Recognizing the significant events and achievements in employees’ careers and personal lives that influence their job performance is essential for creating a customized framework to enhance their employee experience.
The employee experience encompasses the entire journey of an individual from the moment they become aware of your company’s existence until they leave their employment. We refer to this as the “hire to retire experience.” To create a positive framework for the employee experience, it is necessary to analyze all the key interactions with employees throughout this journey, while recognizing that each person’s experience is unique.
For healthcare employees, certain moments hold significant importance in their work life, starting from the recruitment process, receiving an offer letter, and their initial 30 days. Onboarding and assimilation play a crucial role in shaping the employee experience. However, the journey doesn’t end there. Other milestones such as the first year, opportunities for professional development, or a promotion also impact an employee’s experience within the organization. It’s important to note that even employees within the same department may have different experiences.
Recognizing and celebrating milestones is a part of the employee experience. How do you acknowledge employees when the team achieves a collective goal? Do you celebrate when you meet key performance indicators (KPIs) or achieve a patient satisfaction target? Additionally, do you celebrate personal milestones alongside company milestones?
Life events also influence the employee’s relationship with the company. One significant milestone that often affects work is the birth or adoption of a child. While most companies have maternity leave policies, and some even have paternity leave policies, time off is not the only aspect that impacts this moment in an employee’s life.
Unfortunately, few healthcare companies consider the impact of the return-to-work process after an extended leave on employees. What measures are in place to help employees get back up to speed upon their return? Are flexible work options available? It is important to break down each significant milestone or event in an employee’s professional career and identify the essential aspects that affect their work as part of developing an employee experience strategy.
Once you have a comprehensive understanding of an employee’s experience within your organization, there are three key elements to consider as you develop your employee experience framework.
1. The leader’s voice is crucial in the employee experience framework
How frequently do your employees hear from your leadership team during their tenure? Imagine if, on your first day at work, you received a video message from the department head, warmly welcoming you to the team and expressing their delight in having you on board. What kind of impact would this have? Would it foster a stronger connection to the company’s overall vision and objectives?
The voice of leaders significantly influences the employee experience. When employees can relate to their leaders on a personal level, it humanizes the leadership team. Leaders play a crucial role in shaping the company’s culture, and their voice serves as an anchor for the organization’s values.
When developing an internal communications plan, it is vital to provide opportunities for leaders to communicate and share their thoughts. In the healthcare sector, it is particularly important for leaders to exemplify the cultural values and have a platform to acknowledge and commend employees when they demonstrate those values in the workplace. When employees can establish common ground with their leaders, it helps to humanize the leadership team.
2. Plan communications for a better employee experience
Effective communication plays a crucial role in the framework of the employee experience, particularly in the healthcare sector. It is important for healthcare workers to comprehend company information in a manner that is directly relevant to their daily tasks.
Sometimes, organizations overlook a crucial step in their communication strategy. They may provide comprehensive details to patients regarding a change or new service but fail to share this information with their employees. While it may seem elementary, if you are going to communicate with patients about any updates, your internal staff should also be informed about these changes.
The manner in which healthcare employees receive communication is another vital aspect of their employee experience. When planning communication efforts, it is necessary to consider when and how employees will be able to access and receive these messages. Different individuals require varying information at different times.
In a healthcare organization, it is uncommon for anyone to spend their entire day sitting at a desk in front of a computer. Health services teams, for instance, often work directly with patients in the field and may only have sporadic computer access throughout the day. Therefore, when formulating an employee experience strategy, it is crucial to devise methods of effectively communicating important messages to all employees, regardless of their work location. Clear communication serves as an indispensable component of fostering a positive employee experience.
3. One size does not fit all in employee experience strategy
Customizing communication is not the sole aspect to consider when addressing employee experience. With evolving work patterns, the perception of benefits must also evolve. Not all healthcare employees are motivated solely by compensation or time off. Nowadays, employee perks are shifting towards a wide range of benefits that employees can choose from, rather than offering a limited selection to all.
Due to the presence of multiple generations in the workforce, a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer effective for the majority. Older employees may prioritize benefits such as a 401k, healthcare, and paid time off, while younger workers may value community involvement, flexible schedules, or mentorship. It’s important to note that an employee’s preferences may not always align with their generational group.
Each employee possesses unique needs and expectations regarding their work experience. Take paid time off as an example. Some employees may prefer longer breaks, while others may take intermittent days off. Although the usage may differ, it is equally significant. Understanding which benefits hold importance and how employees wish to utilize them is specific to each individual and significantly impacts their employee experience. Trying to fit everyone into the same mold will result in a negative experience for some employees.
Similar to communication, employee experience should be a two-way conversation. Healthcare organizations can offer a variety of benefits, but if employees are not involved in defining the most valuable benefits, the experience may not improve. Leadership needs to strengthen their employee experience strategy by understanding what employees desire in their experience.
Collecting feedback and acting upon suggestions is crucial for enhancing the employee experience. By establishing a framework where individuals can choose the benefits that most positively impact their work life, employees are more likely to appreciate and utilize the available offerings. When employees feel empowered to openly express their needs and ideas for improvement, they become more engaged with their work.
The employee experience is unique to each individual. Ideally, each employee would have a personalized plan to enhance engagement, retention, and patient satisfaction. However, this is not realistic. A more practical approach is to segment employees into targeted stakeholder groups based on significant moments and communication requirements. This segmentation helps identify areas where a one-size-fits-all approach falls short, enabling improvements to be made.
By fostering connections between healthcare employees and their leaders, planning customized communications, and creating a flexible employee experience framework, the employee experience can be enhanced.
