Employee experience is the cornerstone of successful people management. People stay with an organization for the long haul if they are happy with the treatment they receive. Employee expectations go beyond great pay packages as they look for extra perks. Companies need to stay on top of these expectations to drive loyalty, engagement, and retention. The new normal has made employee experience more crucial than ever because expectations are sky-high. Likewise, retention is the ultimate goal for Canadian organizations right now. Here are some ways you can go the extra mile for your employees in 2022 and beyond.

Prioritize empathy

The ongoing pandemic has made life challenging for everyone, even more, for working professionals. People working from home struggle to maintain sanity, while coming back to work is daunting. As an employer, you must prioritize empathy to show that you care for your team. Understand their challenges, and offer them solutions accordingly. For example, a hybrid work model makes sense amid the virus surges. Make time to connect with the workers and respect their boundaries.

Provide perks that matter

It is time to rework your perks because things that worked pre-pandemic are no longer relevant. You cannot impress people with office parties, team-building activities, and workplace gyms. Focus on perks that matter, such as adaptable work schedules, healthcare, childcare, and flexibility to take care of the family if they get sick. Likewise, you can provide quality-of-life benefits such as meals and transportation subsidies as people resume office in the new normal.

Get back to the source

Enhancing employee experience in 2022 is about strengthening your core HR processes in the first place. Most Canadian companies have already embraced hr software in canada to empower their teams. Managers are in a better place with these software solutions as they improve processes like onboarding, performance evaluations, absence management, and more. They have more time to spare with the reduction in workloads and can focus on improving things at a granular level.

Improve engagement

Pandemic or no pandemic, employee engagement should be a top priority for organizations that want to retain people. The best way to do it is by creating a culture of transparency. Let your team members have the opportunity to talk about their concerns and issues. Do your bit to resolve their problems with viable solutions. A culture of recognition takes you another step ahead with the employee experience. Reward people for good work and encourage others to reach similar levels of performance.

Provide more learning opportunities

Employees often cite growth opportunities as a reason to stay with an organization. Ramp up your training and growth programs this year to match the expectation. It has dual benefits- firstly, it fuels long-term retention, and secondly, you have a more productive team. Commit to providing people resources and time to learn in growth-critical areas. Self-directed learning works seamlessly for WFH models. Providing mentoring opportunities to new hires is also a good idea.

An exceptional employee experience can take your business a step ahead with productivity, loyalty, and retention. These initiatives are worth embracing because they cover your company on all these fronts.