What Is EX, And Does It Really Improve Employee Lives?

Qualtrics

EX is short for Employee Experience, and it has become a huge priority in businesses across sectors. Many industries experience skill shortages and are faced with employee churn costs, so they have started to focus on their employees’ states of mind and daily experiences.

Productivity Boosts

 Employee experience isn’t a problem that can be fixed, it’s a continuous process for companies. They should always be looking for different ways to improve life for their employees. EX is a workplace solution that can be for specific HR problems but should involve many departments, including HR, IT, Finance, and more. Many EX solutions, such as offering unlimited holiday, boast productivity boosts as a result. Still, if EX is made all about productivity, companies will be averse to making decisions that haven’t been researched. The unlimited holiday is the perfect example; it seems counter-productive to many that it can increase overall productivity and efficiency, so few companies would have ever considered it until very EX-driven tech companies took the initial plunge.

This isn’t how business should work; the modern business climate can be traced largely back to the Chicago boys, who argued that the free-market reigns supreme because it drives innovation and progress. Making productivity, the main focus runs the risk of hindering this innovation by reducing risk-taking. Companies need to start to value EX for its holistic benefits, rather than its positive effects on narrow criteria.

Symbiotic Solutions

 Large companies might not take the risk to innovate, but startups that offer symbiotic solutions may well bridge the gap. HR tech companies have sprung up that lead to more efficient HR that can lead to better EX (e.g., always getting paid on time, having easy access to benefits). Companies finding great HR software tools that have a proven track record may offset the productivity focus that can quell innovation in larger companies.

There are some risk-free approaches like mindfulness, which carry low risk to companies as they require very little if any investment, however, these solutions are rarely found.

Are Improvements Significant?

EX improvements often significantly impact employees’ day to day lives, making tasks easier to complete, the workplace more pleasant, and lifestyle healthier and more fulfilling. However, some argue that many EX improvements can be superficially imposed on employees. Things like providing brain-fuel food for employees every day improves their lives marginally but has more of a benefit for the company due to productivity and efficiency benefits.

Labor commenters often feel skeptical about the EX change coming from the company instead of the employees; without unions, employees have less of a say in how their day to day lives are actually run. This means that any significant changes that come from the bottom-up are less likely to be implemented if they have an impact on productivity or profitability.

One may conclude that improvements are significant relative to employees’ lives, but a company is likely to function better with more democratic input from the bottom-up. The significance of top-down EX from a business perspective, however, is clear. Companies that invest in EX are likely to perform better in the long-term than their competitors, which means that investing in employees is expected to become commonplace over the next few years. Labor organizers may be skeptical, but business-owners are not. EX improves employees’ lives, which is why it’s good that it looks like it’s here to stay.

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