Employers Lag Just a Little Bit Less in Developing Their Employee Experience

Both managers and employees value flexibility in their schedules, with 79% of workers preferring to work for a company that offers more flexibility rather than less. Still, a significant number of employers aren’t addressing those preferences. According to WorkForce Software’s Workforce Experience Gap Study, 39% of employees and 43% of managers said their companies neglected to take such an approach.

Polling employers and employees across eight countries, the survey found that perception gaps have narrowed between both sets of respondents. Among other things, that’s led to a difference in the quality of the work experience that organizations believe they are providing and what employees perceive they are actually receiving.

Employees said that adequate recognition and feedback were not being adequately provided by their employers. In fact, more than 25% of survey respondents said they were provided with feedback only once a year or less.

The dramatic changes in work that followed the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the current labor market, have had a major impact on the importance of workplace experience, forcing company leaders to shift their HR strategies to address new demands from employees, WorkForce said. 

Some of these changes have created a disconnect between employers and their staff, especially among deskless/shift workers, who make up 80% of the global workforce. Despite the significance of these workers, company initiatives continually overlook them, underscoring the importance of keeping a pulse on the workforce in order to implement meaningful ways of bolstering both employee experience and operational excellence.

The survey also found a clear disconnect between how organizations provide job training information compared to their employees’ preferences for receiving it. Despite the growing number of digital natives in the workforce, organizations are underutilizing mobile technology to support their employees, the survey found. As a result, some 21% of employees still have to locate areas like employee break rooms to access documents and guides. Meanwhile, 46% would prefer to receive training and information via mobile phone, although only 20% have the option.

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