Employee Experience is the #1 Issue At Work - But Who Owns It?

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Numerous studies have found that employee experience is the highest priority for companies. But what does that actually mean?

I define employee experience as creating an organization where employees WANT not NEED to show up to work. It happens by focusing on three environments: culture, technology, and space.

The last two years have brought a pandemic, social unrest, and major changes to how we live and work. Employee experience has never been more important. It's easy to treat employees well when the organization is thriving, but how your organization treats employees during times of stress is even more telling.

But who owns employee experience? It is a ripple effect that starts with the most senior-level leaders and extends to every employee.

Initiated by the CEO and executive team

The entire employee experience journey starts with the Reason for Being and the organization's values. This comes from the CEO and the rest of the executive team and is the foundation of all employee experience efforts. Executives need to incorporate employee experience and the reason for being into their talking points, meeting agendas, and priorities both internally and externally. Executives must be the biggest evangelists and champions for employee experience.?

Owned by the people team

The People team (commonly known as HR) is the task force responsible for coming up with strategies and tactics that make employee experience a reality. This group tests ideas, provides guidance, uses analytics to guide experience decision-making, and takes ownership of ensuring things get implemented. It doesn't mean that HR makes all of the decisions, but it does mean that they help steer the ship. The main goal of the people team is to make sure employee experience sits at the center of the organization.

Driven by leaders

Every leader at an organization is responsible for driving employee experience. This means making sure that the three environments are actively focused on in their respective teams. The people team provides guidance on strategy and what to do, but it’s up to leaders to make sure programs and changes are implemented.?

Championed by everyone

From the intern to the CEO, every employee needs to get into the habit of sharing ideas, participating in focus groups or surveys, collaborating with others, and providing feedback on how they want their work experience to look and feel. If you don't speak up to have your voice heard, you shouldn't be complaining about anything inside your organization.

Employee experience is the next big battleground for organizations around the world. The organizations that design the best experiences for their people will attract and retain top talent and thrive in the future of work.

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