Did you know the customer’s experience is connected to the employee’s experience?

While you may be familiar with customer experience, I want to expand on employee experience and how the two are connected.

Employee experience encompasses all that people encounter at an organization. It’s an extensive view at the relationship between the employee and the organization. It involves the very first interaction an employee had with the business and their day-to-day encounters leading up to the day the individual exits the business.

It is something that tends to be in constant flux and is different for each individual; Therefore, it needs constant care and attention.

While there are a lot of categories that separate us from one another, one thing is the same… we are all people. In which, people have dreams and ambitions – they are not just workers.

Organizations that treat their employees first as workers and then people, expect their employees to leave their feelings, emotions and thinking capabilities at the door before entering the workplace – encompassing a negative work environment.

With a mindset like this, employees feel uncomfortable expressing their individuality and instead do what they’re told. There’s no motivation, enjoyment, passion, or dedication among employees.

Smart people don’t stay in these situations for long. Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise these organizations why their turnover rate is so high. It’s because there are other opportunities with greener pastures.

Now, not all employees want to leave, but for them to stay, there needs to be some investing involved.

Great leaders invest, or care about their employees’ ambitions, and not just their own or the company’s.

Leaders who care, display kindness and concern for others.

Caring is different from wanting to be liked.

Caring allows leaders to course-correct employees for the good of themselves, the team, and the company without letting personal concerns get in the way.

Leaders show that they care when they allow employees to think on their own, compared to being monitored [micromanaged] over their every move.

Organizations that treat their employees first as people and then as employees feel cared for. When people feel cared for, they start to care for others which results in this caring environment where people can fully engage both their heads and hearts.

Organizations that include others, can be the difference between success and failure from those that exclude others.

If we want our customers to have a good experience, then shouldn’t our employees too?

How an employee feels about the place where they work is likely being shared; to family members, friends, neighbors, strangers, etc.

If an employee shares, they are appreciated at work, that people listen and respect them, people are likely to support the organization – Maybe becoming a customer, themselves.

Contrary, if employees share that their boss is disrespectful and that there’s no trust where they work, people are likely to not have anything to do with the organization.

How employees are treated will have ripple effects throughout the company. Which is why it’s vitally important for organizations to get this right from the start.

Word of mouth can either be an organization’s biggest strength, or their greatest weakness.

The emotions felt by the employees are likely being reciprocated to the customers.

Hopefully, those emotions are good ones.