Designing a future-state employee experience 

Companies are reshaping their employee experience strategy for the future. Why? Because better employee experiences drive better business outcomes. Our 2020 Global Talent Trends research shows that companies that outperform their business goals are three times more likely to have employee experience as a key part of their people strategy.

There’s no question about it: Employee experience is in the spotlight like never before. In their efforts to attract and keep the talent that will help secure their organization’s future, many employers are asking, how can we gain better insights into employee well-being? How can we equip our people leaders to identify and prevent employee fatigue? And how can we give our employees what they need most in the moments that matter to them.

We define employee experience as the interactions — big and small — between organizations and their people that, ideally, delight and inspire employees, align individual purpose with organizational purpose, and unleash the energy and passion that leads to high performance. An employee’s expectations, shaped by who they are and what they value, affect employee experience, as does their work environment, which covers the physical workplace, technology and those less tangible things, including culture, programs and processes. And finally, the life, career and organization events that happen on an employee’s journey — like starting a family or taking on a new role — also define the employee experience.

So if employee experience is so broad and all-encompassing, where can employers make the most significant impact? The key is taking a people-first approach to employee interactions to understand what employees want and need in those moments that matter. Employee listening, surveys and research can help employers see things through their employees’ eyes.

A crucial part of effective employee experience design is knowing the difference between the target operating model and target interaction model (or, as we like to call them, TOM and TIM) and how to use them to the best advantage.

Let’s take TOM first. Imagine you’re an employee who wants to take care of a relatively simple task: You need to replace your work smartphone. You complete a request form online, where you’re guided through a three-step process. You click a few buttons, submit your request in a matter of minutes, and you’re on your way. That’s TOM — the target operating model — in action. And for this type of interaction, which we might describe as more systematic or linear, TOM makes sense.

However, problems arise when employees face more complex challenges — things that happen in their personal and work lives that resist fitting neatly into circumscribed checkboxes. TOM isn’t equipped to deal with these. That’s where TIM — the target interaction model — comes in.

Creating a human-centric, employee-centered experience always starts with the target interaction model. It means thinking about employees as HR customers — understanding their needs, helping them help themselves, and identifying situations where they may need additional support and guidance. TIM is a dynamic and, above all, human way of connecting with employees during moments that matter deeply to them, enabling you to deliver solutions and support when and where employees need it most.

Consider the employee who is about to become a new parent. A TIM-based approach helps them tackle the barriers, both personal and professional, they face as they plan for and go on leave, and when they return to work. It could include timely interactions that provide the employee with a clear overview of their benefits, resources to help them manage their physical and mental health, a back-to-work transition plan, a support group for new parents and family-friendly resources.

Or think about the employee who hasn’t taken time off in six months and is struggling with burnout. An employee engagement platform that uses a target interaction model might detect an employee’s high balance of accrued vacation days and then push out nudges and resources for achieving a better work/life balance.

That’s the beauty and fundamental value of the target interaction model. It seamlessly connects employees to resources that offer support, relieve stress, and help them proactively manage problems and challenges. And it can make all the difference to employee well-being and engagement, your ability to find and keep the best talent, and, ultimately, your business’s bottom line.

Many companies mistakenly think that technology alone will help them transform the employee experience. But technology itself cannot create change; it’s people that drive change. When choosing or optimizing your employee engagement platform, always focus first on your people and processes. When you prioritize building better employee interactions, and then identify how technology can support and enable those interactions, that’s how you transform the employee experience.

Not sure what your optimal employee experience should look like? We can help. By assessing where you are today and identifying those interactions — those moments that matter — we help you create a roadmap that moves you toward your desired future state with confidence. We can help you build a human-centric target interaction model within your employee experience platform, regardless of what technology system you have in place. Regardless of the platform you choose, Mercer Digital Solutions helps you create cohesive employee interactions, ensuring your technology delivers the best possible experience for your employees.

Get in touch to build an employee experience that delivers the right interaction at every stage.