Is the Employee Experience the New Customer Experience?

By: Linda Addy, Training & Development Consultant

Next month is my 7-year anniversary with HR Annie Consulting. As I reflect on this milestone and expanse of time, I’m mindful of the employee experience — why employees stay and why employees leave.

If you have mid to long-term employees, will they view year seven as:

• a 7-year itch?
• a lucky number 7?

If their view about working in the organization is itchy…are they restless, bored, less productive, less engaged, or even dissatisfied? The phrase “7-year itch” in pop culture comes from the 1952 play The Seven Year Itch by George Axelrod (later adapted into a film with Marilyn Monroe).

Relationship experts describe this phenomenon as fading novelty. The honeymoon phase is over, and the relationship may have become a stale routine. Perhaps the members in the relationship have grown apart, or trust has eroded. Maybe personal needs and goals are less shared, and communication is dysfunctional.

While marriage and personal relationships are very different than employment ones, we are still partnering with our team members. And if we want the work relationship to succeed and sustain, it’s critical to:

1. Identify issues and work through them, and
2. Invest in continuous improvement in team dynamics.

The best relationships include emotional safety (I can be me), respect (I am known and valued), and effort (I am supported, and we work on things together).

Are we forgetting about the employee experience?

Often, our operational eyes are on the service we provide, the product we make, the clients and customers we serve, or the mission we’re dedicated to. The metrics, the reports, the output.

But what about our internal clients: our employees?

Does your organization have an established framework for anticipating and meeting your team members’ needs?

In a Harvard Business Review survey, 55% of executives said it’s simply not possible to deliver a great client or customer experience without delivering a great employee experience.

Employees who view their experience positively are much more likely to provide a positive customer experience. The link between the two is so strong that many companies are embracing the idea that the employee experience IS the new customer experience.

Psst! If this concept resonates with you, check out our 5 Star Customer Experience online course!

An example of what the employee experience looks like

I’ve worked for employers who viewed employees as needed, but perhaps not truly valued.

I’ve worked for employers who valued their employees but didn’t know how to create an authentic culture of welcome and belonging.

And I’ve worked for employers who had an impressive, dedicated focus on their product and customers, with less regard for their people.

Seven years as an employee in our consulting firm is a Lucky 7 to me for many reasons.

Here’s what I’ve experienced:

1. Open Communication: From support roles to CEO, there’s trust to ask questions, make mistakes, contribute ideas, and approach one another. We also have established communication frameworks that affirm how we work both independently and interdependently.
   
   
2. Celebration: We take time to talk about the small and large wins, the golden moments, our clients and their milestones, our shout-outs, and the personal confetti, too (A coworker’s son is headed to the regional championship! A coworker bought a house! A coworker wrapped up her last round of radiation! A coworker’s daughter graduated!)
   
   
3. Collaboration: I am not an expert in all things. Neither are my coworkers. So, we commit to work together, disagree sometimes, and come up with the best solutions for our clients, the work, and one another. We know how to assert our needs in our roles, while also cooperating.
   
   
4. Clarity: We don’t always know what the path or winds look like, but we know where we’re going. The coordinates are shared by stakeholders and a visionary owner. And here’s a rare and vulnerable thing: if/when someone on our team doesn’t want to join us on the journey we’re headed, there’s an opportunity to offboard with a soft, supported landing and genuine gratitude for their efforts during their time with us.
   
   
5. Fun: We have it. And there’s even a committee that meets to talk about how to bring in more!
   
   
6. Support: When I’m stuck, or my coworkers are, we’ve assembled a team aligned with the values of listening, helping, and encouraging.
   
   
7. Equilibrium: I’m a Training & Development Consultant, trainer, speaker, leader, coach, and more at our firm. I am also a mom, auntie, sister, daughter, non-profit board member, volunteer, neighbor, hiker, fan of live music, and have the most handsome geriatric rescue dog named Jack. Lucky me, for the past 7 years, I can find a sustainable rhythm in who I am at work, outside of work, and in all the in-betweens.

What does the employee experience look like at your org?

So, is the employee experience the new customer experience?

I’d say, yes!

When the employee-employer relationship is safe and respected, with a real effort to maintain the team dynamic, respectfully, get out of our way. You’ll find us treating clients like we treat one another.

We will be effectively communicating, collaborating, celebrating, and supporting — with fun and balance as we go.

Looking for ways to improve the employee experience?

Providing your employees with continuous learning and development is essential, and we can help! Reach out to learn more about HR Annie Training’s online learning, one-on-one coaching, and live facilitation for custom training.