I recently had a great coaching session with a manager, and the one question he kept circling back to was: why does this matter?
It's an honest question that more leaders and managers think than say aloud. After all, they hire people to fill roles the organization needs to fulfill its stated purpose.
We often struggle to articulate why the employee journey matters. But I challenged him to consider what he gets from his employees and how his support isn't one-sided.
A positive employee journey is foundational to increased employee productivity and engagement. Organizations in the top 25% of employee experience report nearly 3X the return on assets and 2X the return on sales of those in the bottom quartile (IBM, 2018). This is where we need to reframe what the employee experience is for an organization. It's a competitive advantage to attract and retain top performers.
Should leaders and managers support and care about their employees? Absolutely.
Can that support serve both the organization and the employees? Yes, and that's the unlock.
Managers are in a unique position to create a positive impact on the employee journey. The question should no longer be "Why does this matter?" but "How can I make sure my actions have a positive impact on my employees, so they can be highly productive and valuable to the organization?"
The employee journey, by the numbers: