Lisa Morgan, Freelance WriterJanuary 14, 20257 Min ReadAleksandr Davydov via Alamy StockIts a tough time for organizations trying to hire and retain tech talent. Big Tech is poaching smaller company IT workers, and a lot of organizations cant compete with the compensation packages. However, what they can do is prioritize employee experience, so candidates are more willing to say, yes, and employees are more likely to stay. Employee experience is particularly important to younger generations.While organizations have long placed varying degrees of importance on employee experience, it is now re-emerging as a differentiator for many, Nikita McClain, founder of management firm for HR and organizational development strategies Hayes Street Consulting, says in an email interview. The pandemic fundamentally shifted workplace expectations with employees increasingly prioritizing flexibility, values alignment, and work-life balance. Additionally, skills gaps and talent shortages in critical sectors have given trained workers more leverage in demanding better experiences.Organizations focused on designing positive employee experiences can follow a 4-step process: commit through strategy, communicate through feedback loops, connect through analysis, and improve continuously.Making employee experience a strategic initiative ensures it can receive ongoing leadership evaluation and support needed to design, adapt, and sustain initiatives that resonate highly with employees, says McClain. Implementing accessible, real-time feedback channels can help proactively identify what matters most to employees. Organizations can promote ongoing feedback by demonstrating responsiveness and transparency in acting upon and communicating changes that result from received feedback.Related:Nikita McClain, Hayes Street ConsultingTo evaluate what does and does not work, organizations should identify KPIs that connect employees sentiments about experience to overall business outcomes. This becomes the business case for employee experience that validates its value amidst competing organizational priorities and budget constraints. Using insights from employee feedback and data analysis can help organizations refine employee experience over time, keeping it relevant.Finally, continuous improvement enables organizations to evolve with the times.One challenge for organizations embarking to improve employee experience is elevating it from a function of HR to a strategic initiative that defines the organizations employee value proposition, says McClain. Efforts to strengthen communication and accountability between HR and executive leadership may be needed to ensure all are working toward the same goal.Related:Middle managers play a vital role in employee perceptions of the workplace. Organizations should engage and educate middle management on how to effectively address matters, such as when employee and operational needs do not align. Notably, not all employees prioritize and value the same things. Among differing work styles, generations, and life stages it can be difficult to identify one-size-fits-all initiatives that work well for everyone.When possible, be flexible and consider how employee experience can be tailored to account for diversity of need among employees, says McClain. Above all, recognize that employee experience is a journey. The most effective initiatives are those that remain flexible and responsive to changing workforce needs while maintaining clear alignment with organizational goals and values.The Talent Shortage Is a Major FactorOne big deal breaker is a return to office (RTO) policy. Organizations that are clinging to pre-pandemic business as usual are finding that some candidates wont compromise and employees will complain, if not quit outright. The talent shortage just exacerbates the problem.Younger generations have many options and choose workplaces that meet their needs for pay, growth and flexibility. The current dissatisfaction with RTO policies is revealing, says Justina Raskauskiene, human resource team lead at omnichannel marketing platform Omnisend, in an email interview. At Omnisend, we see the value of in-person collaboration for creativity and teamwork but also recognize that flexibility is now non-negotiable for many employees. If RTO is implemented, the focus should be on making people want to come to the office by emphasizing the benefits of in-person interaction.Related:Justina Raskauskiene, OmnisendTo ensure a great employee experience, she says her company makes a point of listening to employees and acting on their feedback. The company also holds regular one-on-one meetings, so employees have a mechanism to share concerns.The biggest challenge for organizations, I think, is overcoming resistance to change. Many companies operate on a this is how weve always done it mindset, which makes implementing flexibility look daunting, says Raskauskiene. As flexibility varies for everyone, companies may struggle balancing individual needs and team goals. Equally important, employee experience isnt just about perks, its about ensuring the work itself is meaningful and engaging.Times Have ChangedIn the past, a good employee experience was synonymous with ping pong tables, and free snacks and drinks -- a stark departure from button-down Corporate America of yesteryear. Later, the pandemic reshaped expectations, challenging employees to seek work-life balance, joy and purpose.Katie Roland, chief human resources officer at KCSA Strategic Communications, says her company is trying to enable work-life balance with tailored PTO programs and wealth-building opportunities. However, along the way, it became clear that a one-size-fits-all benefits approach no longer worked.The pandemic brought into hyperfocus, that each employee was faced with different personal challenges at home. To address diverse employee needs, we adopted Overalls LifeConcierge, a service offering expert assistance with time-consuming personal tasks like finding healthcare specialists, navigating Medicare for aging parents, or scheduling home repairs, says Roland in an email interview. Overalls isnt just a perk, its a game-changing solution for helping employees achieve true work-life balance. Organizations should provide meaningful, flexible support that addresses the whole employee.Toward that end, KCSA focuses on initiatives that reduce stress, save time and address individuals needs. They include flexible work schedules, mental health days, a wide choice of benefits through a professional employer organization and partnering with providers.They arent just workers, theyre parents, caregivers, partners and more. Companies that acknowledge this and take steps to help employees succeed in every aspect of their lives will stand out in todays competitive talent market, says Roland. Creating a great employee experience starts with listening through surveys and conversations and responding with meaningful support to build trust. At KCSA, insights from employees led to initiatives like Overalls LifeConcierge and No Zoom Fridays, addressing both personal and professional needs.Apparently, KCSAs approach is working. In 2024, Newsweek ranked the company #34 on its Most Loved Places to Work list.The Tricky PartOne challenge is to balance employer and employee interests in a way that benefits both. For example, most workers view RTO as beneficial for the company and management, but not necessarily the employee.The best benefits are those that directly address employee pain points. Transparency and education also matter. Communicate why youre offering certain programs and how they support your teams overall well-being. When real life issues come up that a benefit you offer can assist with, make sure to help the employee utilize it. Authenticity builds trust, and trust builds loyalty, says Roland. Weve seen how investing in innovative, practical benefits fosters a culture of care and empowerment. When employees feel supported, theyre not only more engaged, theyre also more likely to stay and thrive. In todays workplace, thats not just an advantage, its a necessity.A Job Versus an ExperienceJohn Jackson, founder at click fraud protection platformHitprobe, says todays workers are not just looking for a job to pay the rent, they are looking for an experience.This particularly applies to the younger generations and their way of looking at the world is influencing their older colleagues, says Jackson in an email interview. While this change was already happening, it has been sped up by the Great Resignation and the ongoing debates around hybrid working and organizations changing policies on this post-COVID. I believe that the key to creating a great employee experience centers around authenticity and adaptability. Implementing trendy perks is easy, but to make yourself the employer of choice you [must] genuinely understand what your team needs and respond to it.Hitprobe implements anonymous feedback on a regular basisto find out what employees want. However, what they want often differs from initial assumptions.Also important is a commitment to act on the feedback. If the workforce knows we will listen, they will continue to talk to us and stay with us. Flexibility is key, says Jackson. What works for one team member may not work for another, and diverse teams have varying needs and expectations. Open communication channels, transparency, public acknowledgement and recognition, and providing clear growth opportunities all go a long way towards building a team that is committed and productive.About the AuthorLisa MorganFreelance WriterLisa Morgan is a freelance writer who covers business and IT strategy and emergingtechnology for InformationWeek. She has contributed articles, reports, and other types of content to many technology, business, and mainstream publications and sites including tech pubs, The Washington Post and The Economist Intelligence Unit. Frequent areas of coverage include AI, analytics, cloud, cybersecurity, mobility, software development, and emerging cultural issues affecting the C-suite.See more from Lisa MorganNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports