By Charles Beaumont Co-Founder and CTO of TheyDo
Sarah, a software developer, is scrolling through LinkedIn when she notices a job posting that has a lot of energy. The job post tells a tale, features employee testimonials and highlights valuable perks. She clicks on the link to an easy application process. Even before she hits “apply”, her employee experience is already underway, shaped and molded by her first interaction with the business.
The journey of an employee begins long before they join a company. Early efforts can help set the tone for an engaging, positive relationship that will last until the employee’s final day of work.
What would happen if we treated employees as customers?
Customer journey management is a concept that businesses are familiar with. It involves mapping every touchpoint in order to maximise customer satisfaction. What if the employees were also viewed from this perspective? It is obvious that the customer experience is closely linked to employee experience: motivated and engaged employees are better able to provide outstanding service. Mapping employee journeys allows HR leaders and managers to better understand the touchpoints which shape the workforce experience and ultimately drive retention, engagement and business performance.
Journey Management: A Holistic Roadmap
Each employee has a unique experience, from the first time they interact with a company, to their onboarding process, their career progression, and finally, offboarding. Organisations can gain a comprehensive view of the workplace by mapping out each stage. The tools that HR teams use to manage journeys provide valuable insight into what employees think, do, and feel at every stage of their careers.
Journey management is more than just a framework for HR. It provides a roadmap that links employee journeys with those of customers and partners. These interconnected experiences are reinforced when they are aligned. This ensures that every department contributes to the business goals in harmony. This unifying approach promotes transparency and ensures all processes contribute to continuous improvement.
Data, transparency, and visibility
Transparent data and qualitative insights are the foundation for effective journey management. HR can identify pain points and opportunities by collecting and interpreting employee feedback. They can also implement solutions to make a tangible difference. This results in insight-driven optimization, eliminating inefficiencies and implementing the best practices to improve the overall employee experience.
Transparency is essential: When employees know their role within the organisational journey they will naturally become more engaged and trusting. Journey mapping gives employees a clear picture of what’s next in their career. It provides real-time feedback and actionable insights as well as a clear view on progression opportunities.
Redesigning the Onboarding Experience
Onboarding can be viewed as a microcosm for the journey of an employee. Positive onboarding can increase retention by up to 82 percent while increasing productivity by as much as 70 percent. Poor onboarding, on the other hand, leads to low productivity and expensive turnover. Onboarding is confusing to 32 percent of employees, while 22 percent consider it unorganized.
For example, imagine a common pain point like delayed laptop delivery for remote employees. HR can resolve this problem by partnering with reliable vendors or scheduling equipment orders sooner. The journey mapping tool allows teams to monitor and improve these processes continuously, ensuring seamless employee onboarding.
The Competitive Advantage of Journey Management
Today’s highly competitive talent market may not allow for competitive salaries and benefits. The key to retention is a well-structured, thoughtfully designed environment that empowers staff at all stages. Journey management can help businesses create that environment by collecting and responding to feedback from employees, enabling transparency and encouraging intentional growth.
Organisations can build a motivated, engaged workforce by thinking of employees as customers. This will not only increase employee satisfaction, but will also drive customer success. A great employee experience is essential to a positive customer experience, and both are vital for business success.
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