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Want to build a better employee experience? Start with these five steps

The shift in mindset has already happened: we expect the same level of service and personalisation as professionals in the workplace as we do as customers in our private lives.  Corporate internal services often drain managers and employees in administrative and repetitive work. And we all know that bad experiences tend to have a negative impact on the level of engagement. There is a huge potential in making services effortless and experiences world-class! 

As an employer, are you prepared for this shift in expectations? As a growing majority of the workforce are digital natives it is time to start the transformation necessary to meet the demands of top talents. Being an attractive employer in terms of modern user experience becomes a competitive edge. 

And just a reminder. The technology is no longer the issue, it is ready for you. 

The stepping stones of Employee Experience value stream

The Employee Experience (EX) value stream consists of all touchpoints between the employee and manager. In fact, 97% of the most crucial touchpoints are between managers and employees. This is a key part of the Employee Experience. Are your managers getting the right support and the means to act in these touch-points?

The value stream also includes all supporting internal functions that deliver something which enables the employee to work, develop and perform efficiently. HR owns 60% of these touchpoints while IT, Finance, Facility own the rest. Because IT also owns some of these touchpoints, it’s natural that HR and IT need to collaborate in the Employee value stream. Getting a common view on the most important Employee journeys and Moments that matter is key when building a joint EX roadmap.

Here’s why HR Service Deliver is the foundation to successful Employee Experience. Read the artile.

To be relevant and on target, a strategic EX initiative needs to be:

By adopting an EX framework, HR organisations can work in a structured way to transform the Employee Experience and move from towards a great experience in each touchpoint with the employee. When doing so, HR can control and drive the transformation of the employee service experience. 

It is key to ask your employees, get to know their expectations and perspectives – and measure experience data! The focus on your employee’s expectations in the most important moments and touchpoints must be central in the design and continuous development of great employee services. 

Know the difference between Service Enabling and Function Enabling platforms

We often get the question from our customers what platform they should use for internal capabilities and functions. What platform enables efficient service delivery? Well, that is a matter of your service strategy.

Overlapping platform capabilities is a strategic question. We have learned that cross-department processes such as on- and offboarding must break internal silos to be efficient. Driving these cross-department workflows places requirements on the platform that will support this.

ServiceNow is a “Service Enabling platform” ready to be used for all internal support functions. We see most core platforms, such as HCM or ERP, as “Function enabling platforms”, meaning that they are excellent to run core functional processes and hold employee master data. However, the employee value stream requires a holistic platform and solution approach. To get started, organisations should evaluate their platform strategy and make sure to cover Employee Service Experience, HCM and Automation. 

Josh Bersin – How Employee Experience platforms simplify work and break down technology siloes 

We want to get started – Now what? 

  1. Build an employee-centric vision 
  2. Elevate your service functions – especially HR 
  3. Lay a foundation for increased collaboration HR + IT + Facilities around moments that matter 
  4. Build a joint Employee Experience road map 
  5. Implement new Employee Experiences 

With that in mind: Work in sprints. You would be surprised how much you can achieve in three months!

HR systems, friend or foe? Our two experts share their views on how HR systems should work in the 2020s. Read more.

Authors Tomas Westin and Gustav Rydeman are both GTM Leads in Employee Experience at Sofigate.

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