Did you have a Christmas party at work this year? Seems likely. T’is the season to be jolly and all that. How many other parties have you had at work this year? What other ways have you shown employees that you value them this year?
Having an annual time of the year to acknowledge that you do, in fact, appreciate your employees, is the epitome of what is wrong with so many employee experiences. I’m not against Christmas parties by any stretch, but I am against a once yearly way of giving back to employees. You know the saying, Employee Experience isn’t just for Christmas…
Not everyone celebrates Christmas
Firstly, only having it at one time of year isn’t great for inclusivity. Some people don’t celebrate Christmas. For others, Christmas can be a painful time that they would rather forget. Instead of focusing all of your efforts, and budget, on the yuletide season, spread them throughout the year so everyone can feel included.
Little and often, all year round
It’s key to building a brand. It’s key to building a culture. Doing something little and often – in this case making your employees feel appreciated, listened to, valued – is the best way to show that you actually do appreciate, listen to and value them.
Employee Experience isn’t just for employees
Let’s take this a further step back. Far from being only for Christmas, your Employee Experience isn’t only for employees!
We strongly believe in designing your employee experience so it encompasses before someone joins your business and after they leave.
We take our inspiration from the marketing funnel.
Awareness: Do people know who you are? This can sit alongside your consumer brand, particularly if you have a B2C business.
Consideration: Are people considering you as a potential employer? Even before you have any vacancies, you want people to be considering you as a place to work. It makes it much easier to find the right person when you do have an open role!
Conversion: that point when someone is convinced and submits you an application to join your company.
Loyalty: you don’t even necessarily have to employ someone for them to be loyal to you. It might be through a close friend or family member, it might even be through a fantastic recruitment experience where you mutually agreed that it wasn’t the right fit.
Advocacy: Do people recommend you as a place to work? We know that people trust what other people say. It’s true in marketing, where word of mouth is the primary factor behind up to 50% of all purchasing decisions. It’s true with jobs, where candidates are 3x more likely to trust an employee over an employer. Having advocates for your business is the best way for it to grow.
Bringing it back to Christmas
Why not give your employees a gift going into 2024? Reimagine their employee experience and show them that you really do appreciate, listen to and value them.
If that feels overwhelming, Freeformers can help.
Take a look at how we approach employee experience design to see how we might be able to help you reimagine what you offer employees in 2024.
