As people continue to work from home, HR leaders have realized the importance of improving employee experience (EX). It is a known fact that companies that provide a good experience not only attract talent but also retain them.
A Forrester Consulting researchOpens a new window commissioned by SAP SuccessFactors, Qualtrics and EY made some interesting observations about EX and its major challenges.
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EX will be one of the most critical HR strategies for 80% of organizations in two years’ time. However, contrary to the popular belief that HR leaders are responsible for EX, both executive leadership and IT have a huge role to play in it. For instance, the tools and systems IT purchases or supports contribute to an employee’s positive experience.
The Existing Employee Experience Gap
Despite so much awareness, most companies fail to align HR and employee perception and, as a result, suffer an employee experience gap.
The study found employees, unlike HR managers, are less optimistic about the future. “Within two years, HR believes things will continue to improve: 39% think EX will be excellent. However, employees expect EX to decline overall: Only 15% expect excellence,†noted the study.
Also, the priorities of HR managers and employees are not aligned. The only thing both parties seem to agree on is safety and well-being. For everything else, they are certainly not on the same page. For instance, HR leaders are keen on focusing on corporate branding, crisis planning, and aligning employees with the company culture at a time when employees think HR is prioritizing remote work, employee experience, and supporting company growth.
There are also huge gaps when it comes to the drivers of EX as well. While a whopping 81% of employees feel that a positive culture is vital for good EX, only 58% of HR managers think so.
What HRs and employees want from EX
Source: Forrester
When it comes to tech, HR leaders and employees feel they have been provided right digital tools to improve processes and productivity. While 80% of HR leaders feel that by collaborating with business and technology they are successfully equipping employees with what they need to succeed, nearly 40% of employees think the cost is the real deciding factor.
Other Problems With Employee Experience
If the concern with EX would have only been  the disagreement between  HR and Employees, things would have been simpler. Instead, there are several other grey areas
- Even though employee feedback is vital for improving EX, many HR organizations don’t have consistent programs to gather information. The study reveals that merely one-third of HR teams capture employee interactions and map employee journeys. “Similarly, just 36% of respondents have a voice-of-the-employee feedback program, and only 30% of organizations conduct an ongoing employee engagement survey,†it added.
- EX is not the sole responsibility of HR and it often needs senior leadership to show the way. However, just 24% of teams have a designated C-level steward for taking care of their EX programs. This is also one of the core reasons behind lack of investment and insufficient tools to develop a mature EX program.
- EX is not yet a cross-functional endeavor. Although most of the respondents believe that all business areas play a role in good EX, only 21% write EX goals into their business unit level strategies. Moreover, just over one-quarter have created a cross-functional center of excellence.
Other challenges for EX listed include organizational complexity, data struggle, and scattershot measurements.
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The Change Is Here
Despite the drawbacks, EX is gaining momentum, especially after the pandemic. Around 78% of HR leaders think EX would emerge as one of the most critical factors impacting their ability to deliver on business objectives in the next two years.
However, the path to an improved EX is tricky. According to Forrester study, employee attitudes will continue to shift in the future, and HR will need to keep up with it.
If executed successfully, good EX can do wonders for a business. Nearly 80% of both HR managers and employees believe that EX improved their quality of work. Also, 70% of HR leaders feel EX Â helped them attract talent, while 68% of employees held they are likely to recommend new candidates.