If you’re a business leader, it’s vital to know that employees want their experience to be more than a communal coffee pot and once-a-year gift cards. A good workplace experience is at the heart of employee retention and success.
So why can it feel difficult to improve your workplace experience? Well, many business leaders face small budgets, hybrid work, and a mismatch between employee expectations and what the organization offers.
Here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be so daunting to meet your employees' needs – even with a few obstacles along the way. When figuring out how to improve your workplace experience, aim for progress, not perfection. Have open conversations with your employees about what you could be doing better.
Tip: Start small by taking notes of employees' wants and share them with leadership. Propose ideas on items that can be done immediately that leave an immediate impact, and begin creating strategies for the future.
We’ll get you started with these four actionable tips that can get the ball rolling on long-lasting change in your employees’ experience.
1. Offer Training Opportunities
Here’s a little secret for you: most employees are more likely to stay at a workplace if it offers opportunities for professional development. Training for your employees is a perfect example of how critical the employee experience is to your bottom line.
Investing in professional development makes you more likely to engage leaders and employees (avoiding the high cost of disengagement) and improve the workplace experience! As the demand for emotional intelligence, effective communication, problem-solving, and other soft skills has only risen in the past few years, development helps you and your employees.
However, it’s important to remember that the effects of training don’t last forever. Continuously provide professional development opportunities to help your employees stay at their best – it’s in your own best interest!
If budgeting is a concern, utilize resources your company already has available, such as current employees teaching new employees a skill. Employees may even want to explore other job roles and can shadow others to ask questions. At a minimum, this helps employees understand how each team contributes to the company's bottom line.
“Engagement has 3.8 times as much influence on employee stress as work location.”
- Gallup, State of The Workplace 2023 Report
2. Develop a Holistic Onboarding Experience
Like the rest of your employee experience, onboarding shouldn’t be a checklist for your new hire to go through - it should be an experience! A good onboarding experience can set the tone for the workplace experience and increase retention and engagement.
A study done by Hibob reveals that 64% of new employees are likely to leave a new job within their first year because of a negative onboarding experience. Onboarding is one of the most crucial things to master first!
Use onboarding as a chance to get your new hires familiar with your company culture and show them that you’re invested in their success. Here are some of our favorite ideas for a well-rounded onboarding experience:
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Welcome packages – include branded merchandise or a welcome letter for your new hire’s first day.
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Interactive activities – a culture handbook can be a great initial tool but may collect dust after a few months. Consider doing team-building exercises or group discussions to promote your core values.
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Mentorships & buddy programs for new hires
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Virtual meet and greets for remote teams
You can also use onboarding to outline a 90-day plan for your new hire’s success and familiarize them with your workflows and tools. The plan should include not only the employer’s goals for the first 90 days, but also the individual's goals. This way, onboarding is mutually beneficial for everyone.
While onboarding is a one-time event, it’s vital that a new hire sees that their onboarding experience isn’t a one-off but how your organization operates.
Integrate your company values into everyday life in your workplace with personalized recognition, frequent communication, and activities that reinforce a positive workplace culture.
Gallup: State of the Workplace 2023 Report
3. Focus on Different Employee Appreciation Styles
Everyone has different employee appreciation styles. Taking a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t match employees' desire to be recognized as the individuals they are. Even generational differences can affect how employees like to be appreciated, but at the end of the day, it’s uniquely personal. You may have one employee who thrives on verbal recognition while another loves a gift basket on their birthday.
Additionally, it’s important to consider appreciation needs in regard to frequency. Some of your employees may thrive on weekly verbal appreciation while others may not want to be recognized publically (or privately!).
With that said, it’s going to take some time and effort on your part to understand what each employee will genuinely appreciate. Consider asking your team:
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What would make your job easier?
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How often do you want to be appreciated?
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Can I do anything to make you feel more included?
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Is there a celebration that’s personally significant to you that we could recognize at the office?
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What are your favorite hobbies?
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Where are you most likely to spend a cash gift?
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What’s your favorite birthday treat?
Employee appreciation isn’t a performative, one-time show. It’s authentic recognition of hard work and effort. Like the best gifts, appreciation doesn’t have to be big. It’s essential to show that you care enough to tailor your appreciation to your employees’ wants and needs in and out of the office.
Do you want to know how engaged your employees actually are? Download this free #BeHeard Engagement Survey and find out.
4. Implement a Workplace Recognition Platform
A personalized workplace experience platform can help you by customizing rewards based on employee preferences, budget, and specific achievements. Recognizing your employees motivates them and gives them a sense of real value at your organization. In addition, it makes them feel 'seen' – which often is a reflection of belonging.
That’s why a workplace experience platform (like Sparck!) is a valuable way to increase productivity, recruit and retain top talent, and increase your organization's overall performance. Everyone feels better when their efforts are acknowledged. Conversely, employees are more likely to quit when they aren’t acknowledged due to not feeling that their efforts made a real impact.
A good workplace experience platform acts as a hub for meeting your employees’ needs in a personalized manner. These tools not only help with employee rewards and recognition, but give employees a place to track their achievements, take surveys, and do online training.
They can also simplify onboarding processes, provide employees instant access to mental health resources, and connect remote workers – vital pieces of an employee-first culture.
Tip: Sparck’s workplace experience platform can better help you understand how to improve your workplace experience and make your employees’ day-to-day more enjoyable.
Now You Know How to Improve Your Workplace Experience
Knowing how to improve your workplace experience can be challenging, but with these actionable tips, you’re well on your way to meeting your employees’ needs.
Unsure what to do next? Start with free tools like this Appreciation Style Team Building Toolkit.
If you want a long-term solution, consider Sparck. Through personalized recognition and rewards, Sparck helps your employees thrive in the workplace. Learn more about how Sparck’s platform can help your organization succeed today through decreased attrition and increased engagement.
