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From the moment they cease to be a candidate and become an official employee, that is, the sum of the values that employees give to their company after interaction, it is called employee experience. During their working life, the priorities and concerns of the employees change constantly and on a person-to-person basis. Therefore, just like customer experience, employee experience, which directly contributes to the success of the company, should be handled in stages.
Although it is a relatively new concept, companies have come a long way in terms of employee experience. Based on the experiences gained, it has been revealed that there are four stages of employee experience today. These are: initial involvement, initial development, continued development and retention, and separation.
First participation; The job covers the first trimester after entry. Employees in this process; They feel the desire to take a place in the company, to contribute to the company, to establish relations with their colleagues. When the early turnover rate (30%) of those who start a new job is taken into account, it will be seen that this first stage, which forms the basis of the employee experience, is very important.
At this stage, where the employee gets an idea about the company and evaluates whether the decision to enter the job is correct, it can be said that the level of anxiety of the employee is equal to the excitement of starting a new job. Whether it can address the expectations of managers, make a meaningful contribution to the company, or be understood with team members, etc. issues increase the anxiety levels of employees. For this reason, it is the responsibility of the companies to reduce the uncertainties and free the employees from their worries and make them feel good. These can be done by quickly communicating the company's values and rules to the employee and clearly defining the role.
Arrangements that will facilitate the fulfillment of the role of the employee should be put forward with interdepartmental cooperation from the first day. For example, the IT department should support HR, and computers and programs should be allocated to the employees to meet their needs. On the other hand, in order to create a sense of belonging, newly hired employees should come together with their managers at an early stage; In order to adapt to the team, it should be seen as a bridge between the employees.
Initial development; It covers the period from the 3rd to the 24th month. During this period, employees focus on improving their skills and being more effective. This stage, which can also be defined as the stage where mastery comes to the fore, is the right time to support employees at growth and development points. Because employees put forth the necessary effort for mastery by taking future opportunities into account.
The first development stage is the stage where the demands are met by investing in the employees, the necessary training is given to prepare the employees for the key positions in the future, and the developments are made. The trainings to be provided (for example, trainings for the development of 21st century competencies) also contribute to renewing the self-confidence of the employees who are worried about their future in the rapidly changing business life. The investment made in the employee does not only have a tangible return such as increased productivity; such supports also increase the loyalty and commitment of employees. Because development and training opportunities are an indication that the company sees its employees as valuable as human beings. This value naturally builds commitment in the initial development phase.
The ongoing development and retention phase begins after the initial development phase and continues until the employee leaves the job. Employees who are specialized in their role, have the necessary knowledge and skills, and have gained experience, tend to clarify the future of their careers during this stage. That is, he wants to see opportunities and evaluate them. Failure to offer opportunities can drive an employee to quit.
The point where this stage differs from the second stage first development is that development and training are continuous and thus the focus is on retention. Continual improvement is important for acquisition because the departure of an employee who has received the training given in the second phase will affect the company more deeply.
Employees who have reached the retention stage with continued development are potential leaders and should be considered for this position. Since not all employees at the same level will want to be leaders, qualified opportunities should be created by taking into account the wishes of the employees. Things to consider at this stage where employees are most productive; expressing the contribution and importance of the employee to the company with their production, valuing the employee, appreciating the employee. In addition, at this stage, managers need to take part in guiding and coaching their employees, because it is now essential to acquire higher skills.
The fourth and final stage of separation covers a maximum of 3 months before the employee leaves the job. Even though all stages have been carried out correctly, there may still be employees who want to leave for reasons other than employee experience. This process should be organized so that it goes smoothly for the employee. This will turn the employee into a brand advocate despite leaving the company.
On the other hand, the separation phase is a phase where companies can gather information about the underlying reasons for leaving the job through Human Resources. It is possible to prevent future qualified workforce losses by evaluating the collected data and taking appropriate steps. Considering all kinds of investments made in the first three stages, the damage done to companies by not being able to prevent separations is obvious. Therefore, the underlying reasons for leaving the job, which provides clear feedback in terms of employee experience, should be clearly known. Even though there are companies that prefer to conduct surveys or face-to-face meetings for this purpose, changes in the way of doing business should be evaluated in this 3-month period before leaving in order to receive more successful feedback.