If you asked firm leaders about their top three priorities five years ago, the term “employee experience” likely wouldn’t make the list. That’s changed today.
With a record number of workers changing jobs and careers, firm leaders have had to quickly pivot their priorities to attract and retain talent. They’re being forced to consider what the experience is like for their people, from applying for an open position to leaving the company.
In fact, according to Willis Towers Watson’s 2021 Employee Experience Survey, 92% of organizations are prioritizing enhancements to the employee experience over the next three years, up from 52% prior to the pandemic.
What is employee experience?
Employee experience is a worker’s perceptions about their journey through all the touchpoints at a particular company, starting with job candidacy through their exit from the company.
An excellent employee experience isn’t just nice to have; it’s mission-critical. According to a study by the Josh Bersin Co. commissioned by Microsoft, companies that leverage the right EX strategies are:
- 2.2 times more likely to exceed financial targets;
- 2.4 times more likely to delight customers;
- 5.1 times more likely to create a sense of belonging;
- 5.2 times more likely to be a great place to work;
- 5.1 times more likely to engage and retain employees;
- 3.7 times more likely to adapt well to change; and,
- 4.3 times more likely to innovate effectively.
Creating the employee experience
While EX is created every day in every moment, there are important events that have the potential to either positively or negatively impact the employee experience.
Here are some of those moments and where you can start improving the employee experience in each moment.
- Applying and interviewing for the job. Make sure the experience is consistent — particularly in the beginning when a candidate is just learning about your firm. Does the messaging in your job ads, the careers page of your website, and your social media profiles align with your firm’s core values? This first impression is the start of an employee’s experience with your firm.
- Onboarding. There’s a difference in how we onboard entry-level people versus experienced hires. But even experienced employees need onboarding to help them learn about your firm, get equipped to use your technology and follow your processes, and start making meaningful connections. Think through the onboarding process for all roles in your firm — not just CPAs.
- Training. We tend to think about training new employees, but training happens throughout an employee’s time at your firm. Be intentional about developing people’s core success skills as well as their technical skills. Ask people what they need and engage them in their development plan rather than giving them the plan firm leaders think is best.
- Feedback, performance reviews and promotions. Receiving feedback, performance reviews and promotions can provoke anxiety in employees, even when the feedback is generally favorable. Real-time feedback, more frequent performance reviews and aligning the employee’s goals with the organization’s strategic plan can improve the experience for employees and help them see the impact of their work on the firm’s success.
- Personal and family changes. People’s lives aren’t disconnected from their work, and companies need to support people as humans, not just workers. Focusing on employees’ well-being should be a constant priority for firm leaders, and this requires monitoring their habits, behaviors and engagement. If you tell people that you care about their well-being and work/life balance, don’t contradict that message by expecting them to work 80 hours per week during busy season.
- Offboarding. Hopefully, offboarding comes when people retire, but of course, there are times when employees choose to leave for another firm or another career. Creating a consistent, positive offboarding experience helps leave a positive lasting impression on exiting employees. When you handle these transitions well, former employees may become valuable referral sources or brand ambassadors or even consider returning to your firm.
Start with the touchpoints listed above and ensure that every member of your firm, including practice leaders, trainers and everyone involved in the employee experience, is consistent in the messages they’re conveying, and their actions align with those messages.
Creating a positive employee experience in your firm will go a long way toward keeping engaged employees, happy clients and a successful firm.
