An inside look at the employee experience from a post-COVID-19 lens
According to a recent survey of global HR leaders and employees, we found that employees who said their company has handled COVID-19 well indicated they believe this is a result of their employer:
| 42% having the right workplace tools and technologies in place |
| 38% maintaining regular communication |
| 35% taking steps to ensure employee wellbeing |
Today, business leaders have to look at the overall employee experience through the lens of the changing needs of employees shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now employers must focus on inspiring and supporting employees with initiatives and technology that can help make a meaningful impact on employees’ day-to-day lives, in and outside of work. What does all this mean for HR managers?
To attract and keep the best talent at your company, you need to think beyond the salary and consider how your company can create an environment and a culture where employees can thrive, no matter where or how they are working.
To stand out to the best candidates, you must share your organization’s compelling story that highlights the unique combination of support, benefits and perks, as well as the organization’s purpose, mission and values. This will help to define the characteristics and overall appeal of working for your organization above others.
Many of the leading employers are providing employee perks that are both unique and surprising, relevant to their organization and meaningful to the employees they want to attract.
Here are three innovative ways our clients support their employees:
| 1. Make your employees’ salary go further with employee discounts |
| 2. Put the spotlight on mental, physical and financial health with employee wellbeing solutions |
| 3. Create a culture of appreciation with recognition and reward technology |
1. Make your employees’ salary go further with employee discounts
An employee discounts program is a great way to extend your employees’ income without the expense of a company-wide pay rise. The program provides vouchers, instant savings and Cashback to hundreds of top retailers, from fashion to travel.
Atos UK was looking to evolve its company discounts, alongside recognition, to engage its nearly 10,000 employees. While Atos offered a wide range of benefits such as charity giving and income protection, engagement with and awareness of these benefits was low.
The organization needed to create a central hub for all benefits, so that they were easily accessible, while making sure that they were relevant to its diverse demographic of workers.
Working with Reward Gateway, Atos launched the "Prosper" platform, which combined benefits, wellbeing and recognition in one centralized location. Following the introduction of the platform, the organization has seen an average annual savings of almost $1,400 per employee, an engagement rate of 75% with the platform and a 5 out of 5 rating for the total benefits package from employees.
2. Put the spotlight on mental, physical and financial health with employee wellbeing solutions
From a plug-and-play solution to a fully tailored, branded wellbeing platform, our employee wellbeing solution can support your organization wherever you are in your wellbeing journey to develop an offering that's personal, proactive and inclusive. Some of our offerings include a Wellbeing Center or an Employee Assistance Program.
Macmillan Cancer Support has focused on employee wellbeing as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19, where hundreds of its nurses and healthcare professionals were facing disrupted work routines, uncertainty and employee burnout because of elevated workloads.
During these challenging times, the company wanted to focus on keeping employees connected to one another and the business, shine the spotlight on mental health and provide extra support. With the introduction of "Top Banana," Macmillan’s all-in-one employee engagement platform, the team has seen fast results. More than 25% of employees have engaged with the new platform during the pandemic, with 30% of employees using the Wellbeing Center resources.
3. Create a culture of appreciation with recognition and reward technology
With the proper reward and recognition program, you can introduce monetary bonuses to your people through manager- or peer-led reward nomination programs for an extra boost to recognize hard work. We offer a full suite of R&R tools, including nomination, automated awards, peer-to-peer digital recognition and more, which can make employees feel seen and valued, especially during an increased remote working environment.
Kettle Foods needed a reward and recognition platform that would engage all 430+ members of staff across its spread out locations. Previously, the organization used an outdated reward system that didn’t include all employees and only focused on a monthly or quarterly reward, rather than continuous reward and recognition.
With the new platform, "Kettle Kitchen," senior managers are now empowered to reward employees with a personalized message and an award of up to $30 for a job well done, boosting morale and engagement. The eCards have also helped to create a strong culture of appreciation across the company.
Since the introduction of Kettle Kitchen, the company has seen nearly 83% of employees sending and receiving rewards or recognition, and has achieved 93% uptake on the centralized platform.
Creating an employee experience that works for your entire organization can be a challenge, but it’s an important part of inspiring and supporting today’s workforce. The right employee experience must allow for flexibility and customization, so you can evolve to meet your workforce’s needs.
If you’re interested in learning more about our employee engagement tools, get in touch with us and we’ll help you stand out as an employer of choice.
