Employee Experience Design - A Case Study
What we do
We can easily adapt to your environment and coach you every step of the way, either on your site, off-site, on the phone or online. You will get a dedicated Consultant to support you with all your people and culture requirements.
Processes & Guidelines
We will tailor your HR processes and policies to perfectly fit your company's unique needs and goals. We conduct a thorough evaluation of your current HR documents, policies & frameworks to identify gaps & improvement areas.
We will then work with you to create bespoke documentation, templates, guides, policies and toolkits that suit your internal culture. We also work with our employment lawyer to ensure your documents comply with current legislation so that your HR department has the fundamentals in place to operate smoothly (without going overboard with paperwork)!
People & Culture Strategy
In the initial phase of our collaboration, we engage with clients through either an employee engagement survey or a client discovery session. This step allows us to gather essential insights into the current HR dynamics and employee perspectives. The outcomes from these discovery phases allows us to craft a bespoke HR strategy that aligns with business goals and prioritise key focus areas.
Our partnership approach ensures the HR strategy we develop addresses both the immediate and long-term needs of the organisation.
Remuneration & benefits
We collaborate with you to refine your remuneration and benefits approach, ensuring they're competitive and reflect your company's mission. By leveraging market insights, we craft strategies that attract and retain talent while maintaining financial viability.
Our role extends to effectively communicating these benefits to your employees, emphasising their value in supporting both professional and personal growth. This approach boosts employee satisfaction and positions your company as a preferred employer.
Talent management and planning
We help you align your talent strategy with your business goals, identifying skill needs and talent gaps to ensure your workforce is future-ready. Our services include succession planning and talent development, aimed at creating a flexible and growth-oriented organisation.
Our proactive talent management approach focuses on nurturing high-potential employees and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. This keeps your team competitive and engaged, preparing your company for both current and future success with enhanced employee retention.
Organisational design
We partner with our clients to identify key talent needs and develop strategies to attract, retain, and develop the right people. Our approach includes performance management, leadership development, and succession planning, all tailored to enhance your team's capabilities and readiness for future challenges.
Our support extends beyond strategy development; we also provide practical tools and guidance for implementing effective talent management practices. This includes creating engaging employee development programs and establishing clear career paths that motivate and retain high performers.
Diversity and Inclusion
We collaborate with you to develop strategies that foster an inclusive workplace, where diversity is not just recognised but celebrated. Through targeted training programs, policy development, and awareness campaigns, we help create an environment that encourages open dialogue, mutual respect, and equal opportunities for all employees.
Our goal is to ensure that every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute their best, driving innovation and enhancing company performance.
Wellbeing initiatives
We assist our clients in crafting and implementing comprehensive wellbeing initiatives that address the physical, mental, and emotional health of their workforce. By conducting thorough needs assessments, we identify specific areas where support is most needed, creating tailored programs that promote a healthy work-life balance, stress management, and overall employee wellness.
Our services range from developing wellness workshops and fitness challenges to offering resources for mental health support. We aim to foster a supportive environment where employees feel valued and have access to the tools they need to maintain their wellbeing.
Recruitment support
Our recruitment support services are designed to streamline the hiring process for our clients, ensuring they attract and retain the best talent for their needs. We offer a comprehensive suite of services, including job description development, writing & placing job adverts, screening candidates, conducting initial interviews, and facilitating the final hiring steps and onboarding.
Second to last example
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Last example
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
What we do
We can easily adapt to your environment and coach you every step of the way, either on your site, off-site, on the phone or online. You will get a dedicated Consultant to support you with all your people and culture requirements.
Processes & Guidelines
We will tailor your HR processes and policies to perfectly fit your company's unique needs and goals. We conduct a thorough evaluation of your current HR documents, policies & frameworks to identify gaps & improvement areas.
We will then work with you to create bespoke documentation, templates, guides, policies and toolkits that suit your internal culture. We also work with our employment lawyer to ensure your documents comply with current legislation so that your HR department has the fundamentals in place to operate smoothly (without going overboard with paperwork)!
People & Culture Strategy
In the initial phase of our collaboration, we engage with clients through either an employee engagement survey or a client discovery session. This step allows us to gather essential insights into the current HR dynamics and employee perspectives. The outcomes from these discovery phases allows us to craft a bespoke HR strategy that aligns with business goals and prioritise key focus areas.
Our partnership approach ensures the HR strategy we develop addresses both the immediate and long-term needs of the organisation.
Remuneration & benefits
We collaborate with you to refine your remuneration and benefits approach, ensuring they're competitive and reflect your company's mission. By leveraging market insights, we craft strategies that attract and retain talent while maintaining financial viability.
Our role extends to effectively communicating these benefits to your employees, emphasising their value in supporting both professional and personal growth. This approach boosts employee satisfaction and positions your company as a preferred employer.
Talent management and planning
We help you align your talent strategy with your business goals, identifying skill needs and talent gaps to ensure your workforce is future-ready. Our services include succession planning and talent development, aimed at creating a flexible and growth-oriented organisation.
Our proactive talent management approach focuses on nurturing high-potential employees and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. This keeps your team competitive and engaged, preparing your company for both current and future success with enhanced employee retention.
Organisational design
We partner with our clients to identify key talent needs and develop strategies to attract, retain, and develop the right people. Our approach includes performance management, leadership development, and succession planning, all tailored to enhance your team's capabilities and readiness for future challenges.
Our support extends beyond strategy development; we also provide practical tools and guidance for implementing effective talent management practices. This includes creating engaging employee development programs and establishing clear career paths that motivate and retain high performers.
Diversity and Inclusion
We collaborate with you to develop strategies that foster an inclusive workplace, where diversity is not just recognised but celebrated. Through targeted training programs, policy development, and awareness campaigns, we help create an environment that encourages open dialogue, mutual respect, and equal opportunities for all employees.
Our goal is to ensure that every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute their best, driving innovation and enhancing company performance.
Wellbeing initiatives
We assist our clients in crafting and implementing comprehensive wellbeing initiatives that address the physical, mental, and emotional health of their workforce. By conducting thorough needs assessments, we identify specific areas where support is most needed, creating tailored programs that promote a healthy work-life balance, stress management, and overall employee wellness.
Our services range from developing wellness workshops and fitness challenges to offering resources for mental health support. We aim to foster a supportive environment where employees feel valued and have access to the tools they need to maintain their wellbeing.
Recruitment support
Our recruitment support services are designed to streamline the hiring process for our clients, ensuring they attract and retain the best talent for their needs. We offer a comprehensive suite of services, including job description development, writing & placing job adverts, screening candidates, conducting initial interviews, and facilitating the final hiring steps and onboarding.
Second to last example
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Last example
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Embarking on the journey to becoming an Employee Experience Designer through Excellent (www.excellent.io), I found myself immersed in a project with a client that not only challenged but added my understanding of workplace dynamics and the pivotal role of employee experience design. Tasked by a client, a forward-thinking tech startup in their critical second phase of growth, my goal was to unravel the finer details of their employee experiences. The founders, deeply people-focused yet constrained by the demands on their time, sought to create an environment where employees could not just exist but truly thrive.
Understanding Employee Experiences in a Growing Tech Startup
The startup, bustling with designers, social media marketers, SEO and AdWords specialists, and project managers, was a melting pot of digital creativity. However, beneath the surface, there lay hidden challenges and blockers that stifled employee growth and productivity. The goal was clear: to identify these obstacles and implement strategic people focussed solutions that would elevate the employee experience, thereby enhancing retention, productivity, and ultimately, forging a strong employment brand.
Our journey began with a broad approach - an employee engagement survey designed to uncover feedback from staff on ways of working, culture, career growth, and more. While insightful, the responses barely scratched the surface, hinting at deeper, unspoken challenges. It became evident that a more nuanced strategy was needed to unearth the real issues at hand.
Thus, the concept of coffee catch-ups was born. These one-on-one sessions were more than just casual chats; they were gateways to understanding the unique challenges each employee faced. Armed with a set of probing questions, I dove deeper into the individual experiences within their roles, uncovering themes that resonated across the team.
This methodical approach allowed for the identification of key blockers, particularly in areas such as "Ways of Working" and "How We Progress Our Careers Here." Despite having a learning and development allowance, employees hesitated to utilise it for fear of falling short on billable hours. The need from the two founders to create a culture of shared learning and understanding among the team vs the hestitation of their people to take time away from their day-to-day work nemerged as a key issue to solve.
Practical HR Solutions to Boost Employee Engagement
Armed with these insights, the design phase kicked off, centering around collaboration with employees to brainstorm solutions. Ideas such as creating a shared skills spreadsheet to implementing shadowing sessions and setting clear goals and KPIs, the focus was on practical, inclusive measures that addressed the identified challenges.
One of the key, but most basic solutions was the updating of their time-tracking tool to include a new field for coding learning time. This simple yet effective modification signaled a shift in mindset, encouraging employees to invest in their development without the guilt of unbillable hours.
As we rolled out new initiatives, including a "Share Beer" sessions and the introduction of a performance review and goal-setting system, the impact on the company's culture was evident. The ongoing feedback loop, essential for continuous improvement, was established, ensuring that the solutions remained effective and relevant.
Key Lessons for Sustaining a Thriving Workplace
Reflecting on this journey, two key lessons have stood out for me: the power of starting with simple actions and the importance of continuous, open dialogue with employees. These strategies not only addressed immediate challenges but also laid the groundwork for a sustainable culture of growth and learning.
The experience of becoming an accredited Employee Experience Designer has highlighted the real power of listening, empathy, and strategic action in crafting environments where employees not only succeed but flourish. This case study is a testament to the idea that the heart of any successful business lies in its people, and that the answers we seek lie within those people, and in turn the experiences we create for and with them.
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