At EXwise a key aspect of our employee experience framework is the ‘Feel’ component which we describe as ‘Employees feel connected to the organisation culture, values, purpose and each other’. This part of our framework tackles the areas can elevate an employee experience.  

Let’s run you through why we believe that the elements of culture, value, purpose and each other are important to a positive EX and what you can expect when they are lacking.  

 Connected to organisation culture

As Peter Drucker said, ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’. The intent of this famous quote was to highlight that culture should be regarded as a strategic priority because it impacts the bottom line[1] owing to how it influences so many aspects of company life. From how people dress, to the hours they keep to the way work is completed and how employees interact with each other – culture is key.

Connected to organisation values

Values are the guiding principles for every transaction and interaction within an organisation from decision making to behaviour to how employees speak to each other and customers. Values act as the moral compass for all organisations. Without everyone following an accepted group of values and people opting instead to apply their own values to the workplace, unhealthy behaviours including distrust or micromanagement can arise.

Connected to organisation’s purpose

Research suggests that working towards a meaningful purpose has psychological and emotional benefits such as commitment, fulfilment, happiness, loyalty, optimism, pride, satisfaction, trust, a sense of belonging, and well-being. While according to Deloitte: ‘To win the hearts of Generation Z, companies and employers will need to highlight their efforts to be good global citizens…Companies must demonstrate their commitment to a broader set of societal challenges such as sustainability, climate change, and hunger’[2].

Connected to each other

It’s estimated that we spend 92,000 hours at work during the average lifetime so it’s important to get along with work colleagues and feel supported – nobody wants to go to work every day dreading interactions with their colleagues.  Furthermore, as humans we have an innate, biologically driven desire to form social relationships and in the workplace these relationships are not only beneficial to mental health, but they also allow us to achieve more as we are more inclined to share knowledge, help each other to hit a deadline and be more innovative when compared to working alone.

So, that’s why we focus on these areas as part of creating a positive employee experience, but what happens, when employees don’t feel connected to the elements above? Well, you can expect to see the following:

By helping employees to feel connected to the organisation’s culture, values, purpose and each other, workplaces will be healthier, more productive and organisations that achieve this will be in a better position to attract and retain employees and in turn deliver business results. If you would like help exploring how connected your employees feel, get in touch today.

[1] https://hbr.org/2021/02/company-culture-is-everyones-responsibility 

[2] https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/understanding-generation-z-in-the-workplace.html.