Meaningful connection: How to level up your employee experience

Here’s how four companies are winning the war for talent with powerful promises that put employee engagement first

Delta Airlines just recently made a big recruitment announcement, which was not only happy news for its existing employees, but was also perfectly timed with my travel plans. Thanks, algorithm.  

Here’s the gist: 

Historically, it’s been harder to become a Delta Air Lines flight attendant than it is to get into Harvard, according to article author Bill Murray. 

“Last week, just in time for Labor Day, Delta Air Lines announced plans to hire 1,500 new flight attendants, along with an additional 1,500 flight attendants who made it through the hiring process before the pandemic began in early 2020, but who weren't able to start work due to the crisis.”

This news likely landed on happy ears for existing employees of Delta. Bill shared that “Roughly 4,000 of their fellow flight attendants took early retirement or other separation options during the pandemic, and the strain on those who stayed has gotten more difficult.”

But, are these open jobs still as desirable as they once were? Are they offering the kind of employee experience people want?

Will the “allure of flying for a living, along with the perks of nearly unlimited, nearly free travel around the world,” still be as energising in our current climate?

These kinds of questions bring our last article, Promises Over Perks: Why It’s Critical for Leaders to Design an Equitable Employee Experience, back into sharp focus this month. 

As more and more people head back into the workforce, how have their expectations changed? And are leaders ready to recognize those changes and respond to them?

(If you’re a leader, we’d love to hear how you’re creating an attractive employee experience above and beyond the perks of the job). How are you creating spaces for your employees to thrive? To focus on their well-being? To grow in their careers beyond their day-to-day roles?

If you’re like most leaders we’re speaking to now, these questions are top of mind and of great concern. 

We know that in the war for talent, culture wins. 

What matters most to people today is the ability to do meaningful work, and to love who they are and what they do. And overwhelmingly, they want to find and do this work within an organization they believe in – and one that will give them a great employee experience. 

We know that perks are dead. Promises are the future. 

While we’ve established four critical areas that define a 21st century equitable employee experience, it’s sometimes helpful to see what promises others are making too. 

Don’t just take our word for it: Here are 4 examples, each from a different critical area of employee experience, that showcase how companies are successfully engaging employees through promises in the post-pandemic workplace. 

CONNECTED
A REWARDING EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE INVOLVES MEANINGFUL CONNECTION

This area of employee experience is all about communicating transparently with rituals that bring people together. 

Problem:

A Bozeman-based tech company needed a new way to connect their people in a post-pandemic world with their newly launched flexible and remote working policy/ways of working. 

Promise:

In exchange for promising their people could work flexibly in ways that enable them to do their best work, they promised to design a suite of inclusive team building experiences. The thoughtful and considered design of these experiences meant each person was included, no matter where they work, and that each person can find something they are energized by. While some employees liked the idea of an online bingo evening, others preferred a yoga class. To connect their people to Bozeman, where they are headquartered, leaders designed a Bozeman-based scavenger hunt, and even provided an online experience for those who weren’t able to be there in person for the experience. This promise means they are creating opportunities to meet other team members who are dispersed and remote, and that they are committing to keeping their people connected.

FLEXIBLE
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT TODAY REQUIRES FLEXIBILITY

This area of employee experience is about collaborating remotely, creatively, inclusively and flexibly. 

I caught up with our client partner Josh Salazar, People & Experience Product Developer at iTech Media, to capture this next promise. 

Problem:

Josh says, “We recognise that our employees are from all around the world, and as the world starts to open up again, there'll be folk who'll want to travel home (i.e. abroad) and maximise their time there.”

Promise:

iTech’s promise to their people is to “ensure our people can truly #WorkYourWay in bigger, more flexible and more exciting places than ever before. This is the first step in fulfilling our vision of a company where employees can work from anywhere in the world, at any time, in any way that works best for them. At the moment, this means that employees can work abroad for up to a maximum of 8 weeks (i.e. 40 working days) during the calendar year so long as they meet certain conditions.”

REWARDING
MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING A REWARDING EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

This area of employee experience is about recognising impact and celebrating culture. 

Problem: 

Our client Bridger Brewing understands that money isn’t the only way to ensure their people feel valued and recognized for their contribution. They’ve embarked on a journey to understand how they might design a reward structure that's flexible and accessible, and recognizes the myriad of ways their people might want to be rewarded. They are exploring options that align with who they are and their deep commitment to taking care of people – like profit sharing, 401k contributions, paid training and/or career development.

Promise: 

We’ll design a system of rewards and benefits that makes people feel valued and recognises their worth. 

GROWING
GROWTH IS A KEY PART OF EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE, TOO

This area of employee experience is all about focusing on balance, well-being and personal growth. 

Problem:

Covers was looking for a way to use their culture to attract and retain amazing team mates. 

And part of this was to be able to communicate clearly what the promise and expectations are around GROWING at Covers.

Promise:

When you grow, we grow. Our rapid business growth opens up opportunities for our people to grow too. We’re committed to creating space for learning and investing in your development.  Because when you grow, our business grows even faster.

The expectations they have of their people in return are:

• Showing interest in their own development

• Being proactive in identifying opportunities for growth

• Sharing their own expertise and experience to help the team around them grow

This promise, alongside several others, have been bundled together into a playbook for the Covers team to use so they can speak to their employee experience, which helps them attract the best talent.

So, leaders, are you keen to understand how you can create an inclusive and equitable employee experience?

Start by asking yourself these questions, and then reach out to us:

• How well do you understand how work is currently being experienced in your organization? 

• What is it about your employee experience that makes people want to work here?

• Do you have clarity on what you want your employee experience to be like?

• Do you know what it will take to make that shift happen for your people?

• What would it feel like to know your entire team felt valued and doing their best work?