Companies invest significant time, budget, effort and energy into attracting the best talent in their industry through strong employer branding. As recruiters, we realise how important it is to retain this talent once the candidate has begun their journey at the organisation. This all comes down to employee experience – that is, your business culture, the way you communicate with people within your organisation and how you adapt to their changing needs.

When a company is clear on its employee experience, it permeates through the work force who in turn share this experience with external talent. It should represent the people that make the company what it is and communicate the business culture. As a result, potential employees will want to be part of that community, building a healthy talent pipeline.

As recruiters, we know how important your employee experience is – this is the language we speak to potential candidates, it is what tells the story of your company to them. A company that has a vibrant employee experience make employees feel like they are integral to the business community, connected, part of it, that they matter to the bigger picture of the organisation. We should not need to translate or condense or clarify – a well-considered employee brand that can be easily conveyed will attract a greater volume of high potential candidates.

Four key points to consider improving your employee experience:

Listen to your employees.

• Are you clear on what your employees want and need? What motivates them? What do they enjoy? Pin down what values matter to them and make them a ‘way of life’. Involve your employees in developing them and living them. There are no rights or wrongs with these values – they are the values of the people that make your business.
• Have their priorities shifted? Do you ask for and listen to their feedback? Do they have a platform to share their experience/ideas/feedback? Do you act on what they tell you?
• Do you make it easy for your staff to communicate their thoughts/ideas/viewpoint with you? Is it accessible to everyone?  Inclusivity to all is critical.
• Develop a clear tone of voice that matches your employees and values – everyone at the company should know where they stand and how to respond.

Test ideas & concepts.

• Do not be afraid to test new ideas. If you say you are going to do something, follow through – but be open with your employees. If it is not received well, change it, be open to new ideas. It is not always the big changes that make the greatest difference for your employees.

Empower your employees.

• Sharing successes, appreciation of colleagues, put the power in their hands to come up with new ideas, put them into action.
• See things through. Happy employees are more efficient, stay for longer, and spread positive news about your business.

Be open to review.

• How are you measuring the success of your employee experience? Do not be afraid to change tact if it is not working.
• Keep things simple. Grow/develop/do more.

Your employee brand should pin down the intrinsic values of your workforce. By listening to your employees, testing, empowering, constantly adapting to their needs you are connecting with every single employee. They will naturally become advocates for your business.