THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE: CULTURE, ENGAGEMENT, AND BEYOND

This year, we have seen the employee experience become the centre of attention in organisations across the globe. In this edition of the Talent Agenda supplement we delve into what makes a positive employee experience

According to Mercer Africa, employee experience (EX) – is the intersection of an employee’s expectations, the environment and the events that shape their journey within an organisation. In order to craft a compelling employee experience strategy, businesses need to think about ways to fully understand the needs of the employee and develop initiatives and strategies that meet them, with a shared value in mind where both the employer and the employee benefit.

Employee engagement on the other hand is defined by Willis Towers Watson as being all about sustaining effort at work and “the intensity of the relationship between employee and employer, marked by committed effort to deliver in an environment that supports and nurtures performance.”

In a nutshell, a positive employee experience results in high employee engagement. EX is no longer just the domain of HR. We now see it as including touchpoints with other functions and departments as stated by the Africa People Advisory Group in their New Ways of Working study.

Senior leadership across organisations need to be aligned and play their role in HR functions. They are faced with many new opportunities and focus areas, particularly the need to make remote working work, build new leadership competencies, help the business make impactful decisions with data, and implement a robust employee experience.

Shaping a more resilient workforce

The last year has seen organisations place a lot more emphasis on things such as mental health, development programmes, diversity and inclusion, flexibility, and communication with employees. This is a positive, much needed and refreshing step towards shaping a healthier, more resilient and ultimately more engaged workforce. As much as businesses are in survival mode and trying to make up for lost time and resources, it is in their best interests to pay just us much attention to their staff, and this has proven to work in their favour.

This edition of the Talent Agenda supplement will delve into what factors contribute to a positive employee experience, particularly during times of uncertainty such as the last two years we have experienced.

It will also focus on three of Africa’s leading employers and their incredible stories about how they evolved (positively) during the pandemic, strengthened their employee value propositions and how they remained employers of choice.

Aggreko, Afreximbank and the Africa Guarantee Fund will also reflect on the year gone by, share some of the lessons they learned along the way and tell us about their plans for 2022.