What’s the ‘Human Experience’ and why is it better than the ‘Employee Experience’
Don’t you find it annoying how much the term ‘Employee Experience’ is thrown around? But no one ever seems to define exactly what it is or what the magic formula is to improve it? Now there’s a new trend on the block for you to get your head around and it’s called the ‘Human Experience.’
According to Deloitte Insights Employee Experience is an attempt from a company to improve the employee journey. However, many make the mistake of ONLY making improvements from a top-down approach (the focus being on the employer) rather than a bottom-up approach (the focus being on the employee).
What is a top-down Employee Experience approach?
This where the employer offers perks to improve the Employee Experience but they are still work-centric rather than employee-centric. For example, an employer introduces a better work-life balance in an attempt to create a better ‘experience.’ Deloitte explains that this was designed by employers as they recognised that people needed to carve time out of work (the top priority, not life or human needs) to fit in with their activities outside of work.
The point is that it’s still a work-first, personal-second approach.
Other top-down Employee Experience perks
Discount cards
Free gym membership
Regular work parties
Events
Prizes
Bonuses
Flexi-time
Work discounts
How to start creating a bottom-up experience so that you can focus on the Human Experience
Human beings crave a purpose in life and when they don’t get it they suffer sadness. Purpose is the core to a fulfilling life. Now when we consider the fact that we spend a third of our life at work you can see why it is so important to give your employees a meaning at work.
Of course, perks should be encouraged. But you need to extend beyond work processes and focus on the meaning of the work for the employee. You need to help them understand how they are making a difference at work. Of course, you can’t force meaning because each employee will have a different idea of what they think it is.
Your job is to work closely with your employees and find out exactly what they find meaningful. You can then convey exactly how their job is helping them to achieve this.
Find out what your employee’s aspirations are and connect their work to this. You need to show them how their work can help them achieve their aspirations and find meaning in what they do.
If you work in retail your ‘Head of People’ would need to work closely with your ‘Head of Retail.’ This is so you can tailor plans and guides of how each employee can individually make a difference. It will allow you to help your staff contribute in the most personal way which means something to them.
The bottom line is that you need to focus on the deeper impact that work has on your employees and how they can make a difference.
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