{"id":303,"date":"2020-10-16T10:19:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T09:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sage-people-scraping.local\/?p=303"},"modified":"2026-01-09T14:58:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T14:58:53","slug":"employee-experiences-drive-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/employee-experiences-drive-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"6 steps to create employee experiences that really drive productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeople & Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t6 steps to create employee experiences that really drive productivity\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tJessica Leyshon<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

In today\u2019s workplace, it\u2019s even harder than ever to be productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over a third of employees admitted they\u2019re productive for less than 30 hours a week in a study we conducted with over 3,500 workers. That\u2019s a whole day each week that they\u2019re in work, but not working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer, our research found, lies in workforce experiences: 92% of employees said this is important to them. That\u2019s huge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, we found several common themes from our research on what a great workforce experience means for employees, and, as a result, what gets them working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, here\u2019s what they were, and our tips for building experiences that really drive productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Offer flexible working<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In our poll, 81% of employees placed importance and value on flexible working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s no surprise considering how the world of work has evolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, thanks to mobile technology, employees are \u2018always on\u2019, work longer hours, and \u2013 at times \u2013 weekends too. With more employees than ever working remotely, while it has it\u2019s benefits, it can be hard for them to switch off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why shouldn\u2019t employees start at 7am and finish earlier if they\u2019re more productive in the mornings, or have international calls first thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By offering flexible working, your people will feel able to concentrate on their work when they\u2019re working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Show employees you value and recognise them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What employees did value instead of office games was clear from our research: feeling valued in the workplace and being recognised for the work that they did \u2013 66% of respondents said this was important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workers aren\u2019t fussed about quirky benefits or company outings. They just want their employer to say “great job”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They want to feel that their company values the contribution that they\u2019re making to the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are endless possibilities to the ways that companies can do this \u2013 from training for managers, to continuous feedback, or peer-to-peer recognition, right down to just saying a simple “thanks”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Support worker wellbeing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the poll, 39% of respondents said they believed HR and People teams could do more to improve wellness while working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s providing free fruit, ensuring there is mental health support in place, or demonstrating at a wider level that the company values employee\u2019s health and wellbeing through an instilled culture, this is something that\u2019s flying up the priorities list for workers \u2013 and companies need to pay attention to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Ask employees for their views \u2013 and respond<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This one\u2019s easy-peasy. Want to know how to build great workforce experiences for your employees? Simply ask them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just 12% of employees we spoke to are asked on a regular basis what would improve their experiences at work. Almost half (47%) had never been asked at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies may be surprised at what employees say. Furthermore, the simple fact of asking your workforce what drives them will show you value their input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just make sure that you demonstrate you\u2019re listening by communicating what and how you\u2019re changing \u2013 and the rationale if some things are not able to be changed right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Don\u2019t use guesswork<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our research found that 34% of workers felt organisations could increase their value if they used insights to inform People decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies don\u2019t make decisions on supply chains, their finances or distribution based on intuition \u2013 so why should they do the same when it comes to their people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to understand more about what drives your people, look at your highest performing teams and see what patterns and insights emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apply data science to your People analytics to test hypotheses and understand what experiences they respond positively to. Then use that data to build better experiences for your people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Personalise experiences for a 17 to 70 workforce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From the high school graduate who\u2019s entering their first job, to the hyper-experienced baby boomer, for the first time there are five distinct generations in the workplace \u2013 each with their own world view, aptitudes, life experience, and expectations about what makes a good workforce experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone is driven by different goals and aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some employees are motivated by money. Others want a great work-life balance. The needs might be different for someone who just moved to a busy city such as Dublin or Cork versus someone who wants to start settling down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an employer, you\u2019ll need to create engaging experiences for your multi-generational workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only that, you need to apply the same diligence to the way in which you attract potential candidates as well, to maximise the talent pool for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get to know your workforce \u2013 understand what drives each of them. Then use that to create experiences that they\u2019ll love \u2013 it won\u2019t be the same for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a People Company: Your guiding principle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A third of employees saw their HR or People\u2019s team role as creating positive experiences \u2013 so HR and People teams need to lead this cultural transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, they can\u2019t do it alone. The entire top table needs to be responsible for delivering positive experiences across the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? Because this matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The better an employee\u2019s experience, the more engaged they are, the more productive they can be, and the more the business benefits. It makes economic sense \u2013 as well as being the right thing to do for your employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, it comes down to whether your business is a People Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you an organisation where your people are the most valuable asset? Do your people know this is the case? Most importantly, do you demonstrate it to them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If so, you\u2019re taking the first steps towards building great experiences that really drive productivity already.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Join 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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