UPMC administers surveys to all 80,000 employees across 20 different hospital systems, doctors’ offices, clinics, and long-term care facilities to understand the employee voice.
In this episode of the Engaging People Podcast, we present another installment of “Employee Engagement Goes to the Movies,” where we consult the silver screen for powerful lessons on what to do and what not to do to create the right employee experience.
This time, we examine the classic 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which follows the story of George Bailey, a desperately frustrated businessman who is visited by an angel who shows him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
One of the principles we took from the film is the concept of “your contribution matters.” Through the course of the film, George learned about the impact he had on others in the community, including clients of his business. He took accountability when a problem occurred and because of his years of giving to others and building relationships, many people came to his aid in his time of need. As a leader, it’s important to help your employees realize the impact they have on others.
Listen to this episode for more leadership and business lessons, featuring DecisionWise consultants Kenna Bryan and Adam Koozer.
In today’s landscape, you may not be able to physically look an employee in the eye or put a supportive hand on a shoulder. But, with the willingness to adapt, there are plenty of other ways you can connect with and support your employees.
Here are 7 ways to help shape the employee experience while working remotely.
Employees will give customers an experience that reflects their own. It all begins with the expectations leaders set for the way things are done within the organizational culture the leaders choose to build.
Organizational Culture Is What We Build
It’s a set of values, norms, guiding beliefs, and understandings shared by members of an organization and taught to new members as the way to feel, think, and behave.
Culture can be deliberate or organic. Either way, all organizations have a culture. The choice for leaders is whether they choose to be involved in the process, or are they content to let it grow organically? Those leaders that are deliberate in building their culture use this process to shape and design their employee experience.
Employee Experience Is What We Measure.
It’s the sum of perceptions employees have about their interactions with the organization in which they work.
In other words, EX is an organization’s culture through the eyes of its employees. This is what we actually measure when we survey employees. How do they “perceive” their culture?
It’s often said that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” We couldn’t agree more. The difference between organizational culture and employee experience is what we measure vs. what we build.
Employee Engagement Is Our Reward.
It’s an emotional state where we feel passionate, energetic, and committed toward our work. We fully invest our best selves in the work that we do. We bring both our emotions and our actions to the table — our hearts, spirits, minds, and hands.
To create an engaged organization, you need the energy of employees communicating, collaborating, building trust, and promoting shared values. High performing employee experiences create an invitation for team members to engage!
We hope this infographic has been helpful in figuring out the difference between organizational culture and the employee experience.
In this episode, Matthew Wride and Christian Nielson discuss how former Zappos CEO, the late Tony Hsieh, created a unique company culture built on empowering employees to provide a high level of service to their customers. He was once described as “an artist with a CEO title,” someone not afraid to try bold, new initiates to get results.
Tony Hsieh believed in four principles that drive happiness as part of the company culture at Zappos: A sense of control over your own destiny; the perception that you’re making progress in your life; connectedness with others; and being part of something bigger than yourself.
“The best businesses are really ones that can combine passion, profits, and purpose.” – Tony Hsieh
