The quote above sits on my desk, right next to my favorite quote from tennis legend Arthur Ashe, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Both of these quotes motivate me to evaluate what’s happening in my field, how I can impact it, and what that impact can make on the future.
Emails have been a staple in our lives since the late ‘90s. Today, the average person receives more than 100 emails per day — and that’s not counting the spam. Our inboxes fill up every night with sales events, new streaming series, and disavowed princes who need our help depositing a large sum of money somewhere safe. With all that clutter, your company’s newsletter has a lot of competition, but not to worry.
Confession: I’m a white-knuckle flyer. Even though I travel a lot, every clang, rattle, and clink on an airplane can send me into a tailspin (pun intended). To stay as calm and collected as possible, I look for reassurance. And I always find it—in the flight attendants.
A couple of years ago, Erik was straight out of college and beyond excited to land his first real job. To make it even better, his team members were welcoming and dedicated. Erik was thrilled to be part of a team that was making a difference for the company. But as time went on, the shine began to wear off. Erik lost interest in his work and started to see his job as a paycheck more than anything else. What happened? Erik became a disengaged employee. How does an engaged employee become disengaged?
What’s in a name? For Mary Poppen, her’s is synonymous with organizational knowledge and understanding that the employee experience contributes significantly to the customer experience. Mary’s insights are widely respected across the customer success industry, and she has been a speaker and contributor to many articles and books on the subject.
The Great Resignation of 2021. And 2022. And 2023? If economic trends continue, that may well be the case. Attrition is increasing across the board and a lot of it has to do with employee disengagement. Harvard economist Lawrence Katz calls this “a once-in-a-generation ‘take this job and shove it’ moment.” But it doesn’t have to be. Employee engagement can dramatically lower attrition rates in both high and low turnover industries.
When you work at a company called Human Interest, it would only make sense that employee connection is central to your company culture and employee experience. But for Debbie Gunning, VP of People, connection has been at the forefront of her career since she discovered the field of recruitment and talent acquisition. Connection has been a long-running theme in her jobs and life.
Is your intranet a content dumping ground? A graveyard of unread posts? Do you find that no matter your efforts, pleading, or incentivizing efforts, you still can’t get your fellow employees to read the information posted to your intranet? If this sounds like your organization, you’re in good company. People resist change and default to what’s easiest. Unfortunately, intranets are notorious for being the opposite of easy. But don’t despair just yet.
Editor’s note: Digital transformations can frustrate employees if leaders don’t communicate opportunities to learn new skills. Successful change initiatives depend on structured communications for long-term sustainability.
Do you have a favorite place to shop? Take a moment to imagine it. What does it look like? How does it feel? Whether it’s a farmer’s market, a home improvement center, or the storefront of a luxury brand, we don’t just shop there for what we buy. We love the carefully-curated experience, designed to be memorable. It’s the little touches that make a customer experience unique and keep shoppers loyal. That’s what customer experience strategy is all about.
Editor’s note: Tech decisions can set the tone for how employees experience belonging, especially in distributed workforces. Successful leaders often cultivate company culture through digital workplace experiences. CIOs enjoy an outsized role influencing company culture, even before employees or customers are onboarded. “I hold the keys to the experience that every employee has,” said Colleen Berube, CIO and SVP Operations at Zendesk.
Editor’s note: Top-down initiatives can set the tone for how employees experience diversity and belonging, especially in distributed workforces. Successful leaders often cultivate inclusivity through digital workplace experiences. While remote work offers an opportunity to make the workplace more diverse, equitable and inclusive, there are also significant hurdles to overcome to ensure no one is left behind.
The notion that we can return to the office as it once was—is flawed. As people question whether the office is a thing of the past, we must consider what the office of the future could look like. To do that, we must first acknowledge the flaws and gaps that existed in the workplace prior to the pandemic. Work-related stress and burnout were at an all-time high. Density of space was at capacity. Daily commuting was polluting the planet and draining our energy.
The term employee experience (EX) has been a trending buzzword over the last few years. But what exactly does it mean? From attracting talent to onboarding your new employees, and all the way to when an employee leaves the company–the EX considers every interaction during an employee’s life cycle. This includes the employee’s role, workspace, manager relationships, and overall well-being. The EX is a golden circle that makes both employees and employers successful.
Everyone, at some point, learns the importance of constructive feedback or criticism when they need to give it to someone at work. Whether a colleague deleted that spreadsheet you worked on for three weeks or a co-worker always speaks over you in Zoom meetings, the day of reckoning will arrive. Are you ready? Do you know how to approach a sticky situation with grace?
