How to design an employee experience that makes talent stick
You probably know the customer experience, but if your employee experience sucks, your customer experience won’t stand a chance.
People make your product. In the end, it’s their service, energy and ideas your client wants to pay for. Yet many companies don’t have a solid People & Culture foundation.
Struggling with turnover, low energy, or hiring headaches? Your employee experience might be the silent killer.
So, what is Employee Experience?
Employee Experience (EX) is how people feel about working at your company and is shaped by everything from their first interview to their exit email. According to Globoforce & IBM (2024), it’s “a set of perceptions employees have about their experiences at work, in response to their interactions with the organization”.
Jacob Morgan (2016) breaks it down into three pillars:
Culture: values, behavior, leadership
Technology: tools that help or frustrate
Physical space: where the work happens, remote or on-site
It’s not just about ping pong or pizza Fridays. It’s about belonging. Purpose. Growth. Autonomy.
Why Employee Experience matters (a lot)
Teams with a strong EX are more engaged, productive, and loyal (Bersin, 2019).
They innovate more, call in sick less, and become your biggest brand ambassadors (Globoforce & IBM, 2024).
Companies that invest in EX see up to 40% less turnover and 4x more profit per employee (Morgan, 2016).
Strong EX = stronger culture, stronger work, stronger results.
What shapes the Employee Experience?
Spoiler: it’s not just HR.
According to Globoforce & IBM’s Employee Experience Index (2024), there are 6 game changers:
Trust: Do people believe your company will do the right thing.
Connection: Supportive colleagues create energy. Toxic culture drains.
Meaningful work: People want to use their talents, not tick boxes.
Feedback & recognition: Regular check-ins, genuine appreciation = fuel.
Autonomy & involvement: Can people co-own the process?
Work-life balance: Creativity needs recovery. Period.
If these foundations aren’t in place, no salary raise or ping pong table will fix that.
What can you actually do as a leader?
1. Map your employee’s journey
From hiring to offboarding: identify key moments. How do people feel at each stage? Where’s the friction? Redesign accordingly.
2. Listen (and act)
Surveys, check-ins, Slack polls, coffee machine convos. Listen intentionally. And most importantly: do something with what you hear.
3. Empower your managers
They are the experience. Train them in coaching, clarity, and emotional intelligence. Give them tools to lead with care and intention.
4. Make growth real
Offer mentorship and personal development possibilities. Let people see their future inside your company.
5. Celebrate progress, not just results
Appreciation should be consistent, not an afterthought. Think shoutouts, feedback loops, moments of pause to say: you’re doing great, keep up that good work.
6. Co-create your culture
Build systems with your people, not just for them.
You don’t have to figure it out alone
If you’re thinking “Where the hell do I start?”, we got your back! Think:
A clear Employee Experience strategy that sticks
Coaching for your team members
Fresh onboarding or feedback rituals
Get in touch for a free Employee Experience call.
Oh and ehh… if this resonated, sign up for the newsletter for practical worklife tips, personal insights, and exclusive offers!
-
DescripBersin, J. (2019, March 25). The Employee Experience: It’s Trickier (and more important) Than You Thought.
Globoforce & IBM Smarter Workforce Institute. (2024). How HR can positively influence the employee experience. PWNet.
Hendrikse, M. (2024). Hoe HR de employee experience positief kan beïnvloeden. PWNet.
Mes, H. (2023). Dit is de ideale roadmap voor employee experience. PWNet.
Morgan, J. (2016, April 7). Who Should Own The Employee Experience?. Forbes.