How to Personalize the Employee Experience

A positive employee experience - created through a sense of belonging and the ability to collaborate in meaningful and productive ways - means individuals are more likely to remain with your company for longer. 

More organizations are recognizing the importance of enhancing employee experiences. Gartner's The Modern Employee Experience Survey found that companies spent an average of $2,420 per person per year on improving the employee experience in 2019, and this figure continues to grow.

Why personalized employee experience matters

Research from McKinsey found three key factors when it came to employee resignations:

• 54% didn’t feel valued by their company
• 52% didn’t feel valued by their management
• 51% felt no sense of belonging at work

All these reasons can be rectified with the right approach to employee experience and providing personalized experiences to suit individual needs. With developments in technology enabling better data collection and analysis, there are many practical ways businesses can create customized employee experiences.

Practical steps for personalizing employee experiences

Embedding personalization effectively at every stage of the employee experience attracts and keeps the best talent in your industry. At almost every touchpoint, there’s an opportunity for personalization and providing a better standard of employee experience.

Customizing recruitment

Jobseekers are the same tech-savvy consumers who thrive on Netflix, Amazon and other instantly gratifying and personalized services. They want to be able to find a job in the same way they consume these services, with full personalization in mind. 

Virtual recruiting has become commonplace since Coronavirus took hold, but this isn’t without its issues. Monster's The Future of Work: 2022 Global Report found 89% are virtually recruiting but only 19% of jobseekers think it’s better than in person, which means a lot still needs to be done to bridge the gap between virtual and in-person interviews. This is where personalization can make all the difference.

Organizations utilizing customization strategies can help ensure jobseekers are personally targeted with the right messaging. For example, they can use outreach emails focused on candidate interests, motivations, and preferences, rather than sending a single coverall email which is more likely to be ignored. 

In addition, as remote and hybrid work is on the rise, recruiters can expand their talent pools and look in more diverse and widespread areas. This whole new world of opportunities requires a new approach to recruitment where personalization is king.

Experience-led onboarding

Work Institute’s 2021 Retention Report found up to 33% of employee turnover happens in the first year, which shows how important it is to personalize the new hire experience. Personalization in onboarding allows you to get your company’s culture, ethos and messaging across as soon as an employee starts their journey with your company. 

Personalizing the onboarding experience for new employees helps to create an early sense of belonging. It can be the difference between setting a new employee up for success and dealing with high turnover rates. One study by Promoleaf looked at the experiences and expectations of newly hired remote workers. It found 35% wanted to be contacted by video at least once per day while 26% would prefer contact 2-4 times per week.

Onboarding should be a people-focused activity that allows for several touchpoints before the employee begins their new role. Personalized and well-designed onboarding can improve productivity retention and create a stronger employee experience. Organizations use a wide range of different methods to drive personalization in the onboarding process. From individual welcome packs and training schedules to ensuring paperwork is quickly handled in advance of the first day of actual work, companies can position their employees for success before they even arrive for their first shift. 

Personalized communications for better engagement

Your organization’s internal communications are a vital tool for improving productivity and engagement. Onboarding sets the tone for an employee’s experience within the business, while your internal communications setup empowers them to make better decisions and manage their work more effectively. It helps ensure your workforce is properly informed of all company decisions but also involves all employees, even those who may not work on-site or work on different shifts. 

Metlife’s Employee Benefits Trends Study found younger employees are particularly driven by and interested in interactive online decision support tools and personalized communications. In addition, the ability to feel connected and engaged with the wider workforce and experience messaging unique to your preferences leads to more satisfied and effective staff.

The LumApps employee experience solution achieves this by providing employees with the relevant information they need personalized to their role, location or other individual metrics. Every employee benefits from a personalized journey as well as access to a means of communication across the workplace. This enables organizations to break down silos and streamline internal communications that are relevant to the individual. 

Learning and development tailored to you

Making the most of your employee data is especially effective in learning and development (L&D). The latest technologies effectively analyze employee data to help create L&D programs that directly cater to the interests of each individual. 

Personalized L&D strategies can not only meet individual skill gaps but also lead to improved performance and retention. You can incorporate the most relevant types of learning from microlearning modules into more in-depth and long-term training programs. 

One study found 92% of employees believe that well-planned training programs positively impact their level of engagement. Offering something personalized helps employees plot their path forward within your company and see the direction their career may go in, motivating them to stay with your organization.

Accepting and embracing flexible working

Almost all workplaces are much more open to flexible and hybrid working than they were before the Coronavirus pandemic. Work models have evolved to meet the needs of employees, and in turn, your working processes must do the same. 

Flexible working models require a higher level of personalization to drive employee engagement. Employees may rarely meet face-to-face, so the technology you use to personalize and engage must help create a sense of belonging. While employees who are in the office everyday can build rapport easily with their supervisors and management, this is trickier for those who work mainly from home This makes the technologies and personalization delivered through remote means even more important. 

Evolving personalization to meet ever-changing expectations

Workers expect their employers to offer a positive employee experience, as well as competitive compensation for their efforts. The pandemic has transformed how many people think of work, with many employees no longer willing to sacrifice their work-life balance.

Organizations are increasingly focused on individual needs and how work can be a positive element of their lives. To deliver the level of personalization employees expect, organizations need to invest in the best technologies and make use of real-time data to predict and meet the ever-changing needs of their workforce. 

The most effective employee experiences take into account the needs and expectations of the workforce and use them to design the ideal work experience. The emphasis has shifted to include social collaboration, flexibility, and engagement to help meet targets and increase productivity.