When it comes to employee experience tools, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. What works for one company might not work for another, and what works today might not work tomorrow. That’s why it’s important to choose tools that align with your HR goals and can grow with your company.
So, how can you better facilitate a great employee experience for your teams? What should you be looking for in the best employee experience tools? And what are some examples of the best employee experience tools you can implement this year to drive HR success?
You're in the right place to find out. We’ll cover that and more in this handy guide.
What is employee experience?
Employee experience is a term that encompasses the entirety of an employee’s journey at a company – from onboarding and day-to-day work experience, to daily communications and long-term growth opportunities.
Employee experience refers to how a business engages with an employee throughout their day-to-day and employee lifecycle, and the reactions that an employee has to those touchpoints. It's not just another buzzword to land some pool tables and napping pods in the workplace – it encapsulates everything that affects how employees feel about their job and their ability to do it well.
Employee experience initiatives aren't without their benefit either. An emphasis on employee experience has become increasingly important as the job market continues to tighten and competition for top talent grows. In fact, a recent study found that 83% of HR leaders say that employee experience is very important for their organization's success.
Future Workplace describes The Workplace As An Experience to include five main categories of experience: physical, emotional, intellectual, aspirational and virtual. In this guide, we’ll be focusing on how you can create optimal virtual experiences for your employees, by finding the right employee experience tool.
Employee experience vs employee engagement
You may be wondering, what exactly is the difference between employee experience and employee engagement? Well, while employee experience strategies and tools can improve employee engagement, they are not the same thing.
An employee engagement platform often measures long-term satisfaction and connection between employees and employers, while employee experience is about how employees feel at each moment in their working lives and how you, as an HR team, can improve those moments for them.
In short, employee experience is about individual moments, while employee engagement is the overarching connection employees have with the company as a whole.
It’s important to keep both in mind when considering employee experience tools and employee engagement software, as they can work hand-in-hand
How the C-suite supports employee experience
The C-suite has a crucial role to play in employee experience, as their actions and decisions have a direct impact on the day-to-day experiences of employees.
As digital employee experience leaders, C-suite members like CHROs and CIOs work together to design and deliver the technology solutions that support employee experience and drive employee retention. This can include HRIS, employee experience management software, communication and collaboration tools, performance management software, and more.
Kathy Kay, CIO at global financial investment management and insurance company Principal Financial Group, says:
“Now more than ever, having a strong partnership between HR and the CIO is critical, because the demand for talented employees is so high.”
While it may be IT's job to obtain the technology, software and hardware used to drive a more positive experience throughout the company, it's the CHRO's job to ensure employees have the skills, tools, and work environment they need to perform.
In other words, the CIO provides the means for HR to achieve their core goals.
The CEO also plays a key role in supporting a strong employee experience. In fact, INC reports that CEOs who foster a superior employee experience stand to attract and retain top talent, despite external challenges or roadblocks.
With an ever-changing job market, CEO support for employee experience is crucial in securing a competitive workforce and ultimately driving business success.
As CEOs prioritize the employee experience, they should lead by example and support HR's (and the CIOs) efforts in creating a positive work culture and fostering employee satisfaction.
The impact of supporting employee experience
As digital transformation continues to shape the modern workplace, it’s important for HR leaders and the C-suite to prioritize employee experience.
Creating a positive employee experience is key to a productive and engaged workforce. In fact, employees who have a positive employee experience are 16 times more engaged and eight times more likely to want to stay with a company.
One great example of the impact supporting employee experience can have is AirBnb.
After AirBnb CHRO became Chief Employee Experience Officer for the global organization, engagement scores showed the impact of the enhanced corporate culture, with 90% of Airbnb employees recommending Airbnb as a great place to work.
Mark Levy, Global Head of Employee Experience at Airbnb, went on to say:
“At Airbnb we are focused on bringing to life our mission of creating a world where you can #belonganywhere, by creating memorable workplace experiences which span all aspects of how we relate to employees, including how we recruit them, develop them, the work environment we create with them, the type of volunteer experiences we offer them, and the food we share together.”
Mark Levy , AirBnB
So, don’t let employee experience fall by the wayside – work with your C-suite counterparts to provide the technology and support necessary for a successful employee experience strategy.
Differences in employee experience for frontline workers
With over 2.7 billion deskless workers globally, business leaders need to provide frontline-specific tech in order to enhance employee experience in those organizations. Remember, frontline workers may not have access to the same technology as desk-based employees, so you have to consider their unique needs when selecting your tech.
While employee experience for frontline workers has long been overlooked, a digital tool with the right features can make a world of difference in improving job satisfaction, communication and productivity.
In addition to your run-of-the-mill comms features, some other key employee experience requirements for deskless workers include:
- The need for efficient real-time communication and task management
- Mobile/offline capabilities and access
- Improved shift scheduling and time tracking capabilities
- Enhanced safety protocols and compliance measures
- Easy, intuitive interfaces that can be navigated on the go.
Overall, it's important for HR teams to understand the unique needs of their frontline employees and work with leadership to prioritize and implement the right technology solutions. By doing so, companies can improve employee experience for frontline workers and drive retention in that critical segment of the workforce.
Key features of an employee experience tool that will drive your HR goals
As a CHRO or other HR leader, your role in digital transformation and acceleration is vital.
An employee experience platform can provide you with the direct tools you need to achieve your HR goals. These goals might include:
- Meeting your hiring plan
- Meeting your employee retention plan
- Meeting employee engagement goals and targets
- Reducing complexity and overhead for their teams
- Building your team and reputation for a great workplace culture.
When it comes to selecting the right employee experience tool for your organization, consider your specific department goals and what features will help you achieve them. And remember, it's also vital that you choose a tool that is designed for your industry.
Key features to look out for in a great employee experience tool that will drive you towards your goals include:
1. Communication features
Clearly, there is still some misalignment in communication between workers and business executives, with only 56% of employees thinking their company's executives care about their wellbeing, while 91% of the C-suite think their employees believe they do care about it.
With better communication strategies and tools in place, you can bridge that gap between you and what your employees are thinking and feeling – even if they’re on the frontline.
By providing employee experience tools that feature open lines of two-way communication, like Secure Chats, you give your leaders the chance to prove that they value what your employees have to say, care about employee wellbeing and will listen to - and act on - their feedback.
These are the things employees are telling us they want to experience above all else, so your employee experience tools need to reflect this with effective direct and group communication features.
How will this help me meet my goals?
- Easily communicate company updates, initiatives and events to your entire team or specific departments.
- Drive your employee engagement goals and targets by gathering valuable feedback and ideas through direct one-on-one or group chats.
- Build trust and transparency in your company culture, as employees feel they have a direct line to their leaders.
2. Surveys, polls & real-time feedback
To build a company culture that prioritizes employee experience, real-time employee feedback is essential. This can range from short Pulse Surveys to polls and check-ins with managers, and provide a true picture of how employees are feeling in the moment rather than relying on a yearly survey.
With continuous feedback, HR leaders can understand how employees are feeling, what they need and where improvements can be made in real-time, rather than waiting months or even years to make necessary changes. Whether your teams are office-based, remote or on the frontline, real-time feedback can make a vital difference to your employee experience.
This can also be a good opportunity to consider your employee recognition strategy. With real-time feedback, HR leaders can quickly acknowledge and reward employees for their achievements, creating a positive employee experience and driving engagement.
How will this help me meet my goals?
- Gather valuable insights for your team and department goals, as well as larger company initiatives.
- Drive employee retention by addressing any issues that arise and implementing changes based on timely feedback.
- Acknowledge and reward employee achievements in real-time, driving engagement and a positive employee experience and improving retention rates.
3. Multi-channel capabilities
Employee experience tools should also provide a range of channels and capabilities to support an overall more positive experience throughout the working day. This allows for a more personalized experience for employees, as they can choose the channels that suit their individual communication preferences and needs.
Take the Blink employee app, for instance. We provide not just direct, secure chats and surveys for employee feedback, but also a central Hub to easily access company information, social recognition to boost morale, and even the Blink Feed for all employees to share their thoughts and updates – creating a strong sense of community within the organization.
Employees can even book holidays and access payslips in one click all from the app.
With one mobile-first platform combining a vast range of channels, uses and capabilities, you can support a positive employee experience and drive engagement in every aspect of the working day – even when they're on the frontline.
How will this help me meet my goals?
- Provide a personalized experience for employees by offering multiple communication channels.
- Reduce complexity by consolidating a range of employee experience tools into one mobile-first platform.
- Support engagement and a positive employee experience in order to build a strong company culture and drive retention.
4. Staff segmentation
Meeting employee experience goals can also be aided by segmenting staff in order to tailor communications and gather feedback relevant to specific departments or teams. In a clever LinkedIn post, Gonzalo Shoobridge, Ph.D. writes:
“Authentic workforce segmentation is not the art of offering the same value proposition to all your employees but knowing what to offer to each of them. It is the art of identifying and understanding your employees’ needs and creating a unique set of benefits that deliver satisfaction to the employee, profits to the organization, and benefits for the stakeholders.”
Look for tools with features such as easily creating and managing employee groups, or the ability to target surveys and communications to specific segments of your staff. You can also find tools that offer a full Marketplace of add-on applications to allow employees even more personalisation over their employee experience tools.
How will this help me meet my goals?
- Gather more specific and relevant feedback from employees by targeting surveys or communications to specific segments or teams.
- Personalize the employee experience by offering unique benefits that meet unique, individual employee needs and drive satisfaction.
- Improve profits for the organization, build a strong company reputation and ultimately meet your hiring targets.
5. Enterprise-wide search capabilities
Centralizing company information in a searchable people directory, resource library or intranet can improve the employee experience by reducing the time and effort spent searching for important documents or information.
With Blink's Directory, it is easier than ever to find and connect with colleagues, whether they are in the same office as you or on the other side of the world.
But it’s not just about reducing time-wasting searches for individual employees – a centralized information hub supports knowledge sharing, collaboration, and the overall flow of communication within the organization. In addition, look for tools that offer cross-platform search capabilities, allowing employees to easily access information from their desktop or mobile device.
How will this help me meet my goals?
- Improve employee productivity by reducing time spent searching for important documents or information.
- Reduce complexity for employees by centralizing and organizing company information in one searchable platform.
- Encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration within the organization.
6. Reporting & analytic tools
Having access to real-time insights and reporting on employee engagement can help you identify potential issues or areas for improvement in the employee experience. Look for tools that offer customizable dashboards and metrics, as well as the ability to track progress over time.
This data can also be used to inform HR initiatives and decision making, such as identifying top performers or implementing targeted training programs.
With Blink's Frontline Intelligence feature, teams can track and analyze employee feedback, offering you actionable insights into how your workers interact with your employee experience platform.
How will this help me meet my goals?
- Gain valuable insights into employee engagement and satisfaction, allowing you to take action and boost retention.
- Inform HR initiatives and decision making by tracking progress and identifying areas for improvement.
- Improve the overall employee experience by taking action based on data-driven insights.
How to choose the right employee experience tool for your business
A great employee experience management platform keeps employees engaged, satisfied, and productive – ultimately leading to success for both the individual and the organization as a whole. But you need to choose the right one.
When selecting a tool for your business, it’s important to first outline your roadmap for digitizing the employee experience. Define your specific goals and priorities. Then, assess potential tools based on the criteria we covered above, such as ease of communication, customization options, enterprise-wide search capabilities, and reporting and analytics.
By utilizing the analytics and survey features of the tool, you can track and review performance over time to ensure that your employee experience management strategy is continuously meeting your goals and driving success for your business.
Need a head start? Check out our list of the best digital tools for employees.
Final Thoughts
Overall, as you look for tools to support your employee experience goals, consider not just individual capabilities but how they can come together to create a seamless, integrated platform that supports communication, engagement, and productivity for all members of your organization.
And remember, the right tool for your business may not be the same as for others - prioritize your specific goals and needs in your decision-making process. Happy hunting!
An employee experience platform to delight your employees...
When workplace satisfaction goes up, productivity soars. Invest in an employee experience solution like Blink and create an environment where people want to contribute to your company’s success.
We believe in creating an engaging and personalized employee experience through our mobile-first platform, which offers a range of communication tools and a customizable app marketplace. Plus, with the Frontline Intelligence feature, you can track performance and review progress over time to ensure that your strategy is continuously driving success for your business.
Interested in learning more about Blink? Get Your Free Demo today.
