The Next Frontier of Employee Experience Is Personal

We have grown used to a world that knows us. The shows we see, the settings that follow us from device to device, the retailers that remember what we like and how we buy. Personalization has become so common that we barely even notice it.

Organizations have unlocked real value by taking on these more targeted approaches with stakeholder groups. It makes sense: when you adapt information and the delivery of it based on the individual, people are much more likely to take the actions you want them to. Personalization has helped organizations reach new customers, move policymakers and better anticipate what lies ahead.

For most employees, the experience still feels much different. Even today, most are used to reading messages that sound like they were written for someone else. They’re used to hearing about changes to benefits that aren’t relevant to their stage of life; about linear career paths that don’t reflect their journeys; about plans for change initiatives that leave them wondering what the change means for them.

Indeed, many organizations have yet to channel the same emphasis on tailored communication they’ve brought to customers toward their internal audiences. And in a business world where only 33% of the core workforce trusts top management, organizations have a huge opportunity to better reach their people.

Employers are no longer competing only with other employers. They are competing with every experience people have outside of work that feels easier, smarter, more responsive and more human. The opportunity for business leaders is that personalization, done well, can become a new source of trust, engagement and performance.

But the way organizations pursue personalization matters. If it becomes only the responsibility of a select few on your communications or people teams, it will undoubtedly fall short. And if it becomes only a manager-by-manager art form, it will be inconsistent and produce limited results. The organizations that get this right will work on two parallel tracks: segmentation at the enterprise level and true personalization at the people leader level.

Using employee segmentation to increase relevance

Enterprise segmentation is the first move from “everyone gets the same thing” to “everyone gets what they need.” This is where organizations use data, research and personas to understand and document meaningful differences across the workforce. Those differences may be shaped by role type, geography, career stage, professional aspirations and unique pain points, among other things.

Segmentation helps organizations make better decisions. It allows leaders to tailor messages, design more relevant experiences, sequence change more thoughtfully and invest in programs that are rooted in the realities of their people. Done well, it should never reduce people to a label or assume everyone in a group wants the same thing. Its value is in helping organizations see patterns they would otherwise miss. Organizations must be diligent as they use personas to ensure that the frameworks aren’t oversimplifying the employee experience, or limiting space for individuals to be individuals.

Enterprise-level segmentation is the start of a more tailored employee experience, but it has a ceiling. While it can help an organization speak more clearly to groups, it cannot know the individual or provide the tailored support they desire. This requires the honest relationship people leaders forge with their reports.

The role of people leaders in personalizing the employee experience

A dashboard can show that a segment is experiencing fatigue. A campaign can tailor messages to different audiences. But truly understanding and adapting to the needs, realities and strengths of individuals requires activating people leaders. The people leaderswho interface with individuals each day are the leaders with granular knowledge of what team members are going through. Who is stretched? Who needs clarity? Who is ready for the next challenge? What matters to them? What do they need to move forward?  Their relationships are what make true personalization possible.

This does not mean people leaders should invent separate rules for every employee or create inequity in the name of individualization. It means they need the capability and confidence to balance business priorities and uncompromisable standards with support for individual needs in ways that are fair, consistent and human. They need to understand the people behind the roles, then use that understanding to coach, communicate, recognize, develop and support them more effectively.

The future is both scaled and intimate

The mistake would be to think of personalization as luxury. It’s quickly becoming a condition for survival. But employees are not asking organizations to know everything about them. In fact, boundaries will be essential as personalization becomes more data-enabled, which is another reason why the human dimension of it remains so critical. Employees are not asking for a computer to track their every move. They are simply asking that their unique realities be understood and adequately considered by those shaping their workplace experience.

For business leaders, the mandate is clear. Build the systems that help the enterprise understand its workforce. Build the leadership capability that helps managers adapt around their people. Then connect the two.

Because the future of work will not be won by organizations that personalize everything through algorithms alone. It will be won by organizations that use insight at scale and humanity up close.

Read more about how we can help you improve your employee experience.

Written by Tom Joy, Director