{"id":8678,"date":"2021-05-17T15:05:45","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T19:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=8678"},"modified":"2026-02-12T04:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:46:09","slug":"employee-experiences-hr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/employee-experiences-hr\/","title":{"rendered":"Employee experiences: Who should be responsible?"},"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\tEmployee experiences: Who should be responsible?\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

It\u2019s a question that has been asked for what seems like forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is responsible for employee experiences within a company?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wide consensus is that it should be everyone but, as a result, that often means no one in particular. Here lies the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked more than 400 employees from US and UK mid-sized companies who they thought was responsible for creating great workplace experiences<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 50% said everyone, but just 22% recognized that meant they were personally responsible, and 23% thought it was HR\u2019s responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I\u2019m going to say it straight from the start. It is not and should not solely be the responsibility of HR and People teams to create great employee experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the responsibility of absolutely everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But to ensure the responsibility doesn\u2019t fall through the cracks, each department has a role to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll tell you why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experiences are the outcome of every interaction an employee encounters with anyone at any time, from the recruitment process to the day they walk out the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Jon Thurmond, Regional HR Manager with Team Fishel<\/a> and host of the #HRSocialHour podcast, explains: \u201cWe\u2019re in challenging times where there are more jobs than people looking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEmployees that have a negative experience can voice frustration on social media and look for another job in the blink of an eye.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employee experiences: What is HR\u2019s responsibility?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

HR\u2019s role is to listen to employees, monitor their sentiments and feed this back into the leadership to create better workplace experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are fortunate enough to work in a progressive People Company<\/a>, an organization that puts its people first, then you may have ditched the HR title to be part of an \u2018experience team\u2019, dedicated to creating positive experiences for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, our survey showed that only 20% of respondents had even heard of an experience team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this isn\u2019t just a naming exercise. Having an experience team is a commitment to all employees to act in their genuine interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Eubanks, Principal Analyst at Lighthouse Research & Advisory, explains: \u201cIt\u2019s a reminder that each member of the team has some responsibility for creating an experience that attracts and engages talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose companies that haven\u2019t made that leap are often focusing on more tactical or compliance-oriented tasks as opposed to more strategic elements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR and People teams have an important role to play in engaging the leadership and other departments to play their part in creating amazing workplace experiences, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First and foremost, they should ask employees what a good experience means to them, bearing in mind that everyone\u2019s needs and priorities will be different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They should then map steps towards creating those great experiences, always listening to employees and tweaking those experiences as the individual and the company grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, that\u2019s just the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are so many ways HR and People teams can lead the way when it comes to building better experiences for their people that goes even further than listening and acting on regular feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR and People teams can use data to make more informed people decisions, beyond what employees are asking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can use marketing techniques to position themselves as an employer of choice \u2013 to both potential and existing employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can work with leadership teams and others across the business to build a culture that employees will love, in myriad ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employee experiences: What is the leadership\u2019s responsibility?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What about the leadership team \u2013 what\u2019s their responsibility when it comes to creating great employee experiences?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, the leadership\u2019s role is to set the tone for the business, creating a set of values that they hold themselves accountable to, all whilst having employees\u2019 interests at heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jon Thurmond agrees: \u201cIt\u2019s important to have executive agreement on workplace experiences, and a well-defined culture that the employee experience matches.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Eubanks explains, however, that the perfect experience doesn\u2019t exist \u2013 so don\u2019t chase it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are peaks and pits in the employment relationship,\u201d he explains. \u201cThe better the leadership strategically creates and orients around the peak moments, the more likely the overall experience will be a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR and People teams do, however, have a role in supporting leadership teams, to continually encourage them to drive the People-agenda<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take people analytics and for example. If HR and People leaders can demonstrate the impact \u2013 and potential opportunity \u2013 of changes they are making on growth, then it makes certain People decisions no-brainers for the leadership team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employee experiences: What are managers\u2019 responsibilities?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ever heard the expression “employees don\u2019t leave jobs, they leave managers\u2019? A bad manager can result in a bad experience for an employee, low morale and even be the reason they leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cResearch shows that managers make up at least 70% of an employee\u2019s satisfaction and engagement on the job,\u201d explains Ben Eubanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat means that regardless of what HR does, there\u2019s a limited amount of impact we can have if the direct manager is not aligned with our goals of creating, delivering, and supporting great experiences for workers on the job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But most importantly, Perry Timms points out that the real reason employees leave \u201cis because they cannot change what\u2019s around them for the better, so they go elsewhere for it\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important that managers give employees the autonomy to work on projects that matter to them and, ultimately, to the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR and People teams can support this by finding champions across the business that share the mission and work with them to create great employee experiences throughout their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also have a pivotal role in helping managers to remove domineering work practices and provide people with more autonomy over their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managers have a responsibility to listen to their teams, feedback to them, be their cheerleaders as well as their mentors and confidantes at work. This is something that HR and People teams can support them with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is everyone\u2019s responsibility when it comes to employee experiences?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all of our responsibility to engage in improving workplace experiences,\u201d explains Timms. \u201cEven tiny gestures like gratitude, compassion and supportive words can make a huge difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider an average working day in your own role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the impact of someone saying a simple \u2018thank you\u2019 or going above and beyond? It can sometimes be the small things that can make a person\u2019s day, so employees enjoy coming to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, it also goes beyond that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If HR and People teams are asking for feedback and input on what makes a good experience for their workforce \u2013 then is it also employees\u2019 responsibility to volunteer this and their ideas? Provided they obviously feel safe to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR and People teams play a starring role but need the buy-in of others<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s natural to think that experiences just happen to us, but they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we\u2019ve explored, everyone has a role to play. Where HR and People teams<\/a> can help is to drive the People agenda, and ensure these issues are front and center for everyone across the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, people create experiences \u2013 whether those people are the chief human resources officer, the CEO, a hiring manager, or an employee with no direct reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone across the business plays a role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Deliver engagement through experiences<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Download our eBook “Delivering engagement through experiences” to find out why it’s time to change focus and where HR leaders can turn to drive productivity in their workplace.<\/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\tDownload 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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Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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