Enhancing the employee experience – questions to ask
When you’re designing and crafting a brilliant employee experience (EX), we’ve always had a simple mantra: Make a promise, keep a promise. Sounds simple, but it’s what turns intentions into action that builds trust and makes the difference day to day.
Right now, we’re all navigating continuous transformation programmes, the pursuit of growth, and a demand for better productivity and innovation, whilst juggling hybrid working and trying to build a culture that enables your people to thrive. At the same time, employees expect work to be purposeful, inspiring, supportive, flexible and authentic.
Reading Qualtrics' EX trends for 2025, companies still need to nail the basics, support employees through change, make work easier, and, critically, help people progress in their careers. It’s the minimum. And, it’s got to be actions over words, consistently and daily. So, if you’re looking at improving your employee experience or developing employee experience strategies, here are a few questions to ask yourself:
[Questions to ask yourself]
1. What are we promising our employees?
Define the core promise – often referred to as your employer value proposition (EVP). Ensure you’re aligned with your overall purpose and what makes you ‘you’ and unique as an employer.
2. Are we thinking like consumer experience designers?
Imagine employees as “consumers” of your workplace. Just as brands work to anticipate customers’ needs, we can apply that same mindset internally to make sure every part of the employee journey and interaction with our organisation feels great - intuitive, seamless and helpful at each step. From onboarding, to learning, performance, reward and alumni.
3. What “wow” moments do we want to be famous for?
Your employer brand promise, insight into your culture and employee feedback will help define this. You might promise the best career growth or ultimate flexibility – what will your signature EX moments be? What moments matter most to your colleagues?
4. Where are we today and what are the gaps?
Conduct a reality check. Data-driven insights will reveal where things are working and where they aren’t. Look for gaps in the overall experience as well as the mini experiences such as onboarding, career paths within learning & development, or wellbeing support. Some programmes might have a range of initiatives – check they’re actually reaching colleagues and what people want.
5. Are we co-creating improvements with employees?
Discuss, evolve and build the experience with employees, not just for them. Listen, gather feedback, and make them a part of the design process. This builds more ideas, relevancy, early buy-in and creates ambassadors.
6. Are we investing in the ‘make or break’ moments?
From hire to retire, there are certain moments that employees will say must be prioritised. Identify and address these with time and resource to show employees you’re listening and acting when it counts most.
7. Are we communicating effectively?
Don’t let your new initiatives get buried or lost in other news. Working together with the teams that deliver these people programmes means a more organised approach can be taken. Ask yourself how employees will know what’s available and how to access it, at the moment when they need it most?
8. Have we equipped managers to support this EX?
Managers make or break the employee experience. Invest in informing, training and supporting them so it’s easy for them to deliver and signpost what’s available for their people. What do they need to make this easy and simple to share and discuss?
9. Are we sharing real stories employees can relate to?
Use real, relatable stories from peers to show your EX in action. These stories inform, connect, inspire, and demonstrate that your organisation genuinely keeps its promises.
10. Are we continually improving?
Like we said at the beginning, action is key. Start small, pilot changes and keep improving. Measure the impact along the way to refine. Employee needs change so keep listening, measuring and adapting.
[Core principles to enhance the employee experience]
Insight first:
What does our data tell us? What matters most to employees?
Proof & feedback:
What initiatives are in place to deliver our promise? Confirm they are useful, needed, working.
Reality checks:
Are our programmes reaching our people? Are they accessing and experiencing it?
Take action, build momentum:
Start with pilot programmes, gather results, and build from there. Take action to improve the day-to-day.
Designing an employee experience is about listening and action – listening to colleague needs and the business need, making every day better for people at work, supporting the areas that matter most and a commitment to ongoing improvement. It’s about keeping promises, being there for important life moments and building trust and supporting people to thrive. It’s a journey and experience that employees should value, remember and enable them to be their best.
Want to know more?
hello@theassembled.co.uk
07817 153320