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Three ways the employee experience can impact your brand

03 Apr 2022

By Jill Manning  Recently, while driving down a California freeway past the office of a former employer, I thought about how powerful the Employee Experience (EX) is and its long-lasting effects on the business. EX not only impacts employee engagement and tenure with your organisation, but a great EX also leads to a better customer experience, higher retention, lower absenteeism, and higher sales and profitability. But how does it affect your overall brand? Here are three ways the EX can impact your brand – both short- and long-term – and recommendations on how to help turn employees into brand ambassadors.   Turn that grapevine into wine   As an avid Yelper, I know that people share their experiences about many things online – from dining at restaurants to staying at hotels to haircuts to wine tasting. But it doesn’t stop there – employees also post reviews about their employers on review sites and social media, and share their experiences in everyday conversations.  According to Glassdoor, 86% of employees and job seekers research company reviews and ratings to decide on where to apply for a job. Word travels quickly through the grapevine, so when employees are unhappy with their job, they will share their negative experiences with co-workers, friends, family, and possibly strangers – all impacting your brand.  The goal is to keep employees happy, productive, and engaged so they will share their great experiences. With that said, it’s necessary to provide employees with a safe place to share anonymous feedback.  Often, this is done through surveys, launched monthly, quarterly, or annually. And once feedback is gathered, it’s critical to communicate how you are taking action on areas needing improvement. You can’t stop employees from talking, but by listening, being open to feedback, then taking action to fix what’s wrong, you can help ensure that what they’re sharing accurately and positively reflects your brand.   Join the club   Employees don’t just share the details of their EX with friends and family, but they can also either encourage or discourage others from applying for a job with your organisation. Workers who feel engaged, valued, appreciated, and connected are more likely to refer friends and family to join their company. Employee referrals are a great way to find talent, and believe it or not, there is a cost savings involved. Employee referrals save companies over $ 7,500 per hire and tend to stay longer.  By developing an EX that helps employees thrive, feel valued, and productive, you’re creating brand ambassadors that will want their friends and family to have the same experience. If these individuals decide to join the club (apply for a job), their candidate experience may be the first impression they will have directly with your company, so the referral and hiring process must be smooth. Take a look at some ideas from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) on how to create a great candidate experience. Leave a good, lasting impression When an employee leaves their job, they likely have ideas of how to improve their former role, team, and company as a whole. Once they leave, they could apply for a job with a competitor, become a customer or partner, or even return to your company in the future. Former employees will remember and may share the challenges they faced at your company. The EX plants a seed with employees, not only for their time at your company, but for your brand for years to come. Did you know that rehires or referrals from alumni make up 15% of all new hires? So, what can you do to ensure you leave a good final impression on them? One way is to offer an exit interview to all employees upon their departure, whether they are resigning, retiring, or being laid off. Whether it’s in person or virtual, it’s critical that departing employees feel heard, and this enables you to gather feedback on how you can improve the EX and identify patterns of potentially larger issues.  Remember, feedback is priceless, and exit interviews are a great way to show departing employees that you valued them and the data allows you to see where action is needed to retain your current employees. With the right exit process in place, employees will not only recommend you to friends and family, but they may also be willing to return to your organisation in the future. It’s key to create an exceptional EX from the very beginning so you can turn employees into brand ambassadors who provide outstanding customer service, feel good about working for your company, refer their friends and family to apply, and recommend your products and services for years to come.


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