Employee experience can be finely designed

Employee experience – tl;dr

• Employee experience comprises all the interactions, perceptions, and emotions an employee has in their time with you from the day they join your team. Facets of a positive employee experience include strong leadership, meaning, continuous learning, and a peaceful, productive work environment.

• Employees with a positive experience are engaged. And highly engaged employees result in a 41% reduction in absenteeism, a 17% increase in productivity, and 21% greater profitability. Engaged employees are also less likely to have health problems like physical pain, stress, and high blood pressure. And they are 23X more likely to recommend their employer as a great place to work. So, on the whole, enhancing employee experience strengthens your entire talent management strategy.

• The office is the primary physical touchpoint within the employee experience. Therefore, optimizing and refining it is a critical part of improving the employee journey. In a hybrid work world, it must support all the social functions of work organically. It must also promote a healthy work-rest rhythm by offering private areas like Hushoffice pods for periodic breaks. And it must allow for seamless video calls via specialized pods like hushHybrid.

How to understand employee experience? Look at the company through employee eyes.

“Employee experience” is the sum total of interactions, perceptions, and emotions that an employee has in their time with you from the day they join your team. It encompasses all aspects of their journey, including the physical workspace, organizational culture, and leadership styles.

Similar to a customer’s, an employee’s journey can be mapped to visualize key touchpoints from the day they are hired onward. This practice reveals critical moments that significantly impact the employee’s time for better or for worse. You will spot areas for improvement, whether it necessitates a broad change like the adoption of meeting-free days — a lifesaver for those who feel drowned in meetings — or an investment in private call booths like hushPhone for employees who get angsty taking personal calls in shared spaces

– says Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

What elements contribute to building a positive staff experience?

The facets of a quality employee experience are innumerable. Below are four fundamental ones well worth considering as you begin to analyze your company through the lens of experience.

• Strong Leadership Leaders are, so to speak, the conductors of a happy and harmonious employee tune. Accessibility, approachability, and empathy are invaluable attributes. Good leaders provide clear expectations, offer guidance and coaching, and actively listen to employee concerns. They empower their team members and recognize contributions, creating the psychological safety people need to take risks, express their ideas, and work with inspiration.

• Meaning Human beings are meaning makers because meaning is deeply motivating. Toward this end, tasks and responsibilities should be aligned as closely as possible with individual values, interests, and skills. Employees also benefit from regular reminders of how their work supports larger organizational goals. Appropriately challenging assignments and autonomy in decision-making also help.

• Continuous Learning Growth and a sense of prosperity are primary components of an enjoyable employee experience. This means training programs, mentorship opportunities, workshops, conferences, and access to learning resources. Whether delivered in-person in the office or via video meeting in a pod like hushHybrid, such gainful education keeps work expansive, never monotonous.

• Peaceful, Productive Work Environment Comfortable and convenient workspaces are one of the few pillars of employee experience that’s tangible. And employees have clear preferences on this matter. 87% believe the office should support their wellness, with 89% desiring restorative spaces in the office like Hushoffice pods for periodic breaks. Employees know what they want, so consider surveying yours to learn where there is room for improvement.

Why does a positive employee experience matter for your company?

According to Gallup’s research, highly engaged employees equate to a 41% reduction in absenteeism, a 17% increase in productivity, and 21% greater profitability. Conversely, disengaged employees cost their company roughly 18% of their annual salary.

Engaged employees are more committed to the big picture puzzle and more motivated to perfect their piece that helps solve it. They are more likely to stay on track which means greater efficiency, reduced costs, and improved financial performance. Naturally, their attitude and resolve touches customers, too — they go the extra mile to meet buyer needs, facilitating pleasant, problem-solving interactions. This earns repeat customers and referrals which multiply revenue. In this and so many ways, carefully fine-tuning your employee experience influences your company favorably

– explains Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

What is the relationship between employee experience and well-being?

They are intertwined. A good experience boosts health, which, in turn, boosts experience. In fact, engaged employees are less likely to have health problems like pain and stress. So improving either aspect — i.e., through a culture of rest, or mere biophilia— benefits both.

The office’s design impacts employee psychology.

Open workspaces engender connectivity and a sense of comradeship. Private workspaces sharpen focus, offering the solitude needed for nitty-gritty problem-solving. These two ends of the spectrum can be skilfully drawn upon to create a dynamic office landscape with a place for every task.

New roles for the office. Connection. Culture. Relationships.

The office plays many roles in a hybrid world. It’s a haven for those with subpar workspaces at home. A line between “work” and “life” that helps maintain balance. A refuge that’s acoustically diversified for a mix of tasks. Most importantly, it’s a hub for socialization and culture.

Read more: What is the office’s role in a hybrid work world?

By and large, what employees missed most about the office during their time away was the human connection it orchestrates. Variety is the spice of life after all, and without workaday interactions like chance run-ins in the resource room or unplanned discussions in a conversation boothlife loses its luster and work gets tedious

– adds Mateusz Barczyk, Senior Brand Manager, Hushoffice.

Today’s office must promote ad hoc collaboration and interaction. I.e., human engagement.

People with a work best friend do better work and customer service. In truth, these and such lucrative bonds start in the office. It is in the office that clients warm up, or investors connect with your cause directly, desiring to join it. Without a doubt, the office is a hybrid team’s heartbeat.

Creative workplace design is about influencing employee psychology for good.

Effective office design understands the intricacies of human psychology, leveraging them to create a space that inspires and elevates employee productivity and happiness. Done well, it can result in a thriving and fulfilling work environment for everyone.

Artful office zoning liberates your workforce’s creativity.

Employees can use their office most resourcefully when it’s divided into intentional zones. For every task, they go to the most fitting zone. Instinctively following their own creative flow, they realize more graceful movement, through the workplace in tandem with their own thought processes.

Places to share ideas and collaborate.

Breakout spaces equipped with whiteboards and other collaborative tools are apt for informal group brainstorming. Private 4-person work pods like hushMeet are apt for confidential team ideation. The key is to offer an array of spaces for gathering, so employees can have their pick.

Devoted areas to nap, relax, and recharge are integral.

Burnout is a widespread issue. And rest is a big missing piece for many. In reality, the more out-of-sorts one becomes from overwork, the more value there is for them in routine rest. A pod like hushAccess.L makes a premium break room since it is quiet and cocooning, furnish-able for maximum comfort.

Heads-down workspaces must be peaceful and focused.

Office noise can kill creativity at work. It impacts cognitive processes, concentration, and the ability to think deeply. The simple solution is to offer private, noise-insulated workspaces like the hushHybrid pod that are free of interruptions.

Not just creativity — noise can dull every type of mental work. Here’s a read: Noise: the silent productivity killer in the workplace.

An employee’s experience starts with their very first interview.

How candidates are treated during interviews, the responsiveness of the hiring process, and transparency in communication all contribute to a candidate’s perception of you. A good candidate experience can also bring word-of-mouth referrals, enhancing your reputation.

Employee experience — ultimately part of your long-term talent management strategy.

Engaged companies have 59% less turnover. And engaged employees are 23X more likely to recommend their employer. Indeed, happy employees will refer quality candidates that are a good fit. And when you’re known for providing a good employee experience, you attract and delight the best of the best.

What does your company’s employee journey look like? Is it a bumpy ride or relatively smooth? What areas for improvement might you identify by mapping it out? If you have questions about Hushoffice pods, leave us a note! 

Employee experience – summary

• Employee experience comprises all the interactions, perceptions, and emotions an employee has in their time with you from the day they join your team. Facets of a positive employee experience include strong leadership, meaning, continuous learning, and a peaceful, productive work environment.

• Employees with a positive experience are engaged. And highly engaged employees result in a 41% reduction in absenteeism, a 17% increase in productivity, and 21% greater profitability. Engaged employees are less likely to have health problems like physical pain, stress, and high blood pressure, too. And they are 23X more likely to recommend their employer as a great place to work. So, on the whole, enhancing employee experience strengthens your entire talent management strategy.

• The office is the primary physical touchpoint within the employee experience. Therefore, optimizing and refining it is a critical part of improving the employee journey. In a hybrid work world, it must support all the social functions of work organically. It must also promote a healthy work-rest rhythm by offering private areas like Hushoffice pods for periodic breaks. And it must allow for seamless video calls via specialized pods like hushHybrid.

Employee experience – frequently asked questions

What is meant by employee experience?

Employee experience refers to the overall journey and interactions that an employee has within an organization. It encompasses every touchpoint, from the initial recruitment and onboarding process to ongoing engagement, development, and potential offboarding. It goes beyond just job satisfaction and includes aspects such as the work environment, company culture, relationships with colleagues and managers, and opportunities for growth and well-being.

How can the office promote a positive employee experience?

The office should be finely zoned to accommodate a variety of work tasks and patterns. It should feature collaboration spaces, restorative spaces, and focused workspaces like Hushoffice pods. Aim to offer maximum variety, giving employees options for where to work and rest. This way, your team will simply tune into their needs instinctively and use their workplace in the most efficient, effective way.

Does employee experience affect recruitment?

Engaged employees are 23X more likely to recommend their employer. And an employee that delivers a positive employee experience has a winning reputation that can attract top talent.