I recently got to go to the IQPC Employee Experience for Global Enterprise conference in Barcelona. In the 20 years or so I’ve been working in this field, I’ve been to A LOT of conferences: I’ve experienced the good, the bad and the ugly! And I have to say this was one of the best events I have been to in years.
The selection of speakers offered a number of different and thought-provoking lenses to view EX, with a great mix of presentation and interactive sessions. There was steam coming off my iPhone as I furiously took notes over the two-days.
Here are a few of my top take-aways from the event:
- AI is going to be big to help personalise EX
This is something I have blogged about previously, but in more of a futuristic ideal than a current reality. However hearing from Britta Heissenberger (Europe Head of HR, IBM Global Business Services), the future is already here! IBM have recognised that personalised experiences are a critical way to differentiate. She talked about how IBM are using Watson (the suite of enterprise ready AI apps) to enhance their employee experience. Imagine recruitment being as easy, and efficient as ordering an Uber? Or a learning offer more akin to Netflix? And their HR advisory offer for managers is like more like a fitbit, helping managers to be better managers. Exciting stuff and of course you would expect IBM to be leading the field.
- Tech is a means to an end
Many of the speakers talked about the role of tech in improving EX, but they all warned that tech is a means to an end, not the end itself. There is often a huge focus on tech, as the shiny new thing, but we must focus on what the tech can do for us. The fitbit is a great example. Like many people I have a fitbit, but it is gathering dust in a drawer in my bedroom, because I have no idea where the charger is. I could have a proper look for it, or buy a new one, but I am not motivated to do so at the moment. Having a fitbit is not enough, I need to use it and change my behaviours accordingly. Similarly, because IBM have an AI powered HR advisory service for managers, doesn’t mean they will all become brilliant managers. Therefore we need to ensure tech is underpinned by people science, change theory, and psychology to ensure we use the tech to its full potential.
- Think about your organisation life-cycle for EX as well as your employee life-cycle
We’re all familiar with the employee life-cycle but have you ever considered the relevance of the organisation’s life-cycle for EX? Sameer Khanna, Global HRBP at Ericcsson, got me thinking about this. He describes the stages of the organisation life-cycle from birth, to growth, then maturity, through to either decline or revival. He then used the lens of the organisation life-cycle to view the different stages of the employee life-cycle. For example let’s take a look at your learning offer. At ‘birth’, you need to define future skills required. At ‘growth’, it’s all about a learning focus for new skills. At ‘maturity’, it’s all about flexibility and then at ‘decline/revival’ a focus on reskilling is needed. Sameer also pointed out that within a company, different teams and divisions may be in different stages of the organisation’s life-cycle. I felt this perspective helped provide depth and rigour to understanding EX and interventions to improve it.
- You need a multi-disciplinary squad to make it happen
This is an obvious one, but in my own experience many companies short-cut this vital step, of putting together a multi-disciplinary team to focus on EX. The success stories we heard at the event, from the likes of ING and Orange Business Services, detailed the serious consideration and work that had gone into getting the right people involved upfront. This is more than simply adding IT and Facilities to the core team of HR/ Comms/ L&D/ Engagement etc. It is also about involving employees in defining the ideal experience as well, albeit in the context of the organisation strategy, EVP, and culture. We heard from one global company that realised they were looking at mapping 9 journeys for 10 employee personas, in 42 different countries. Understandably they felt overwhelmed! Involving your people will help you prioritise moments that matter, so start with them, iterate and then scale up.
- The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers
As Richard Branson once said…. ‘If you treat your people well, and get your EX right, then you’ll experience higher levels of engagement and all the positive business benefits that brings’. Employees aren’t the same as your customers, but employees can quit, or worse still stay with you and do a crappy job and bad-mouth the company. Focusing on delivering a brilliant EX is a no-brainer, it will create a competitive advantage, help you differentiate, attract and keep the best people, and ultimately make a positive contribution to your organisation.
The Employee Experience Forum is returning to the UK on 23rd-25th September 2019 at the Waldorf Hilton, London. I’m looking forward to going – I’d love to see you there! We’re also lucky enough to be able to offer our followers, readers and friends 20% off the ticket price – just use code PeopleLab20 Find out more
And don’t forget, we’re also running an Employee Experience Masterclasses on 3rd July, in London – there’s still time to sign up today!
