The key to tailoring employee journeys

• Tailored experiences drive talent attraction, retention, and growth.
• Positive experiences elevate engagement by 16x and loyalty by 8x.
• Effective personalisation demands mindset shifts and process transformations.

One of the key focus areas for talent leaders post-pandemic is augmenting employee experience journeys, which wasn't even on the radar of many HR leaders a decade ago. Positive employee experiences, as revealed by McKinsey, have a staggering impact: they drive engagement levels up by 16 times and make employees eight times more likely to stay loyal to a company. 

Fast forward to today, nearly every organisation is investing substantially to enhance their employees' journey – from onboarding to workspace design. As individuals around the world reassess their work priorities and locations, it's becoming increasingly clear that creating a distinctive employee experience can not only aid in attracting and retaining talent, the EX transformation can also catalyse growth. 

So, how do you define the journey? According to a panel of experts at the People Matters TechHR 2023 event in Gurgaon, defining the employee experience journey entails delving deep into the core of true personalisation and embracing the shift from customer-centric tactics to strategies that put employees at the centre. 

Empowerment through personalisation

According to Kavita Kurup, global head of human resources at UST, the COVID-19 pandemic turbocharged the importance of employee experience and forced organisations to adopt more tailored approaches to it.  “It’s a journey,” Kavita reiterated, as just 18% of employees said they work in a high fairness environment and have an employee experience that is characterised as fair, according to Gartner. While 92% acknowledged the necessity of personalisation, only 33% actively involved employees in the design of these crucial processes. 

Krishna Raghavan, Chief People Officer at Flipkart, highlights the role of personalisation in enhancing engagement. This is achieved by recognising and valuing the unique qualities of each individual within the organisation.

He further emphasises, "It's also about the journey towards cross-functional expertise that elevates organisational performance."

At Flipkart, this philosophy translates into empowerment, Krishna elaborates—empowering individuals to fully harness their unique potential. This concept of potential is intricate, marked by several instances of individuals seamlessly shifting to different domains through personal discoveries facilitated by the organisation. Here, personalisation takes centre stage.

Personalisation vs. customisation

Vishpala Reddy, CHRO at Philips Indian Subcontinent, delves into the distinction between personalisation and customisation. She notes that personalisation goes beyond surface-level changes, resonating on a deeper level. This comparison extends to customer relations, where personalised services outshine mere customisation. However, achieving effective personalisation comes with challenges. Aligning employee needs with company objectives while maintaining transparency and fairness is key.

"Striking this balance is the key to impactful personalisation, which not only caters to individual needs but also aligns with the organisation's larger mission," Reddy emphasises.

Similarly, Yuvaraj Srivastava, Group Chief Human Resource Officer at MakeMyTrip, echoes the importance of understanding individuals and their journeys. He highlights that mindset shifts and process transformations play pivotal roles, as personalisation demands not just surface-level changes, but deep-rooted shifts.

According to Yuvaraj, untangling established processes is also important to foster an environment conducive to personalisation.

"Personalisation transcends mindset shifts; it necessitates process transformation," said Yuvaraj. 

Kavita sheds light on an intriguing paradox: the coexistence of personalisation and standardised processes. This unique approach provides a solid foundation for crafting tailored experiences. She asserted that at UST, community-led initiatives empower employees, leading to increased engagement, retention, and productivity.

What's your mantra to elevate employee engagement, tailor experience journeys, and transform your organisation into an employer of choice for the new world of work?