For the modern workforce, relationships, environment and structure are no
less important than the work itself. Increasingly, employees are more
interested in a clear alignment and understanding of a company’s culture and
values than they are in benefits like flexible working, training, access to
tech, and even bigger paychecks.
The onset of COVID-19 draws this into even sharper relief. As the pandemic
forces both businesses and employees to make unexpected adjustments to survive,
the need for a deeper, more qualitative and resilient relationship between companies
and their workforce seems more salient than ever.
It’s likely that experiential considerations will only get more important with
employers recalibrating to make staff feel comfortable, safe, secure and
supported as we all prepare to emerge into a dramatically changed post-pandemic
environment.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Here’s what we know: modern employees want to feel they work
for an organization that isn’t just about making money–instead, they want to
invest their talents in a company that has its eye on the longer term. They
expect to contribute to something more than the product of their own work, and
they want to feel connected to the organization they work for in a broader
sense than ever before.
Leadership at many organizations is starting to take note of this shift, too:
98% of CEOs surveyed as part of our annual CEO Purpose Report agreed
that the new generation of talent have expectations that challenge previously
established norms of employee experience.
According to further data, what CEOs think a new generation
of talent wants (practical perks like flexible hours) deviates from what
Glassdoor reported millennials are actually most concerned with (the wider
sense of connection and purpose that underpins employee experience and engagement).
It’s also becoming increasingly clear that millennial and Gen Z employees want
a work experience that’s not only emotionally intelligent on an interpersonal
level, but one that prioritizes ethical and sustainable practices in
the big picture.
And the truth is, it’s not just the youngest talent that’s looking for this
emotional quotient from their employers anymore. Even pre-COVID, stats on
millenial expectations at work were actually generally in line with
multigenerational data in LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report. So
it’s safe to say that no matter what era your employees hail from, they’re all
adjusting their expectations to the world around them–from the pandemic to the
climate crisis to social justice issues–and companies need to meet them where
they are.
ON THE PULSE
To offer those more emotional benefits the new workforce is seeking, leadership
has to keep its finger on the pulse and give employees a voice through regular
engagement across the company.
Not only can being more in touch with the goings on at every level of the
employee experience increase talent attraction and retention, but it can
also help leadership see multidisciplinary growth potential when it comes to
internal recruitment and overall strategy. And in the work-from-home world,
awareness and engagement between staff and leadership is probably even more
important now than ever to maintain good employee experience.
This commitment to engagement doesn’t just function as a good internal tool but
is actually an invaluable asset to brands that want to move forward with
purpose and achieve greater value externally. This isn’t just effective when it
comes to experience, but when it comes to bolstering the brand’s outward
trajectory, too.
THE PERKS OF PURPOSE
But before a business can get into the nitty-gritty of analytics and engagement
initiatives, they need to ensure that their emphasis on employee experience
links to a larger purpose–after all, that’s what we’ve established employees
are really looking for.
Research found that companies that develop and deploy a clear purpose across
their organization are more likely to give new talent something to invest in,
as well as put commitment to employee experience into action.
And it’s not just employees who benefit from a sense of purpose–we’ve seen that
CEOs who use purpose across their organization are more likely to see very
practical perks when it comes to growth and long-term value creation.
Ultimately, a business’s commitment to employee experience isn’t just about
ethics and trends, it’s about constantly aligning with the business’s overall
purpose, and giving your staff, and the future of your business, the benefits
of that work.