Employee experience design is the process of creating a positive and holistic experience for employees across all touchpoints. It’s important because it can help improve employee engagement, motivation, and productivity.

Did you know that what we experience as employees in our workplaces is designed (or should be)? That’s right – every aspect of the employee experience, from onboarding to benefits and retirement, is thoughtfully crafted by HR teams and other organizational leaders. But why is employee experience design so important? And what are some easy examples of EX design in action? Read on to find out!

What Is Employee Experience Design?

Employee experience design refers to the process of improving the quality of the employee experience in the workplace.

Employee experience design isn’t just what it sounds like – designing employee experiences. It’s what you’re doing every day in your office, no matter what sector you work in or what role you play at your company. 

If you’ve ever called customer service and immediately felt better about the company after having a good chat with the representative on the other end of the phone, that’s EX design in action.

If you’ve ever worked with an IT team to fix an issue with your workstation or were satisfied with your benefits plan, that’s also employee experience design in action!

Why Is Employee Experience Design Important?

Employee experience design is important because it can help improve engagement, motivation, and productivity across all departments.

What does employee experience design have to do with engagement, motivation, and productivity? Everything! Employees who feel satisfied and included in their company’s culture are more engaged and motivated than those who don’t. And happy employees tend to be more productive and successful in what they do.

Key Milestones in the Employee Experience

The employee experience has several key milestones, or touchpoints, that are important for organizational leaders to focus on. These include recruitment, onboarding, and departure.

Recruitment

The recruitment process is the first opportunity an organization has to create a positive experience for potential employees. From the moment a candidate applies to the company, through the interview process, and all the way to offer letters and job offers, it’s important to make sure they feel valued and excited about joining the team.

Onboarding

Once a new employee joins the company, it’s crucial to make sure they feel welcomed and supported. This includes providing them with all the information they need about their new job and helping them get integrated into the company culture. 

Departure

Even after employees leave the company or retire, it’s important to make sure they feel supported and valued for what they did while being part of the team. This includes providing what’s necessary to get them set up with any benefits that are still active (such as extended health care) and saying goodbye in a respectful and positive way.

How Can I Make My Employee Experience Better?

Employee experience design is what you’re already doing – but there are a few must-do’s that will improve your workplace culture even more:

• Make it easy to access information and get what you need from all of your internal touchpoints
• Be efficient and effective with the way you manage time, tasks, and team communication
• Make it clear what is expected of your employees/ what they can expect of you
• Make clear what’s in it for them (the perks!)

What Are Some Easy Examples of Employee Experience Design in Action?

A few examples of what employee experience design looks like can be found at traditional companies, such as Zappos, Starbucks, and Apple. 

Zappos

At Zappos, they work hard to create a holistic and positive employee experience. Reps go through training courses that teach them what they need to do and encourage discussion about what it means to be happy with your job and what inspires you. 

Starbucks

Starbucks is another excellent example of EX design in action! They’ve gotten huge praise for what it’s like to be a barista at Starbucks, with many former employees saying that what they learned on the job transcended what they learned in college. 

Apple

Apple has long been praised for the experiences workers have at the company. Their unique approach to recruitment is just one of the things that help them attract such talented employees.

Employee experience design is what makes employee experiences what they are. If you’re working within a company and want to help improve the way it feels to work there, then the first step you need to take is to understand what it means for your company’s culture and the current state of EX design.

In Summary

Employee experience design is the way the workplace is perceived by the employees every single day. It’s what you’re creating with every touchpoint of your workplace culture, from onboarding new hires to what they can expect in their day-to-day tasks and what the future looks like for them at your company. 

With a bit of thoughtfulness about what’s important to employees – and some help from EX design experts – you can create a workplace where employees are more engaged, motivated, and productive.