Happy at work? Analysing the experience of a company’s workforce

By Dinesh Ramamurthi & Shailesh Singla
“Courteous treatment can turn an employee into a walking advertisement” – this adage rightly fits in today’s organizational context. Employees tend to work longer with organisations that made them feel great about themselves apart from benefits like salaries and bonuses. According to a research, a company undergoes 0.5-unit growth in their revenue due to a 5-unit magnification in employee attitude through good employee experience and hence, proving that such subtle emotions may have strong impact on business revenue. Optimistic employee experience is also directly proportional to constructive customer satisfaction, because employees reciprocate to their customers exactly the way they are treated in the company.

Analysis of workforce experience
How can one analyse the experience of a company’s workforce? Certain components of an employee’s behaviour can give hints that he or she is happy with the company’s experience, and those behavioural traits are as follows:

1. Affinity towards the organization: Employees who have a sense of belonging with the organization, tend to work with all their heart for the progress of the organisation. For them being a part of the organization is a matter of pride.
2. Motive: Organisations need to understand as to why an employee works; what are the factors that drive the employees to cover that extra mile in their work.
3. Attainment: If the employees feel a sense of accomplishment from their work, it is an indication of positive employee experience.
4. Contentment: The sense of satisfaction that employees derive from a job well done, is another indicator of positive employee satisfaction.
5. Stamina: If there is an atmosphere of enthusiasm at the workplace and people are passionate about their work, that is an affirmation of positive employee experience in your organisation.

Role of Leadership
The senior management plays an important role in shaping the employee experience. Senior management inspires its employees by using the right set of behavioural skills and styles to attain the set goals. According to a research, companies which maintain transparency with their employees, have higher employee experience. Following are some of the behavioural factors in a leader which can help in enhancing the overall employee experience:

• Passion: A passionate leader only can percolate passion into the team. The conviction and dedication with which a leader looks at the final goal.
• Nature: Incessantly portraying righteousness, ethics, honesty and faith through one’s behaviour.
• Concern: Demonstrating interpersonal care and concern.
• Valour: Taking a stand for what he believes in, taking up challenges and admitting it when wrong and rectifying the mistake when necessary.
• Calm: Keeping calm during tough times and facing challenges without exploding.
• Capability: The leader needs to have functional expertise and people expertise as well.
• Authority: Only a good leader can boost productivity through providing the employees with conducive and productive working landscape.

Digital disruption is another aspect, that leaders need to be cognizant of. Leaders need to be equipped with digital competency and digital strategies must be well integrated with employee strategies for best results. To assure consonance in workplace it is critical that industry leaders find a balance between man, money and machine, which is only possible through proper synchronization between all the three factors. In short, it is the leader’s all-inclusive attitude that plays a pivotal role in creating the best employee experiences. As a matter of fact, it is the paradigm that everybody is going to gain, that gives the feelings of prestige and self-worth to the employees.

(Dinesh Ramamurthi is Chief Human Resources Officer - OYO Hotels & Homes and Shailesh Singla is Country Head - HCM Business, Oracle India.)