In the final chapter of our "EX Trends to Watch in 2024" series — be sure to read parts one, two, three, and four — we turn our focus to the top organizational priorities for employee experience (EX) in the coming year. Our panel, composed of experts from our research and People@Work teams, discusses the optimal investments and strategies for enhancing EX, and how organizations can activate these strategies to reach their goals for retention, engagement, employee well-being, and more.
1. Reframe Employee Listening Strategies
Sarah Jorgenson, Senior Consultant: "I believe it's crucial for HR to reshape how leaders perceive listening. It's not just about conducting annual and pulse surveys; it's about teaching leaders to use this data to confirm the effectiveness of their efforts or to guide necessary changes. This approach moves away from the traditional STOP-START model and fosters continuous improvement and engagement."
2. Evolve Flexible Work Strategies
Christian Roome, Senior Consultant: "Continuing to refine flexible work strategies is essential, as many organizations are still finding their footing. The economic instability and changes here in Europe have left many employees feeling unsettled. It's crucial to have available leadership and clear communications. We also need to rethink career paths, as traditional progressions are no longer as relevant."
3. Focus on Talent Retention and Development
Davinder Johal, M.Sc., Senior Consultant: "Retaining and developing talent is paramount. Upskilling employees, particularly in the context of organizational changes and technological advancements, is critical. Clear communication from senior leaders and managers is essential, especially given the volume of change. It's also vital to ensure psychological safety, allowing employees to voice their concerns. Well-being and mental health are critical areas where employee listening can shape program development and deployment.”
4. Connect Listening Data to Business Data
Nicole Boyko, Ph.D., Senior Consultant: "Beyond action strategies, the challenge lies in connecting the dots across various listening events, such as census and lifecycle surveys, to offer a holistic interpretation of results and aligned strategies. Marrying objective business data with sentiment data is increasingly important. Companies are exporting their data to create new visuals and dashboards for senior leaders. A notable example is in DEIB efforts, where sentiments about promotion fairness are combined with actual promotion statistics."
Heather Sager, Ph.D., Senior Consultant: "Being strategic about survey data collection and integrating external data sources is crucial. For instance, including employee performance ratings and recognition data helps prioritize actions based on survey results. This approach demonstrates the ROI of recognition and communication programs."
Crystal Perel, M.A. Senior Consultant: "It's important to connect EX data to broader business metrics beyond traditional talent indicators. Demonstrating how EX influences outcomes like EBITDA and employee productivity will gain senior leaders' buy-in and boost confidence in the value of listening."
Bradley Wilson, Ph.D., Principal Consultant: "Integrating operational and organizational data into analysis enables organizations to understand how employee experience correlates with desired business outcomes. Companies are going beyond just measuring culture to actively manage culture and ensure there is alignment between the internal experiences employees have on the job with the message they're delivering to the market."
5. Set the Right HR and C-Suite Priorities
Bradley Wilson: "For HR, priorities should include supporting people through ongoing changes, enhancing organizational efficiency, and evolving policies related to privacy and AI. For the C-Suite, evolving products and services to match consumer behavior shifts and managing investments are key. Data security, especially in light of global geopolitical tensions, and the potential increase in M&A activity due to economic factors (primarily consolidation as a survival mechanism, something seen in the 2000s), are also critical areas."
6. Invest in Leadership Development
Ellen Lovell, Ph.D., Senior Consultant: "Showing the linkages between a manager's team perceptions and leadership effectiveness is crucial, as is investing in true leader development programming. Good leaders have improved after navigating recent challenges. However, there's a noticeable divide in sentiment when considering higher leadership levels."
Bradley Wilson: "Organizations are effectively using data to identify and address leader blindspots. Fostering a growth mindset in leaders is key to ensuring they respond positively to feedback. Integrated Perceptyx products like Cultivate, Sense, and Dialogue bring new insights to help develop great leaders and teams."
7. Link Employee Feedback to Enterprise Decision-Making
Nicole Boyko: "Finding ways to link decisions and actions to employee feedback throughout the year — not just after a survey or listening event — is crucial. Making these connections crystal clear ensures employees understand how their feedback informs decisions."
8. Provide the Support Needed to Drive Post-Listening Action
Crystal Perel: "Avoid overcomplicating your listening strategy. Establish strong systems and support frameworks to assist leaders, especially at the frontline, to effectively follow up on feedback. Continuous communication and support are key in the action phase. One customer recently shared a story of how their mid-level leaders perceived a high level of communication and information sharing leading up to and during survey administration, but that communication and support seemed to dry up as the leaders were trying to action the feedback."
9. Show Gratitude for Employee Feedback
Sarah Jorgenson: "Taking time to understand your data and show gratitude to those who provided it is essential. Demonstrating humility and that you value feedback goes a long way towards fostering a culture of continuous improvement." (Read our blog on gratitude and employee recognition.)
10. Focus on the EX Fundamentals
Bradley Wilson: "Managing and improving the core employee experience is vital. Avoid the temptation to add perks without addressing fundamental needs like resources, psychological safety, and well-being. Leverage the 80/20 rule, especially when employees are asked to "do more with less." Focus on what can be eliminated from employees' plates and be honest about what adds value as opposed to something that is no longer necessary or beneficial. Involve employees in designing effective and rewarding experiences that balance their needs with the needs of the organization."
Validate Your Top EX & Business Priorities with Help from Perceptyx
The insights from our Perceptyx experts highlight the importance of strategically focusing on EX transformation, particularly in uncertain times. Effective employee listening strategies are essential for setting organizational priorities and addressing employee needs. Our purpose-built People Insights Platform is designed to assist organizations in this endeavor, offering tailored solutions to employee listening and people analytics challenges.
To explore how Perceptyx can help your organization prioritize and better understand EX, schedule a meeting with our team.