Organizations have long focused on customer journey mapping to enhance customer experience (CX), which leads to substantial returns for shareholders. However, the equally important employee experience is often overlooked.
Dr. Brittany Barhite
Head of Employee Experience, Firstup
Just as a stellar CX positively impacts the bottom line, an exceptional employee experience yields similar benefits. Studies show that motivated employees contribute to higher customer satisfaction, with highly engaged teams demonstrating 21% greater profitability.
When employees have a great experience, this also equates to high employee engagement scores. According to Gallup, organizations that prioritize employee engagement see 23% greater profitability, 18% increased productivity, and a significant 48% reduction in turnover. Engaged employees bring passion, presence, and energy to their work daily.
The key question then becomes: How can organizations elevate employee engagement and cultivate an outstanding employee experience? The solution begins with an understanding of the employee journey.
What is the employee journey?
The employee journey encompasses hiring, onboarding, promotions, life events, and eventually departure. Each stage impacts the overall employee experience and engagement. Companies should map the employee journey as meticulously as they map the customer journey, identifying key touchpoints and milestones.
Getting started with employee journey mapping
An employee journey map combines these moments into a visual representation and actionable framework tailored to your industry, enterprise, employees, and culture. It highlights the critical stages, key milestones, and necessary touchpoints for each stage.
The process begins by identifying key stakeholders involved at various touchpoints, including IT, HR, communications, and managers. Stakeholders collaborate to map out key touchpoints in the employee journey. This involves:
- Identifying employee personas based on department, role, preferences, and technology usage.
- Prioritizing significant moments like onboarding, performance reviews, and life events.
- Addressing critical gaps in retention, burnout, or cultural disconnects.
- Developing communications for each touchpoint that are personalized yet scalable.
Start your journey with Firstup
Traditional digital experiences, such as sending mass emails on benefits or training programs, fall short — particularly when it comes to the deskless workforce who may not have access to emails. Furthermore, even if the employee does have access to email, they still may not read the message. Consider this: A mind-boggling 347 billion emails are sent daily. How do you cut through the noise and capture your employees’ attention?
The answer lies in embracing personalized communication throughout the employee journey, akin to the individualized experiences we encounter as customers.
Think about the convenience of receiving notifications from Alexa about a delivered package or a reminder about your child’s birthday list. Now imagine implementing the same level of personalization with your internal communications — for instance, when an employee embarks on parental leave. This ensures they receive precisely timed, relevant information on actions like adding a dependent to their insurance, completing leave forms, and taking advantage of your organization’s parental benefits. The employee now experiences a sense of support during this significant moment in their life.
Prioritizing employee engagement and mapping the employee journey can lead to increased profitability, higher productivity, and reduced turnover. Utilizing intelligent communication platforms like Firstup allows companies to personalize the employee experience, fostering a more engaged and productive workforce.
By treating employees with the same care and attention given to customers, organizations can create a supportive and effective work environment.
Learn more about employee journey mapping by downloading the Firstup guide
