This article is an extension of an article I posted last week titled, 5 Ways to Make Employees Want to be and Stay on Your Team. That article really focused on some of the ways organizations can recruit and retain some of the best talent out there.

Have you ever heard the saying that, “Love is in the details?
In this highly competitive talent acquisition and talent management environment where employees are being courted by “sexier” employers, organizations that focus on the details around the relationship with their employees will have a clear competitive advantage.

Case In Point.

 

A very close friend of mine recently decided to leave her current employer for another organization. It wasn’t a very hard decision except for the fact that she is a very loyal person and one whom refuses to fail.

From the beginning of her relationship with her almost former employer, I was stunned by how much they made her feel unwanted, not a part of the team- with very little hope of professional development.

Were they the most horrible employer out there? No, not likely.

What stands out, though, is not what they didn’t do, but what the competing employer did do.

It’s the quality of the touches that count.

 

In customer and employee experience speak, we talk about touch points and journeys. We are merely referring to all the little interactions a customer or employee might have with an organization.

In the case of employees, they interact with an organization even before the decision to apply has been made.

Many organizations fail to take the time to ask employees about how they experience the organization. Then, they don’t take the necessary steps to frame out the best possible journey for future or current employees taking their voices into account.

It was clear to me that my friend’s soon-to-be employer took some very clear, well-thought out steps to create an amazing experience for its prospective recruits and new employees.

Their employee experience was no accident. They spared no detail.

Here are some great things they did before she even started her first day on the job, but after she accepted the offer:

  • Signed her up for professional memberships
  • Booked  and fully paid for a trip for her to attend a renowned conference with access to premier client entertainment activities and budget
  • Sent her a form for her to fill out to make sure her business cards would look exactly like she envisioned so that they would be available to her on her first day
  • Sent her an equipment request form to make sure she had everything she needed down to what type of cell phone she needed, computer hardware and type, etc.
  • Asked her if she had any other concerns and whether she could think of any other issues about which they had not thought
  • Confirmed that her travel reservations conformed to what was necessary for her family

 

At some point, my friend started to think,  “Is this too good to be true? They are waiting on me hand and foot.”

She is still waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have a feeling it won’t.

When employee experience mirrors customer experience.

 

One of the things her new firm did was to book a beautiful suite at the conference where clients could come to mix and mingle with the firm’s brightest. This would be by invitation only, of course, and my friend was thrilled to be able to invite a few of her best clients in for a peak.

She told me that when she invited one key client to this lovely VIP event, the customer said, “It doesn’t surprise me that they are doing this. For the last few years, your firm has really focused on the experience they offer to customers, including their marketing, quality of sponsorships and other offerings. Pretty impressive.”

My friend thought, “It is impressive! They are doing the same with me!”

Shortly after this exchange with the client, the hiring manager at her soon-to-be employer sent her an email stating that she was so excited that my friend was coming aboard and looked forward to working with her. The hiring manager let her know that she had organized a small team to handle the marketing for her practice. She had arranged for professional pictures to be taken while  she was in the corporate office. Finally, she told my friend that the leadership team would be taking her to lunch on her first day.

After all of this, my friend confessed that she finally feels valued and important.

She feels free to do her job without distraction.

Her new employer’s service focus and reputation is out in the universe for customers and employees alike. Their market presence is hard to beat.

She admitted that the way she is being treated by her almost former employer is not horrible, but that this new firm is so far ahead.

The differences really stand out.

All of their doing what they say they will do and following-up frequently to let her know next steps is worlds apart from her almost former employer, and, to be honest, any other employer experience she has ever had.

Before she was hired on at her almost former employer, the hiring manager talked a good game, but the culture did not line up to meet it.

Employee experience is not a one man show, but an effort on behalf of the big TEAM. It may start with one person, but it must make its ways through the hearts of others in the organization for it to take hold.

The experience is everyone’s responsibility.

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An employee’s relationship with an organization is an experience.

What type of experience are your employees having?

What type of experience are you having as an employee?

Look at it like a journey and then the destination will be more memorable.

Love is in the details. The details are not rocket science, but when you add them all up, they make for a lovely experience.

I can hardly wait to see what is in store for my friend on her next phase of the journey. I will continue to write about it here as I hope to inspire other organizations to take some amazing steps to improve their employees’ experiences.

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Thank you for reading this article. This is a topic close to my heart. I would love to hear your feedback and any ideas you have about creating an amazing employee experience. I am open to differing opinions. If you feel like others may benefit from this article, please do Share it.

Follow me @hryounger

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Heather is a people-focused leader with proven expertise in building productive teams and supporting internal customers in recognizing and leveraging unique gifts.

Heather truly believes that the most effective way to grow revenue and retain valuable internal and external customers is to actively listen to the Voice of the Customer, enthusiastically communicate those needs to internal stakeholders and champion organizational improvements, which will positively impact the employee and customer experience.

She is a blogpoet and has been blessed to be featured under Leadershipat www.blogpoets.com