These days, social media seems polarized with posts from friends or colleagues either about starting new positions or sharing that they’ve been a part of recent layoffs. This hectic environment is on the top of both employees’ and employers’ minds, making employee experience (EX) initiatives vital to retaining talent and keeping morale up.
Peggy Carrieres, Avnet’s VP of Global Sales, Enablement, and Supplier Development, shared with InMoment how Avnet is taking a realistic but personal approach to strengthening its employee experience to sustain its customer experience (CX).
Where Employees Will Work—And Why It’s Complicated
Most employees are grappling with what work-life balance means in the new normal, and while some CEOs say they don’t care where employees work (at home, on the beach, etc.), others are pushing hard to get everyone back in the office.
Carrieres shared that the answer of whether employees should return to the office full-time is much more complex than anyone is giving it credit for. She says the last two years of pandemic living are not truly in the past. While employees and clients adjust to this new normal and experience stress and change, reconnecting to each other may result in a dynamic that is difficult to navigate. This new challenge makes an effective EX program much more important in a company.
A good EX program needs to be realistic by looking at employees holistically. Because when they come to work, they come as their whole selves, and a burnt-out employee can be a detractor to the overall employee experience, which may, in turn, affect customer experience.
Creating a Culture of Community
In these unprecedented times, allowing employees to voice their stress and worry is a big part of a productive employee experience. Carrieres says a good EX program has to allow employees a safe space so they know they’re not alone in their struggles.
Carrieres shared an experience of a time she became aware of a specific piece of employee feedback. She then gave the employee’s concerns an anonymous platform in a staff meeting, where she found that nearly every employee in attendance shared a similar worry. This act of acknowledgment uncovered a conversation that led to ideas and changes that may have been overlooked otherwise. This experience proved that how employers leverage employee feedback for learning and growth is crucial to reducing churn and growing a healthy employee base that is sustainable.
What’s Next for EX Programs
Employee choice and control within their professional experience is invaluable, and taking a holistic view of the organization and its employees will allow companies the opportunity to meet their people where they are, help them feel valued, and, ultimately, reduce churn.
Providing optimal customer experiences hinges on employees feeling valued, happy, and confident. That’s why it’s so important to include the voice of employees in your experience programs!
Learn more about how your employees can impact your customer experience in this eBook!
