“A company is only as good as the people it keeps.”

Mary Kay Ash

In the Autumn of 2022 CY Partners conducted a staffing and recruitment survey aimed at discovering what our clients thought recruiting will look like in 2023. Interestingly, most of the businesses we surveyed agreed that strengthening the employee experience will be a critical component of their improved recruitment and retention strategy this year.

In light of our findings, we thought we’d delve deeper into this topic to explore why enhancing the employee experience is critical for businesses who wish to win the race for talent in 2023.

What is the employee experience and why is it so important?

Increasingly, employees seek value and purpose at work, and the impression they form of an organisation via the experience they receive influences everything, their happiness, their commitment, their loyalty, their productivity, and ultimately how long they stay with the company. The employee experience encapsulates all that an individual observes during their tenure with the organisation. It is how they feel about their role, their team and the organisation as a whole.

The employee experience refers to an individual’s perception of their work environment, management support, the opportunities they receive to contribute, collaborate and make a difference, and the training and development opportunities that are available to them. In short, the employee experience is key to building a stronger organisational culture and improving business performance.

Recent events such as the Great Resignation of 2021 have reminded employers that they must work hard to keep their employees engaged, and if they don’t they risk losing them. According to Galllup research, ‘when a business has a highly engaged workforce, it sees a 20% increase in sales and a 10% increase in customer ratings compared with an unengaged workforce.’

And according to the same Gallup research, businesses with highly engaged staff result in 21% greater profitability, a 41% reduction in absenteeism and a 17% increase in productivity.

Essentially, when employers invest in the employee experience they are creating an environment where people want to come to work because they feel content and fulfilled in their role. Happier employees provide a better service, which enhances the customer experience and the overall success of the organisation.

Why and how should employers invest in the employee experience?

 Just some of the benefits of fostering a positive employee experience include:

• Stronger company culture
• Increased engagement and productivity
• Increased profitability
• Good employee morale
• Reduced employee turnover
• Boosted work performance
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Increased innovation
• A stronger employer brand
• An increased ability to attract and retain top talent

According to HR News, ‘A business is only as good as its employees and ensuring that your current and prospective employees view your business positively is vital for recruitment, retention and overall productivity.’

Here at CY Partners, we couldn’t agree more. The employee experience envelops every stage of the journey the individual goes through, from the moment they become aware of the organisation to the moment they leave. It begins the very moment they are exposed to the employer’s brand.

The management team at CY Partners have worked hard to instil the right corporate culture, because we want prospective employees to choose us not only for the benefits we offer, but because our brand resonates with them on a deeper level. We’ve achieved this by being transparent about our values and culture on our website, in our communications with existing and prospective customers, and in the promotional material we distribute. We attract candidates who resonate with our values, vision and culture by actively promoting a positive company image across all our channels, including our website, our social media platforms and our job ads.

Furthermore, we understand that a well-designed recruitment process plays a major role in enhancing the reputation of our business and building high performing teams. We attract and retain quality talent by delivering a clear and comprehensive recruitment journey. This includes:

• Keeping applicants up to date at every stage
• Answering their questions and addressing their pain points
• Crafting attractive job descriptions and ads
• Promoting our job ads through channels we know will be most likely to reach the best candidates
• Setting clear criteria and ensuring fairness by evaluating all candidates in the same way
• Providing ongoing training and support to new employees after they have joined
• Adhering to a structured CV assessment process
• Offering a flexible interview schedule

What measures can businesses take to improve the employee experience?

The CY Partners team are committed to creating a positive experience for our employees. To give you some food for thought, we offer the following:

• A structured onboarding process: We set our employees up for long term success by giving them the tools, training and information they require to succeed.
• Development and career progression opportunities. We offer clear progression routes from both a technical and management perspective, as well as opportunities to take part in a range of training courses, coaching, mentoring and development sessions.
• The opportunity to work on exciting and varied projects, working alongside a team of dedicated professionals.
• The opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives and help a range of different candidates and companies.
• A listening ear: We take the time to understand what motivates our employees and encourage them to voice their concerns.
• A positive work environment: This includes supportive management, an inclusive workplace and a culture of recognition.
• Flexible hours and hybrid working.

In today’s competitive talent landscape, can your business afford NOT to make the employee experience the focal point for your organisation in 2023?

If you’re interested in talking to our team about how we could help you develop an effective employee experience strategy, or how we could help you meet your scientific staffing needs in 2023, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us here.

If you’re interested in learning more about joining the CY Partners team, visit our work for us page here.