Nailing Employee Experience in the War for Talent

A good culture attracts potential talent. Creating an atmosphere in which employees thrive encourages deeper engagement and a far greater sense of pride at being a part of an organization. And when employees are happy, your ability to attract the candidates and attention you desire is increased dramatically. 

Businesses today need to adopt a more holistic approach to their employee experiences. 

It’s no longer simply about what an employee can do for your brand in terms of output. You should also be considering the marketing and communication value of positive employee experiences, and incorporating this into your overall employee branding strategy. 

Additionally, you must ensure your internal and external communications are aligned. After all, your external audience could simultaneously be your customer, future talent, your partner, or your investor.

Employee branding and employee experience are intertwined

One of the biggest mistakes that companies make is separating the objectives of employee branding and employee experience.

Employers can bring to life their employee experiences in their branding efforts, and in doing so, achieve excellent talent acquisition outcomes.

These areas should in fact be thoroughly intertwined. Employers can bring to life their employee experiences in their branding efforts, and in doing so, achieve excellent talent acquisition outcomes. 

So, before you look at your external employee branding, focus on your employees and employee experience first. Understand your future talent needs, define your cultural statement and EVP, and then determine your messaging based on your key talent categories.

After this, you need to be systematic and consistent in your strategy in order to see the desired results.

You should also be considering the marketing and communication value of positive employee experiences, and incorporating this into your overall employee branding strategy.

How to approach employee experience

A holistic approach is key. This involves determining and understanding the critical talent needs for the business, building a talent strategy around them and then creating an internal and external action plan based on this strategy.

Looking at the whole picture enables HR teams to pinpoint areas that need improvement and enable them to refine the employee experience in their organization straight away.

The best way to define a beneficial employee experience is to be employee-centric. Put yourself in the shoes of your key talent. Consider the cultural experience you’re aiming to bring to future candidates, and then decide what steps you’ll take to create it. Utilizing a design-thinking methodology is also important. As an example, I have created a workshop concept for HRs that looks at employee journeys, sub-journeys and defining moments for candidates. 

Looking at the whole picture enables HR teams to pinpoint areas that need improvement and enable them to refine the employee experience in their organization straight away.