Many companies have a plan in place that outlines their goal for each customer’s experience. They visualize the path from marketing through purchasing and repurchasing. This sales funnel technique helps companies improve sales and target areas that improve customer loyalty. What if this same principle could be applied to employees?
Frequent employee turnover can be detrimental to any company. No one wants to see their best employee unsatisfied, especially if it means their performance suffers or they find employment elsewhere. Fortunately, employee journey mapping can help you ensure that your employees have a great experience with the company, starting with the initial application process.
Companies that have been implementing this strategy with customers for several years have reported the greatest impact on positive customer experiences. They have also reported a reduction in customer complaints and an increase in customer spending. If customer journey mapping provides a positive experience, it stands to reason that mapping employee journeys would be beneficial as well.
A well-designed employee journey map can help you get the right employees in the door from the beginning. It can help you make their experience a positive one and make them want to stick around. Plus, it can help new employees succeed and perform well, which allows the company to grow.
Put yourself into the shoes of a hypothetical employee in your business. If you were to apply, interview, work, advance, and succeed in their position, what would help you to have a positive experience? What might cause you to struggle, feel dissatisfied, or even leave? Most importantly, how can these goals and pain points be addressed to ensure the best possible employee experience?
An employee journey map is a visual or written representation of each of these steps in the employee journey. It is a proactive plan that anticipates concerns and victories to ensure a safe and positive environment for your staff and a plan for their continuous improvement and progression.
To some extent, anyone in a management position in the company plays a role in the employee journey, which means they should participate in the mapping process. The IT and Marketing departments will be involved, as well. However, the majority of the responsibility for this type of planning falls on the human resources department.
Since HR handles many aspects pertaining to employee hiring and conflict resolution, this department is crucial in planning and executing a successful employee journey.
Use the employee journey touchpoints below to create an effective and well-designed map for current and future staff.
Sourcing and Recruiting – How do you reach out to the best pool of potential employees? Is your website user-friendly, informative, and engaging?
- Pre-Boarding – How are candidates introduced to the company once they have accepted employment, but have not begun working (e.g., social media, official website)? Do they know the dress code, where to park, and how to find the office?
- Onboarding – Is there an orientation process in place? How will new hires be trained?
- Compensation and Benefits – Is there clear communication, and do employees have resources and information about payroll, healthcare, and any other benefits?
- Training, Development, and Continuous Improvement – How will they develop new skills and acquire knowledge needed for advancement in the company?
- Engagement – Do employees feel involved in the workplace community? Do they have opportunities to build relationships with coworkers? Are they informed of events? Do they participate in group projects and have a designated role?
- Performance Planning and Constructive Feedback – Do you set goals with them and provide frequent, positive, and helpful feedback? Do employees feel responsible for their own goals and know they have your support? How is feedback provided?
- Recognition and Rewards – Do others know what this employee does well? Do you express appreciation? Do they get credit for their ideas and hard work?
- Advancement – Are there opportunities for promotions or additional recognized responsibilities? How will they be compensated for special tasks? Do they understand how and when they can advance? Do they understand how to prepare for the job they want?
- Retirement/Termination – What happens when they are done with the company? If they are fired or choose to quit, what is the process? How is retirement handled? Are they recognized before leaving?
Creating, saving, and sharing your plan can be just as fun and engaging as the rewards. There are innovative employee journey mapping tools designed for those who want to make basic information more exciting.
Tiled gives you an interactive platform for all your web-based communication, advanced microapps that let users explore specific topics, videos, or other important information.
With Tiled, you can go far beyond the simple confines of a document or spreadsheet. You can build and store files—like an employee journey map, for instance—and also share them with other team members. You can even allow multiple people to edit or add components for improved communication and connection. The interactive capabilities make Tiled the perfect option for training, onboarding, and other employee-centric internal content.
Check out Tiled and request a demo today to learn more about how you can use our interactive and engaging platform for employee journey mapping.
