Wellbeing as a focus area for organizations was majorly thrust into prominence for all organisations in 2020. We saw industry-wide trends emerging, especially in the Employee Experience front. At the People Matters EX APAC Conference 2021, we had the pleasure to host some of the leading leaders from various organisations who shared their take on EX. 

In this key highlight piece, take a look at what Date Reitsema, Global Director Employee Experience at Atos shared about the current developments in EX and more.

Is your EX engaging?

With the COVID-19 disrupting our daily lifestyles, there were some immediate changes that the workplaces undertook overnight. More than 90% of the workplaces shifted to remote working with immediate effect, leaving many organisations in a state of confusion as they weren’t well-versed with such a working style.

Various reports by Atos found out that ‘return to office’ is not expected until 2022 and that initiatives and best practices & measures undertaken during the ‘crisis mode’ will not hold relevance going forward in the new world of work. Organisations are looking at step-by-step changes in the overall employee experience.

EX is now a ‘strategic’ priority

Across industries, we have seen different results in accepting the changes, whether its a remote working environment, team meeting, keeping employees engaged etc. Al good percentage of employees still feel unengaged which indirectly or directly impacts their motivation levels and productivity. IT industry is majorly hit with the setup change as this workforce has dominantly never experienced a remote working environment. We still mixed reactions about how comfortable employees are working remotely. 

Engaged EX: A business-enabler

Reports suggest that flexible working is the rise. The flexibility quotient along with empathy, mental health are now being looked at as benchmarks for job applicants. If organisations fail to provide the desired employee experience and engagement, they will definitely see their best talent exiting the door. On the other hand, when the employer provides their employees with the best EX, the business as whole sees profitability and better productivity rates.

What’s the right mix for enhanced performance?

Employers will expect their employees to perform at their best and deliver better outcomes. But this will only happen if there are proper measures taken. Employees’ performance will largely be the right balance of productivity and engagement. Many organisations have come up with foolproof processes, training programs to keep their existing employees abreast with the ongoing developments. In this data-driven world, it becomes even more important to let employees know their true worth and make them feel inclusive and encourage them to be purpose-oriented.

Wellbeing: The top most priority than ever!

It was a tiny virus that made each one of us realise the importance of health and safety (in all forms). CHROs across industries charted out the best wellbeing plan for their employees because the situation everywhere around was grim. Let’s look at wellbeing from two aspects:

Wellbeing: The business need!

Building trust and empathy among the employees became crucial. It was imperative for employers to come up with a robust strategy in maintaining the wellness quotient for their employees, especially for the ones who were in dire need of it. Corporate Wellness Initiatives, revamped by the employers not just helped them solidify the employees’ trust but they were looked at as one of the most important objectives while searching for a job. Executives have always rated wellness initiatives as a must-have which in a way led to better productivity, employee attraction and retention and the overall business performance.

Wellbeing: The People need!

The novel coronavirus has severely impacted the mental health of people. Various reports have projected that the workforces are under stress which is not only hindering their decision making abilities but are creating disruption in day-to-day lives. With the line between work & life becoming blurred, employees are facing fatigue and are unable to keep their focus.  

EX in the IT industry

Ultimately, Employee Experience has become a crusade. Every HR and IT department is focused on it, and the marketplace has exploded. In this digitally-driven world, it is very important  for HR and IT to work as partners to come with actionable solutions to combat the growing challenges that employers and employees might face.