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What do you think of when you hear the word ‘personalisation’?
Personalisation is more than just holiday photos sat on an employee’s desk, employers can introduce personalisation in a more meaningful and beneficial way which not only boosts employee experience and increases employee engagement but has a positive impact on the business’ bottom line.
The definition of personalisation is the action of creating something to meet the needs of an individual. When you position personalisation in the workplace you create a happier and healthier workforce where performance, profit, productivity, retention and wellness soars.
Treat your workforce as you would your ideal customer
Successful businesses understand their target audience intimately. They know their gender, their age, how they like to relax, what they buy, what time they are likely to be on social media and more besides. Giving your customers what they want makes them happy, they feel rewarded, they feel special and in return they remain loyal. Your employees deserve this same treatment.
In this blog we look at some approaches your organisation can take to move away from the ‘one size fits all’ model.
Personalised career pathways for better retention. Taking time to get to know your employees on an individual basis is key to identifying their personal goals. Understanding how their vision can support the overall aim of the organisation should set the foundation for their customised career and continuous learning programme.
Drive positive change through strong teamworking for happier individuals. Your employees will feel valued, be more enthusiastic about their role and be more productive when they are encouraged to collaborate with their colleagues. This practice reinforces working relationships and helps teams get to know each other as individuals and to recognise each other’s strengths.
Offer flexible benefits and rewards for greater health and wellbeing. Having the freedom of choice to design their own benefits and reward packages to suit their lifestyle empowers your employees and creates a positive workplace culture. But remember, everyone is different, so their needs will be unique and that these preferences will also change during their employment with you.
Communicate regularly and continuously listen for stronger relationships. Managers must invest time to find out what motivates their employees through one-on-one meetings. This will also allow managers to identify additional training and development needs. Once a need has been recognised, it must be acted upon in a way that suits the individual.
Offer various ways of learning for the needs of the individual. Traditional, prescriptive methods of learning and development are no longer cutting it with today’s workforces. Learning experiences must be tailored to each individual to gain maximum effectiveness. While many may still prefer a classroom style teaching, others may prefer more of a gamification style.
Personalise recognition for fairness and transparency. Gathering relevant information from one-on-one meetings between manager and employee will determine how an employee wants to be recognised. Remain mindful that some employees may not be as good at ‘blowing their own trumpets’ as others so managers must continually observe the actions of everyone to ensure fairness.
Employee Engagement Surveys
To ensure your company is implementing changes that are meaningful to your employees it’s good practice to carry out regular Employee Engagement Surveys.
A survey should be written to provide:
constructive feedback on issues such as leadership practices, pay, personal development
a measurement of employee satisfaction and morale
an opportunity for employees to state any changes they wish to see
an understanding of key improvement areas
Use this information as research and act on it. Employees who are listened to will have a more vested interest in the company.
How we can help you
If you’d like to discuss any of the issues detailed in this blog, get in touch with us today. We’re here to help.
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