I was pleased to join the panel for GEO’s virtual conference last week alongside global equity compensation experts to discuss how we ensure equity remains a key part of the employee experience and journey.
With several macroeconomic factors and evolving workplace trends, employee expectations are changing. There’s a myriad of considerations around culture, ESG, personal impact and inclusion. In the reward space there’s an expectation that there will be choice, but that brings its own challenges as it can be overwhelming.
Employees are inundated with information, and it can be tricky to strike a balance – how do we give people enough choice and enough support to make those personal decisions? Our panel touched on the ways we can improve the employee experience and journey.
- Connect equity to organisational strategy – be clear on the purpose and value of equity and align to your overall reward offering.
- Consider life stage journeys – there’s a growing need to produce communications that reflect employee life stages and milestones, whether that’s saving to buy a house or starting a family. This helps employees to feel valued and included.
- Provide more education – focus on educating employees about the benefits of ownership and share plans, as well as broader financial wellbeing.
- Communicate at all stages of the employee journey – this includes recruiting and onboarding new starters and supporting leavers. We need to empower talent acquisition teams, Champions and managers on the ground.
- Be flexible – people are moving around more, so consider more flexible plan designs with shorter holding periods to increase engagement and participation.
- Offer ongoing support – more employees are holding shares beyond vesting periods, so we need to support their continued journey as a shareholder by communicating at regular intervals about relevant topics.
As communications experts at Eximia, we’re always thinking about the employee journey. The more organisations can resonate with people at all stages, the more they’ll empower them to make informed decisions, helping individuals and families thrive.
Top tip: People want information on demand, so make your communications accessible through audio-visual content, microsites and intranets. It’s important to adapt your approach and meet people where they are.
