How well-embedded is your share plan or reward comms as part of your organisation’s overall employee experience?
It’s a question you could be forgiven for not having asked yourself recently. Since the global pandemic hit, we’ve all been caught in a whirlwind of trying to keep overall engagement, happiness and morale high as we adjust to new ways of working. But as we begin to settle – for now at least – into post-lockdown routines, there is an ideal opportunity to take a fresh look at your reward-based communications as part of your overall employee experience.
Start at the beginning
Your employee experience kicks in the moment a candidate walks through the door – or switches on their camera – for an interview. And so this is the first time you want them to hear about any potential share or rewards schemes. Are your talent acquisition managers equipped to shine a light on these? Can they promote the unique benefits in an engaging way? Can they confidently answer any questions? Ultimately, this is your first opportunity to get buy-in (if a candidate is hired), so first impressions count!
Keep the conversation flowing
Note that actually, the answer to all the above questions will be “yes” if you’re doing a good job of engaging your existing employees around the benefits of your share plan or reward scheme. If your talent acquisition managers and others already know where to go for information and are regularly accessing it, then they are more likely to become natural ambassadors of any benefits on offer.
One recent survey by Smarp suggests that nearly half of employees struggle to find information and answers to questions at work, with the plethora of communications tools on offer these days partly to blame. Smarp also suggests that the days of expecting employees to engage simply via email or the staff intranet are long gone, and that savvy companies are moving their employee experience journeys onto more intuitive and user-friendly channels, such as mobile apps, that mirror the experiences employers are used to using in everyday life.
With this in mind, think about the different ways you can keep colleagues not just up to date with your share plan or rewards-based news and education, but how you can serve it in a way that makes it easy for them to access and willing to engage with.
Ask the right questions
Do you know how your employees feel about your benefits and rewards schemes? It’s surprising how many organisations don’t tap into their biggest resource to find out the answer. Regular surveys or listening groups can be a great way to gain feedback and improve your overall employee experience. You might ask questions such as:
- Which new benefits would you be happy to see?
- How can we improve the way we talk to you about them?
- How would you describe them to your family or friends?
By listening and acting on any feedback, you also encourage a culture of trust and belonging, helping to build a healthier and happier workplace overall.
End things on a good note
Gallup defines the employee experience as “all the interactions an employee has with your organisation before, during and after their tenure.” Yet this last part is often overlooked. When an employee leaves an organisation, their opinions leave with them. With this in mind, ensure any relevant conversations or communications around their share plan or rewards are included as part of the leaving process. Are they clear on any actions they need to take? Do they know who to speak to regarding any concerns or queries? Are they leaving your organisation having had a positive experience they’d happily share with others? Remember, they could be great advocates to others or may even return one day!
If you’re ready to bring your share plan communications alive by exploring all stages of your employee experience and mapping out ways to tap into them, come and chat to us – we’re passionate about transforming functional ad hoc communication into an on-going two-way conversation that proves to be an exceptional experience.
