Boosting Employee Experience: Keys for Managers in 2023
The UK job market today faces a mismatch between a declining unemployment rate along with a record number of vacancies. The unemployment rate measures the percentage of people in the labor force who are actively seeking work but unable to find jobs. This figure has been falling in the UK, reaching 3.7% at the end of 2022, signalling the labor market is nearing full employment. However, at the same time, there were over 1.2 million job vacancies reported for the October-December 2022 period. This represents a record high number of unfilled positions.
Experts suggest several factors causing this imbalance between unemployed workers and open jobs in the UK. For one, there are lingering pandemic impacts such as long COVID-19, early retirements, and workers seeking more flexible arrangements that have reduced the available labor supply. Additionally, skills and occupation mismatches mean some unemployed persons lack the qualifications or experience for the roles employers need to fill today. Geographic mismatches are also an issue if job seekers don’t live near the open vacancies. The shortage of workers against surging job openings poses a tough challenge for UK employers looking to hire and fill positions. Addressing these underlying causes, like skills training and talent mobility, will be important steps to realign labor demand and supply in the UK market.
The talent market is more competitive than ever today. With job openings at a record high and quit rates still elevated, attracting and retaining top talent is a huge priority. This means managers need to double down on improving employee experience. Studies show that positive employee experience leads to better engagement, productivity, and retention.
Here are some ways managers can enhance employee experience:
Foster Strong Company Culture
Company culture is a key driver of employee satisfaction. As a manager, you play an integral role in shaping your team’s culture. Start by ensuring your employees feel aligned with the organisation’s overall values, mission and purpose. Promote transparency by communicating company goals, challenges, and wins openly with your team. Make diversity and inclusion real priorities – acknowledge different backgrounds and perspectives, and make sure all employees feel welcomed and valued.
Offer flexibility in when and how work gets done. Results are more important than face-time, so accommodate flexible schedules and remote work options when possible. Build in fun bonding opportunities like monthly team lunches, volunteer days for local causes, and peer-to-peer recognition programs. Celebrate wins and milestones frequently to keep energy and morale high. An engaging, supportive culture gives employees a great sense of belonging and purpose.
Leading by example is also key – embody the culture you want through your own words and actions daily. Keep an open door policy so employees feel comfortable coming to you with questions and concerns. By fostering the right culture, you enable greater satisfaction, camaraderie, and retention within your team. Make culture a priority, and your employees will reward you with better performance and loyalty.
Provide Growth & Development
Career growth is a top priority for most employees today. Without opportunities to continuously develop new skills and expand their capabilities, talented team members are likely to get dissatisfied and look elsewhere. As a manager, you play a key role in nurturing your employees’ professional growth.
Offer ample training programs relevant to your team members’ roles and interests. Bring in experts to provide workshops on new technologies, leadership techniques, project management – whatever will help them gain capabilities. Implement learning stipends or tuition assistance programs to help cover the costs of external courses, seminars, conferences, or degree programs. Even a few hundred pounds a year per employee can go a long way in supporting their development.
Set up mentorship programs to pair junior team members with more experienced employees for guidance and knowledge sharing. Have skip-level* check-ins to learn about their career goals and offer direction on growth opportunities within or beyond the team. Support flexibility in their work schedule or locations when pursuing education and training. By actively investing in their development, you demonstrate that their personal growth matters and boost loyalty and retention. Make learning a lifelong journey, not a one-time event, to keep top talent engaged, challenged and progressing.
Prioritise Wellbeing
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the immense importance of mental and physical health for performance and satisfaction at work. As a manager, it’s crucial to make wellbeing a true priority rather than giving it lip service.
Implement robust wellbeing programs such as stress management workshops, access to mental health counselling, preventative health screenings, ergonomic equipment, gym membership discounts, and generous time off and sick day packages. Consider offering stipends for wellness activities like massage, meditation classes or fitness subscriptions. Build a supportive, judgement-free space for work life balance, and avoid excessive overtime or burnout-inducing workloads.
Promote usage of your wellbeing benefits and role model healthy habits yourself. Check in regularly on your team members’ state of mind and energy levels. Provide flexibility for medical appointments or times when they need to recharge. Offer resources for those going through mental health challenges or personal difficulties. By showing employees their whole self matters, not just their productivity, you enable greater resilience, loyalty and satisfaction. Prioritising wellness today pays dividends through better performance and retention over the long haul.
Empower with Trust & Autonomy
Micromanaging employees and imposing strict hierarchical rules can severely degrade engagement and satisfaction. The most talented team members crave autonomy and responsibility. As a manager, you should aim to provide your direct reports with as much freedom as possible within clear expectations.
Set transparent objectives focused on outcomes rather than rigid rules over schedules or detailed processes. Don’t restrict when or where they work if outcomes are being achieved. Show you trust their skills and judgment by allowing them to complete tasks and projects independently. Empower them to take full ownership and make decisions without constantly seeking approval.
Foster critical thinking and problem solving skills through open collaboration, not top-down mandates. Praise creative solutions and lessons learned from mistakes rather than scolding. Avoid punishing independence and initiative. The more you can make your direct reports feel truly empowered in their roles, the higher their engagement and job satisfaction will be.
Autonomy enables employees to gain a sense of mastery, control, and purpose. Balancing empowerment with clear expectations avoids frustration from role ambiguity. Find the optimal balance, and your most talented team members will reward you with their best work and loyalty.
Listen & Solicit Feedback
As a manager, communication needs to be a two-way street. You need to actively listen, not just speak. Regularly check in one-on-one with employees to understand their motivations, concerns, frustrations and suggestions.
Seek input proactively through anonymous surveys and open group discussions. Maintain an open door policy and reinforce that you welcome ideas and feedback at any time. Implement anonymous channels like suggestion boxes or online forms if employees are hesitant to criticise directly.
When you receive constructive feedback, avoid being defensive. Thank employees for raising issues respectfully, apologise for any mistakes, and outline plans to address problems quickly. Following up with concrete actions builds trust.
Listening demonstrates you genuinely care about your employees’ perspectives and value their input. This makes them feel empowered and invested in the team’s success. Consistent, compassionate listening enables stronger relationships, higher morale, and greater loyalty from your staff. Make it a priority, not an afterthought. The benefits will extend far beyond improved information gathering to building an engaged, satisfied team.
As the job market gets more challenging for employers, managers play a crucial role in up-levelling employee experience. Fortunately, zeroing in on culture, growth, wellbeing, empowerment and communication can help attract and keep top talent. How will you boost your team’s experience in 2023? What other strategies would you suggest? I welcome your insights in the comments.
*A skip-level check-in is a one-on-one meeting between a manager and an employee who does not directly report to them. For example:
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The VP of Sales has a skip-level meeting with an Account Executive who reports to a Sales Manager.
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A Director has a one-on-one with an Engineer who reports to a Tech Lead.
