The Employee Experience Advantage Summary

“How do you attract the best talent and make employees genuinely excited to come to work every day? The answer lies in creating exceptional employee experiences.”

1. Prioritize Employee Experience Over Engagement

Focusing on employee experience transforms an organization in meaningful ways. Unlike traditional engagement tactics, which are often short-term fixes, employee experience takes a holistic approach to improve workplace satisfaction.

Employee engagement strategies, such as free snacks or sporadic team-building events, may make employees happy in the moment, but these efforts are temporary. True transformation comes when companies address deeper environmental factors—physical, technological, and cultural needs. It's the difference between upgrading an old car's paint job versus replacing its outdated engine.

Businesses that focus on meaningful employee experiences often see employees who are more committed and enthusiastic about their roles. They no longer feel stuck in the old model of trading time for money but instead feel they are investing their time into a supportive and innovative work environment.

Examples

• Free snacks vs. a thoughtfully designed office at Facebook
• Listening to employees to reimagine workspaces
• Employees working excitedly toward a shared corporate vision rather than temporary perks

2. Design Physical Spaces That Inspire and Empower

Workspaces should encourage creativity and reflect core values. Open-plan spaces aren't enough—they must offer flexibility and show alignment with the beliefs the organization claims to stand for.

Areas like cafes, quiet workspaces, lounges, or outdoor spaces allow employees to pick environments that best suit their work styles at any given moment. Facebook’s campus is a good example of creativity meeting function, with spaces designed to empower collaboration and individual choice. This allows employees to integrate their work lives seamlessly with their personal lives.

When employees control how, where, and when they work, they feel respected, understood, and motivated. A reimagined workspace proves that an organization isn’t just paying lip service to flexibility—it’s living it.

Examples

• Facebook's open-office campus with art, lounge areas, and networking spaces
• A report from FlexJobs showing employees are less stressed when offered workspace choices
• Employers rethinking the "9-to-5" schedule to foster better work/life integration

3. Embrace Useful, Easy-to-Use Technology

Technology should simplify work—not complicate it. Many employees struggle with clunky internal tools designed for IT departments instead of everyday users. Experiential organizations opt for consumer-grade tech that employees want to use.

The San Diego Zoo updated its training platforms from classroom-based to flexible online systems. This shift not only improved accessibility for employees but also created environmental benefits by cutting paper usage. The Royal Bank of Scotland implemented "Facebook for Work” after realizing employees were already familiar with the tool.

Provide tools employees find valuable and enjoyable, and they’ll naturally integrate them into their workflows. This improves productivity and reduces frustration while showing employees their needs are heard.

Examples

• San Diego Zoo switching to 24/7 online training systems
• Royal Bank of Scotland implementing "Facebook for Work"
• Organizations offering payroll deductions for employees to buy personal devices

4. Purpose-Driven Culture Boosts Motivation

Your organizational culture is either driving employees toward or away from their potential. People need to feel part of a team and see their work connected to a higher purpose.

At NASA, even a janitor famously responded to President Kennedy by saying, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.” That sense of shared purpose elevates an organization from the ground up. Similarly, Facebook emphasizes teamwork over individual achievement, fostering collaboration.

Creating a clear purpose makes even mundane tasks more meaningful. Employees want to feel they have a role in achieving something important, whether it's for the company, their community, or society.

Examples

• NASA's moon mission uniting every department’s efforts
• Facebook valuing team success over individual contributions
• Companies defining a “reason for being” that employees can stand behind

5. Experiential Organizations Reap Financial Rewards

When employees love where they work, businesses thrive. Research shows people value experiences over material things, and experiential organizations capitalize on this mindset.

Companies that invest in employee experiences—by improving environments and fostering collaboration—experience benefits like lower turnover, increased revenue, and greater profits. They attract top-tier talent, boost employee retention, and reach financial milestones faster than competitors.

For example, data from Fortune and PayScale shows experiential organizations bring in double the average revenue and quadruple the profits. These gains prove the tangible financial impact of focusing on employee experience.

Examples

• Metrics indicating lower turnover rates and higher profits in experiential organizations
• Experiential companies scoring high in innovation and customer service
• Forbes data linking happy employees to happy shareholders

6. Start With a Powerful Reason for Being

Why does your organization exist? A generic mission statement about profits won’t inspire employees to do their best. Instead, companies need to focus on their broader impact on society.

Salesforce.org’s goal of dedicating one percent of their resources to helping communities is an example of an inspiring “reason for being.” Because it balances impact and ambition, it gives employees a sense of pride and direction in their work.

Define a challenging yet meaningful mission, and your workforce will rally behind it. This creates a ripple effect of motivation and shared purpose across teams.

Examples

• Salesforce.org dedicating resources to community improvement
• Employees identifying with goals outside of financial gain
• Mission statements becoming platforms for pride and cooperation

7. Build Environments Using Employee Feedback

Organizations that incorporate employee perspectives into design choices build trust and loyalty. An infinite design loop keeps workplaces evolving.

This means constant evaluation. Airbnb asks employees for real-time feedback on its food options, tweaking offerings as needed. Simple adjustments, like asking what employees want and responding quickly, can ensure workspaces always meet their changing needs.

When workers feel like valued contributors in the design process, they become more engaged with their organization, creating an upward spiral of innovation and improvement.

Examples

• Airbnb’s food team using employee feedback to create meals employees actually want
• Ongoing collaboration between managers and teams to improve workspaces
• Organizations adjusting processes based on daily feedback loops

8. Identify “Moments That Matter”

Workplace experiences aren’t defined by a “life cycle.” They hinge on meaningful events ranging from promotions to small gestures of appreciation.

Cisco identified 11 meaningful events, or "moments that matter," for its employees, including paid time off for volunteering. These small but thoughtful actions show employees that their contributions are recognized beyond their job description.

Focusing on such moments makes employees feel valued as people, not just workers. This fosters long-term loyalty and an emotional connection to the organization.

Examples

• Cisco’s paid time off for volunteering and celebrating key milestones
• First-day experiences that emphasize personal connection and purpose
• Employees receiving flexibility to adapt to personal life changes

9. Embed Employee Experience Across All Levels

From the top executives to new hires, building an exceptional employee experience requires a united effort. This starts with leaders and trickles down.

T-Mobile’s CEO spends weeks listening to frontline workers, challenging them to speak frankly. Organizations like Airbnb create dedicated roles to champion employee experience, showing their commitment to employee satisfaction.

When everyone contributes to making the workplace better, organizations attract and retain stronger talent, leading to consistent growth and accomplishment.

Examples

• T-Mobile executives listening directly to employees on the frontline
• Airbnb and Cisco hiring chief employee experience officers
• Frontline employees actively contributing with daily feedback

Takeaways

1. Redesign your workspace by asking employees what design changes or features would help them feel more productive and comfortable.
2. Regularly gather feedback on both small and large organizational features, making adjustments swiftly to keep employees engaged and satisfied.
3. Clarify your organization's goal or purpose so that employees feel they are part of something impactful, not just a 9-to-5 routine.