Promises over perks: Designing an equitable employee experience

The world has changed. Employees are demanding that business changes too. It's time to reimagine the experience of work.

How does your business grow? Is it simply by having an amazing product that people fall in love with? Or does growth rely on leading a strong culture of collaboration where everyone feels that they are valued for bringing their passion and talent? This past year has reinforced to me the importance of how we intentionally design the experience of work, and the implications that can have for how a business succeeds.

I believe it is up to each business to demonstrate the role it plays in creating equity in our society. We could choose to wait for governments to catch up, or for everyone to process and learn from the lessons of the past 18 months. Or we can lead the change within our own organizations. We have the power to make a significant difference in our people’s lives, and in doing so, build resilience in our culture to drive growth.

It is now every leader’s role to ensure work works for everyone by designing an equitable employee experience.

Learning from disruption

Our UK-based team had just met to reconnect over lunch in London. We filled ourselves with sushi and anticipation over our upcoming annual Within Week gathering, to be hosted by our partners in Cape Town, a very special place for all of us. Only this was February 2020 — Trump had just closed the borders to travel from China, and then Europe. The situation was changing minute by minute, and the uncertainty was unbearable. Our excitement over reuniting already had a nervous cloud around it. Later that day we dialled in to our global team meeting to hear from each individual on how they felt about travelling, before making the inevitable painful decision to cancel the trip. I knew then that not only would it be a very long time before we could hug again, but that we would have to completely reconsider how, where and when we would work. This was more than a travel disruption — the very nature of our business was at risk.

Fast forward to a basement thousands of miles away in Vancouver. There’s a window but the light barely comes in. I’m in quarantine, waiting to travel to the U.S. The freedom I cherish taken away — sneaking out for a 6 am run racks me with guilt. It’s Pride but there are no rainbows, only unrest as Black Lives Matter grips America. I feel lonely, disconnected, and angry — and so powerless. My two-week incarceration is nothing compared to the inequities faced by so many. How can we claim freedom of movement, freedom of work, freedom to be who we are when so many of the systems that our world operates on need to be redesigned to be equitable for all?

By the end of last year I had realized that the pandemic was giving us two gifts. Through disruption we finally understand the need for flexibility in how, when and where we work. And through heightened awareness of the inequalities in society we have a better understanding of what it will take to level the playing field for all.

Only 12% of the US workforce worked remotely before the pandemic. Now 74% of professionals expect remote working to become the standard. Yet flexibility points to further challenges in diversity and equity. 2.3 million fewer women are in the workforce today as a result of the pandemic, while the cumulative effect of poverty, lack of access to health care, and discrimination has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color.

Two ruptures in time. Two opportunities to see things differently. Two choices as a leader to consider how work — and life — can be fundamentally better. A rallying cry to create a cultural shift from the boardroom to the shop floor.

Designing work to work for everyone

Employee experience is the new HR buzzword. The implications of “EX”, however, extend far beyond your people and culture team. It’s more than just setting out on a journey from joining to exit, or creating a differentiating environment to attract new talent. It’s an opportunity to create a new way of working that brings a team closer together and levels the playing field.

An equitable employee experience is the opportunity for everyone to thrive in your culture. It’s the mutual expectations between you and your people of how work works — from informal rituals, to policies and practices.

We’re already seeing that getting your employee experience wrong has a big impact on performance:

Loss of trust

We’re emerging from a period where people were trusted to deliver remotely. And while CEOs want to see their folks return to the office, only 3% of employees actually want to come back full time. People who feel trusted by their managers perform better, and when trust is lost, they are less likely to stay.

Disconnection

Our society is feeling more divided. People are craving connection. Employees who feel a sense of belonging are 5.3x more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work than employees at workplaces that do not focus on inclusion.

Pay and power inequity

While we have a heightened expectation for employers to close the gender pay gap, women are still paid 18% less than their male counterparts and are overrepresented in lower paying roles. Only 41 out of the Fortune 500 companies have female CEOs.

Burnout and well-being

From the pandemic we have a heightened sense of safety. We’re also more aware of what we need for our own well-being, including our mental health. Over 52% of people are feeling burned out as a result of the stress of the past year. Athletes like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka have elevated the conversation to how we set our own boundaries and define success on our own terms.

In the war for talent, culture wins

Each of these trends is contributing to the “great resignation”. From being fed up with working conditions that no longer suit us, to taking stock and creating a shift to what’s most important in our lives, people are packing up and moving on en masse.

What matters most to people today is the ability to do meaningful work, within an organization that they believe in. And now, it’s an employee’s job market, with over 9.3 million vacancies in the U.S. While you might have a great product, if you don’t have a great culture, people now have the option to go somewhere that does. People are choosing the workplace that is right for them.

While EX supports recruiting and retaining the best talent, it is more than that. This is the next level of organizational design. And at a time when there are deepening divisions in equality in society, intentionally designing your business to be more equitable is more important than ever. Not only to attract and retain the best people, but to support people to do their best work while they are with you. Ensuring that the system of work functions so that everyone can thrive, including all our processes, rituals and practices — from pay structures to how decisions are made. This is the fundamental way that business can play a role in mending injustice in society, more impactful than “social purpose” marketing campaigns and annual donations to charities.

As leaders we have power. We have the ability to intentionally design the experience of work within our businesses, and make promises for how our team members will be most valued. We can establish clear expectations for what the relationship between employee and employer looks like. And we can understand the shifts in our culture required to continuously improve our workplace.

Perks are dead. Promises are the future

Tech companies with lavish Michelin star sushi lunches. Dogs in the office. Subsidized mobility and laundry. Sleep pods and pillow rooms. The last decade has been defined by perks, and employers have used them to manipulate performance. That era is now over. The top talent wants to see their contribution recognized, do meaningful work, and know that the company they devote their time to cares about their wellbeing.

An EX promise:

• Sets out the expectation for how the employee/employer relationship looks and feels

• Is based on the idea of mutual value — the employee being integral to business success, and the employer recognizing the role that employees play in driving growth

• Reinforces companies values

• Can be backed up with proofs that the experience is being lived

• Supports the conditions for equity by creating a place where everyone feels valued

• Demonstrates that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is integrated into business strategy

• Has the buy-in of leadership that the promise supports the growth of the business

We’ve established four critical areas that define a 21st century employee experience, supporting our clients to define promises across each. The process involves deep listening at all levels across the business, including the most marginalized, to understand everyone’s perspective of your culture and the systems used across the organization.

Flexible

Truly responding to the needs of the individual, including people for whom traditional office hours may never have been equitable. Focusing not on just “when” and “where” but HOW teams work at their best.

TIP: Listening to the needs of each individual and creating the conditions for flexibility will be more powerful than creating a blanket policy.

Connected

A culture with rituals that bring people closer together, and with inclusive practices that involve everyone — including decision making. Building true belonging and new ways for teams to collaborate.

TIP: Assess the rituals that have worked during the pandemic, and design for hybrid. The team at Habito regularly review and retire the rituals that aren’t working.

Rewarding

Ensuring meaningful work that allows everyone to use their talents to make an impact. Using clear and open pay structures that address inequities and the ability to share in business success.

TIP: Your values should be reflected in how reward works. Buffer’s value of “Default to Transparency” is lived through radical sharing of their remuneration.

Growing

Supporting career journeys tailored to the individual's talents, and giving a hand up to the most marginalized to ensure they have the opportunity to advance. Understanding what each person needs to thrive in their personal and professional life.

TIP: At Within, each partner has a “personal growth plan” which we share openly. With no job titles or levels in our business, there is no ceiling to growth - however, building accountability into our professional development is critical to ensuring each partner can make progress towards their own goals.

Building beyond your business

Establishing promises in each of these areas can shape a holistic and integrated equitable experience, strategically reinforcing how critical culture is to growth, and impacting the lives of your people beyond your company. It's an opportunity for each workplace to contribute to creating a more equitable world by building a system that works for everyone.

Imagine the power of having designed an experience that gives your people a powerful sense of meaning and belonging. Where there is a trusted mutual relationship that strengthens and builds resilience — in our team, our business, and in our communities.

The pandemic forced us all into a marathon of uncertainty. It questioned what was stable, and where we had control. It shone a light into the darkened corners of our society and forced us to take a look. Through it all we have seen that leaders have the power to shape how their business works. That’s an opportunity and a privilege that I personally commit to stepping into. I’ve always had a vision that work could be a place where people love who they are and what they do. As a leader, that's the most important promise I can make.