and Gen X prioritized stability in their careers, Gen Z seeks roles that offer rapid growth and place equal emphasis on continuous learning.

Organizations must craft an employee experience that aligns with these expectations as employee priorities evolve. Companies must adopt a data-driven approach to understand these shifting needs to achieve this. A robust and comprehensive feedback mechanism ensures that no employee feels overlooked. The focus should be creating a feedback strategy encompassing all demographics and functions, enabling the organization to become a truly listening entity.

“Employees are 4.6 times more likely to perform better if they feel their voice is heard.” – Salesforce

Gen Z requires a distinct feedback approach compared to Baby Boomers, as do Gen X and Millennials. To address the needs of all generations, organizations should employ diverse feedback mechanisms, such as surveys, one-on-one meetings, personal interviews, and more. The outdated, cookie-cutter approach to annual feedback is insufficient for today’s workforce.

Surveys must also evolve, with AI-powered chatbot survey tools paving the way over the last decade. These tools have transformed feedback into a two-way process, integrated at multiple milestones throughout an employee’s tenure.

Feedback is the backbone of any effective employee experience strategy, and the first step in developing this strategy is crucial for establishing a strong foundation. The Employee Feedback Strategy should be mindful of the following points:

1. Frequency

The feedback process should include regular check-ins with employees. The approach should combine technology with a human touch, ensuring the first connection is always personalized.

2. Communication Channels

Each generation has different preferences, so understanding demographics and job functions is key to choosing the right communication channels. These can range from in-person check-ins to emails, messages on internal channels, or even WhatsApp. The choice of communication should be based on where employees are most inclined to engage.

Various employee survey tools integrate with existing HRMS systems, ensuring regular employee outreach.

3. Language of Communication

Personalizing the means of communication and language helps expand the number of employees reached, especially in India, where multiple languages are spoken depending on the region. This approach allows employees to feel comfortable and ensures they understand the questions asked in the survey.

“41% of employees have left a job because they felt they weren’t listened to.”- AllVoices

After developing an effective employee feedback strategy, the next step is to generate actionable insights. A common pitfall in organizations is feedback collection, which often fails to result in meaningful action after being shared with leadership. This can lead to frustration among employees and result in a loss of trust in the feedback mechanism. While feedback is inherently a two-way process, it is equally important to act on employees’ feedback and communicate the actions taken.

· One-on-One Connects

One-on-one connects assist HR during both the feedback process and post-feedback follow-up. They also reassure employees that their feedback is being heard and considered by real people. These connects can help reduce regrettable attrition and build trust between employees and the feedback channels.

·  Policy and Broadcasting

Policies created through feedback can significantly enhance trust. For example, if many employees are dissatisfied with the tea brand, running a quick poll and making a change where possible might seem like a small victory, but it shows employees they are being heard.

Although the change may only be noticed by a few, announcing it company-wide and following up in a town hall will reinforce the idea that employee feedback leads to actionable change.

It is a back-and-forth process where organizations meet employee expectations and employees fulfill their responsibilities. Building employee experience through two-way communication, supported by technology and personalized approaches, helps lay the foundation for a stellar organizational culture.

References:

1. https://www.peoplematters.in/site/interstitial?return_to=%2Farticle%2Fstrategic-hr%2Faligning-your-hr-strategy-in-line-with-new-age-employee-expectations-34516
2. https://www.vantagecircle.com/en/blog/expectations-gen-z-employees/
   #:~:text=Gen%20Z%20employees%20expect%20their,
   greater%20societal%20or%20environmental%20good.
3. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies
4. https://www.salesforce.com/eu/blog/
5. https://www.allvoices.co/blog/state-of-employee-feedback-2021

Alokita Sharma

Alokita Sharma is a domain Expert at Solvecube. She has been an Employee Experience Professional for over 10 years predominantly in start-ups and large-scale organizations. Her core focus lies in Culture Building, Employer Branding, Employee Feedback Management, and curating employee experiences that are anchored in the culture of the organization.