Creating a World-Class Employee Experience

Why a Great Employee Experience is Critical to Business Success

Regardless of what industry you’re in, how many employees you have, or the size of your budget, our employees want the same things. They want to be seen, respected, and treated as more than employees–as people with full lives and responsibilities and commitments. They want to feel included–that they belong. They want their work to matter–know they have a purpose. And they want professional growth–to have meaningful careers.?

Yet companies spend a lot of time focusing on what shareholders or customers want–or the bottom line. What they often fail to consider is that our ability to deliver on all of that depends on our people. When I think of this, the words of Roche Pharma CEO Teresa Graham ring in my ears. She says you can’t have a world-class customer experience without creating a world-class employee experience–the two are interdependent.?

What is a Great Employee Experience??

At this week’s #LEAPHRSearchlight event for those in life sciences, I shared how, in the past few years alone, we have faced major challenges from a global pandemic, a move to remote working, and then the new hybrid workplace (and the return to campus). We’ve faced political instability (here we are in a presidential election year and we don’t know what that can bring), supply chain shortages, inflationary challenges–and all of these pressures impact our business environment. This has affected resource allocation–both in terms of people and dollars–at many companies, including Genentech.?

Against this backdrop, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of the employee experience. Research shows, however, that companies with a more effective employee experience outperform their peers in top-line growth, bottom-line profitability, and return to shareholders.?

Genentech’s Definition

So what exactly is a great, or world-class, employee experience? Within Genentech’s Commercial, Medical Affairs, and Government Affairs group, we define it as one in which employees have an exceptional experience and would choose us again and again. It is the sum of all interactions an employee has with an employer, from pre-recruitment to post-exit.?

We work to create a world-class employee experience by creating a culture that is inclusive and inspiring, where we are empowered to be our full selves, do our best work, continuously learn, and we are recognized and rewarded for our impact. We are always getting better–our work is never done, the employee experience continues to evolve with external shaping, new employees, and internal dynamics.?

So the tenets of that employee experience are: Comprehensive benefits to support your mental and physical health and encourage work-life balance. Continuous learning and growth opportunities. The right technology so you can efficiently and effectively do your job. Leadership connections to ensure you are heard and receive mentoring and guidance. And a program of recognition and awards to encourage and reward your contributions and impact.?

The Employee Experience is Deeply Personal

The difficulty is that what feels like a world-class employee experience to one person may not be what feels like that to another. It’s deeply personal. And it’s not just about the work you do, who your colleagues are, or your company culture.?

If your commute is too long, if your technology is outdated, if you routinely work late and are missing moments that matter with your family and friends, these also affect your experience as an employee and who you are at home. It impacts your entire life.

So we have to realize the employee experience is actually the human experience of our workforce. And this does not require spending lots of money; even the smallest notes of appreciation can make a meaningful difference.

What I’ve Learned

I’ve learned that the best way to build a world-class employee experience that resonates is to:?

• Take a whole person approach: Employees are humans and their employee experience is deeply personal.
• Model what you want to see; provide opportunities for employees to receive mentorship and guidance, and provide feedback–leadership matters.
• Create moments that matter: Find opportunities to connect with employees on a personal level–and recognize and thank them for a job well done.
• Realize that creating a world-class employee experience is a never-ending process. As the world changes, we’ve got to change–evolution is essential.
• Experiment to create more impact–Take a risk. It doesn’t matter how big your organization is or how high you’ve progressed within your career, you can always learn something new!?
• Empower employees to own their learning journeys: research shows that employees who feel they have some control or empowerment at work have a higher sense of purpose, which fuels productivity.???????

I would love to hear what you’re doing to create a great employee experience.?