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Introduction
At its core, Employee Experience is about making work better for humans and making humans better at work. Whilst this sounds simple enough, achieving and maintaining a great Employee Experience is a complex challenge.
Technology has a significant part to play in overcoming this challenge. The wrong technology increases the size of the challenge, whereas the right technology reduces it considerably.
The way that we live and work has changed dramatically over the last few years, changing our relationship with technology. Although many attribute this change to the global COVID-19 pandemic, in reality the change has been underway for the last ten years. The pandemic simply accelerated this change.
Before the pandemic,
12.5% of people surveyed
had worked from home
in the past seven days.
In April 2022, when there were
no COVID restrictions in place, this number had risen to
24%
— Office of National Statistics (ONS)
Percentage of working adults travelling to work,
Great Britain, January 2021 to May 2022
Source: Office for National Statistics – Opinions and Lifestyle Survey
As a result of the global pandemic, hybrid and remote ways of working have become the norm for many. We increasingly use digital technologies for communication, both professionally and personally. Everyday activities such as shopping or watching television are performed on apps. Convenience is no longer a ‘nice to have’.
The future requires flexibility, choice and a willingness for organisations to continuously innovate and evolve.
YOLANDA SEALS-COFFIELD
PwC Deputy People Leader
This changed world presents a unique challenge AND opportunity for HR leaders.
In their home lives, employees have become used to intuitive technology experiences and instant access to information. But this is not always the case in a work environment. Legacy HR systems force employees through multiple steps to find the information they require, and often can only be accessed through company-owned devices. This experience is a direct clash with the expectations created through advanced technology used in the employee’s personal life.
And when experience fails to meet expectations, friction occurs.
It is clear that change is needed and the HR leaders interviewed in this programme are at the forefront of that change. Each HR leader interviewed has led transformation programmes for their respective businesses to improve employee experience. Featuring a range of backgrounds and industries, this report provides a comprehensive insight into what a successful employee experience can look like and the mistakes to avoid.
Within the interviews they share their experience and advice on:
- The expectations of the modern workforce
- Why remote and hybrid working are here to stay
- The increasing influence of personal expectations
- How businesses can better support their employees
- The importance of collaboration
- What it takes to attract and retain top talent in the workforce
As one of the common threads in the interviews is the importance of technology and feeling safe when using technology, we have also interviewed a handful Information Technology & Security experts. Their insight helps to give this report a more balanced overview of the employee experience. One of the most exciting themes within their interviews is how AI will help to deliver safe and productive remote working opportunities.
It is often said that great businesses put their people first. But what this means in practice is continually a source of great debate. The truth is that every business will face its own unique set of challenges in putting people first and creating an exceptional Employee Experience. The insights kindly shared by our interviewees as part of this report will help you to start identifying the challenges faced by your business. More importantly though, they are also your first step in overcoming these challenges.
You can find a summary of the insights uncovered in the interviews towards the end of this report, in the section titled ‘Three Tips’.
We hope that you find this report valuable and perhaps even inspiring. They say that the best time to start something is yesterday…. The second best time is today. We wish you all the very best with your plans to improve employee experience for your colleagues.
Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to each of the HR and Cyber Security leaders interviewed for this report. Giving up their time to help provide insight and clarity for the readers of this report is a hugely generous thing to do, for which we are extremely appreciative.