How can employee experience help reduce turnover?

With the combined effects of a global pandemic that has changed the way people relate to work, and a new generation in search of meaning and a different work-life balance (facilitated in particular by an acceleration in telecommuting), turnover is more than ever at the center of attention for human resources teams.

Today, it's a key indicator of organizational health and a major challenge for companies. Particularly in the Tech ecosystem, where the war for talent continues to rage on, despite a clear economic slowdown, employee retention is more than ever a crucial issue to which we need to respond to ensure good staff stability. 

How can you reduce turnover within your organization? What levers do you have at your disposal to motivate your teams? How can you meet your employees' aspirations? These are all questions that are part of your daily life, and finding the right solution can sometimes be quite complex. The concept of the"employee experience " is an increasingly popular approach within companies, and is proving to be an extremely effective HR strategy for dealing with these issues of employee loyalty and talent recruitment. Here are a few best practices for implementing it within your HR policy and re-engaging your teams! ‍

Company turnover: a key indicator

 Let's start with a definition of turnover. Turnover, also known as rotation or turnover, is an essential indicator for human resources departments. Turnover is calculated by dividing the number of departures in year N (resignations, redundancies, retirements, etc.) plus the number of arrivals in year N, divided by two, by the number of employees on January 1 of that year, then multiplying by 100 to obtain a percentage, i.e. [( Number of departures in year N + number of arrivals in year N) / 2 ] / Headcount on January 1 of year N. This staff turnover rate can vary considerably depending on the business sector, company size and working conditions.

A high turnover rate may be a sign of poor working conditions, a bad social climate or an inappropriate rotation policy. It can also be accompanied by high absenteeism. In a competitive job market, it is essential to reduce turnover to ensure employee retention and maintain optimum organizational performance.

The consequences of high turnover

A high turnover rate can have many negative consequences for a company. Firstly, it can lead to significant costs. Indeed, hiring and training new recruits is expensive, and it would be more beneficial to use this budget to retain the existing team. What's more, it can be detrimental to the corporate culture and working atmosphere, which can affect employee loyalty and the employer brand.

High turnover puts constant, wearing pressure on the HR team. HR managers find themselves perpetually immersed in a whirlwind of staff arrivals and departures, making the task of human resources management and long-term planning exceptionally arduous. This situation only serves to accentuate stress, malaise and demotivation within the company, as employees who choose to leave may leave behind a tense working climate, casting a shadow over team cohesion.

What is the employee experience?

The employee experience, also known as the employee experience, encompasses all the interactions an employee has with a company, from the moment he or she applies to the moment he or she leaves the organization. This concept has evolved alongside the customer experience, which aims to create a unique, fluid and personalized relationship between a company and its customers, generating positive emotions before, during and after the sale.

The aim is to master each stage of the relationship between employee and company , by identifying and taking into account employees' needs and expectations. The employee's journey within the company, from arrival to departure, is seen as a cycle with different phases that need to be made attractive:

- Publication of job offers,

- The different stages of discovery during job interviews,

- Integration and acclimatization within the team,

- Day-to-day work management,

- Development within the company,

- Career management support,

- The process for the employee's eventual departure.

In short, the employee experience is about creating a work environment where every stage of the employee-company relationship is carefully managed to meet employees' needs and expectations, while fostering their professional fulfillment. The results will quickly become apparent: talent retention, improved engagement, increased productivity and well-being at work. 

Build an effective and rewarding employee experience

- The recruitment process

It all starts with the recruitment process. It is essential to simplify and optimize this process to attract the most qualified candidates. Efficient recruitment can help to reduce turnover by avoiding bad hires and probationary departures.

- Onboarding

Integrating new employees is crucial. Good onboarding enables employees to adapt quickly to their new working environment, understand the corporate culture and expectations, and feel valued from day one. To welcome the new employee in the best possible way, there are several ideas: a welcome breakfast, introduction to the team, a detailed program for the first day and first week including training, tutoring, interviews with human resources teams to give greater visibility on career paths within the company. 

- Mobility

Encouraging internal mobility can help reduce turnover by offering employees the chance to change jobs or departments within the company. This enables them to meet their need for professional development without leaving the organization. Internal mobility programs provide each employee with individualized development prospects, and keep employees motivated. 

- Offboarding

Even when employees leave the company, it's important to treat them with respect and professionalism. A good offboarding process can provide valuable information about the reasons for leaving, and enable the company to make improvements. Don't forget that departing employees can be ambassadors. ‍

Listen to and consider employees' new expectations

- Offer more flexibility

The world of work is changing fast, and new generations of employees are increasingly looking for flexibility. Flexible working hours, telecommuting and the ability to reconcile work and personal life have become key elements in attracting talent and retaining top performers. Companies that don't offer these benefits risk seeing their turnover rise. 

- Encourage commitment to the corporate project

Talents want to feel connected to the company's mission and vision. They want to understand how their work contributes to the organization's overall objectives. To reduce turnover, it is essential to create an environment where employees feel committed and motivated to contribute to the company's success. Corporate culture and strong values, combined with good communication around the project and vision, will help foster this commitment.

- Focus on well-being and collaboration

Well-being at work has become a major issue. Employees are looking for companies that care about their mental and physical health. Providing a work environment conducive to employee fulfillment, wellness programs, relaxation areas, company sports, encouraging collaboration between teams, respecting time off - all these will contribute to improving the employee experience and reducing turnover.

- Strengthen your compensation policy

Competitive remuneration recognizes the value and skills of employees. This reinforces their sense of recognition and worth within the company, which can increase job satisfaction. In addition, an attractive remuneration policy, including benefits, can serve as a powerful motivator. When employees are rewarded fairly and in line with their performance, they are more inclined to invest more time in their work and achieve their goals.

Gather feedback from your employees

Numerous digital tools are emerging to help you assess employee engagement and satisfaction, so you can stay alert to events or situations that could potentially impact turnover, or simply gather feedback as part of a continuous improvement process. By equipping yourself, you'll be able toimprove your teams' experience. For example:

- You'll be able to collect feedback from your employees.

- You can measure the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction for each highlight.

- You'll be able to analyze your employees' commitment more accurately.

- You'll be able to come up with customized solutions.

Without specific tools, and when the size of your team allows it, you can also set up conditions conducive to direct exchange between your managers or human resources professionals and your teams, so that you are aware in real time of your team's concerns.

All things considered, reducing turnover is an essential objective for companies wishing to maintain stable, high-performance human capital and a good social climate. By taking new employee expectations into account, offering an exceptional employee experience and optimizing recruitment, integration, mobility and offboarding processes, you can increase employee retention, which translates into higher productivity and enhanced organizational performance.

So don't wait any longer: implement a human resources policy focused on the employee experience to reduce staff turnover, and see the positive results in your company. And if, in the meantime, you need resources to compensate for an absence, why not think about interim management? This solution will enable you to deal with an unusual or transitional situation more serenely.