Employee Experience

We’re all going to learn a new dual-track leadership style to manage human and digital workers: inspiring human excellence while directing digital efficiency. Inspiring human excellence remains unchanged - the centuries-old playbook of vision, compassion, and more that motivates followership. Where employee engagement scores will remain our north star as we create environments where human creativity and ingenuity flourish. But directing digital efficiency with AI agents, automation tools, and sophisticated digital workers? A playbook we all need to learn quickly. While some human leadership elements overlap - clear vision, precise goals, specific feedback - does "inspiring followership" even apply to digital workers? It's more like optimizing a manufacturing process around task accuracy and output efficiency. Think managing an AI that processes 10,000 customer queries per hour versus inspiring a human team to deliver exceptional service. The hardest part won’t be to master these two distinct modes - it’ll be to weave them together seamlessly. Balancing inspiration and connection with humans while offering extreme clarity to digital workers. And knowing when to entrust work to a human versus a digital colleague. Collaboration between humans and digital workers might actually prove easier than human-to-human - no complex emotions to navigate when humans delegate to AI. But here's where it’ll get tougher: - What happens when digital workers become capable enough to delegate work back to humans? - How do we ensure our human teams feel empowered, not replaced, by their digital colleagues? - How do we design workflows where both strengths are amplified? Leadership in this new type of hybrid world is about to profoundly change. I'm 80% excited, 20% terrified. Which pretty much sums up my entire take on our AI-Forward future. #AIForward #DigitalWorkers

Treating AI like a chatbot, AKA you ask a question → it gives an answer is only scraching the surface. Underneath, modern AI agents are running continuous feedback loops - constantly perceiving, reasoning, acting, and learning to get smarter with every cycle. Here’s a simple way to visualize what’s really happening 👇 1. Perception Loop – The agent collects data from its environment, filters noise, and builds real-time situational awareness. 2. Reasoning Loop – It processes context, forms logical hypotheses, and decides what needs to be done. 3. Action Loop – It executes those plans using tools, APIs, or other agents, then validates outcomes. 4. Reflection Loop – After every action, it reviews what worked (and what didn’t) to improve future reasoning. 5. Learning Loop – This is where it gets powerful, the model retrains itself based on new knowledge, feedback, and data patterns. 6. Feedback Loop – It uses human and system feedback to refine outputs and improve alignment with goals. 7. Memory Loop – Stores and retrieves both short-term and long-term context to maintain continuity. 8. Collaboration Loop – Multiple agents coordinate, negotiate, and execute tasks together, almost like a digital team. These loops are what make AI agents more human-like while reasoning and self-improveming. Leveraging these loops moves AI systems from “prompt and reply” to “observe, reason, act, reflect, and learn.” #AIAgents

"The current approach to the employee experience simply doesn’t work." Employee experience often gets treated as a comp exercise, fixes to onboarding, maybe a revised perf process -- often built "one size fits all." Companies invest heavily in customer experience. Research, data science, human-centered design and product management creates massive results through personalization, loyalty and deep understanding of emotional drivers. What if we applied a lot of the same tools to employee experience? What if we thought of employee experience through the lens of product management? Great #EX boosts retention and drives great #CX. Visibly in retail: Trader Joe's and Costco have excellent EX, strong financials and very loyal customers. This movement is growing. It will get larger because the demographics of labor are changing: slow growth, more diversity, tradeoffs well beyond comp and benes. Here's some faves, 🔗 in comments: follow them all if you don't already! ⭐ Samantha Gadd and Kalyn (KP) Ponti have been leading with their EX Manifesto and focus on human-centered design. How to work directly with employees to understand needs, and build together. Which leads to... ⭐ The top quote from "Reimagining Work as a #Product" by Dart Lindsley & Eric Anicich brings product design thinking to life with stories from Eli Lilly, Shopify and Dropbox where the Melanie / Alastair / Allison trifecta are re-imagining #EX. They share a framework that breaks down a job into tasks, understanding what's rewarding vs drudgery. Work that ... ⭐ Debbie Lovich & Rosie Sargeant quantified: increasing joy boosts retention by almost 2X, and that you can't make assumptions about what brings someone joy: a break where you write notes might be joyful. Debbie and I just talked about how Clay Christensen's "Jobs to Be Done" (JTBD) framework applies to employees. Why the job someone takes often has less to do with comp and title than a broader set of tradeoffs. "JTBD" shows in Dart & Eric's work, and is central to... ⭐  Ethan Bernstein, Michael Horn & Bob Moesta's "What Companies Get Wrong About Employee Experience" which breaks down four typical quests of people taking on a new role -- what are they "hiring" that role to do? Understanding the emotional context of leaving or taking a new job and the desires and tradeoffs of individuals boosts outcomes -- especially retention. Emotional context also shows up in #AI adoption... ⭐ Christina Janzer & Lucas Puente's work on AI personas, which I recently shared -- how might those personas overlap with someone's "JTBD" of their role? ⭐ Rodney Evans knows this is a major transformation, and one group who needs help changing how they work is #HR. Rodney and team do work with people who want to do the work... Which leads to one last quote: ⭐ "Let the work do the work" Iain Roberts, taking a design-centered approach to improving EX by working on it directly with the team. Who am I missing? #FutureOfWork #retention

Most companies frontload onboarding into the first week, then wonder why great hires quit after 2 months. Here's a framework that fixes this: THE 30/60/90 ONBOARDING PLAN Days 0-30: Orientation → Belonging Goal: Make them feel part of something - Welcome kit + preboarding touchpoints - Set clear role expectations and team charter - Buddy system + manager syncs Quick Win: Schedule a values-aligned storytelling session with a company founder Days 31-60: Integration → Clarity Goal: Understand how their work fits - Role-specific training - First project delivery - Cross-functional intros Quick Win: Create a "map of influence" showing who to talk to and when Days 61-90: Acceleration → Impact Goal: Start delivering results - Feedback loop with manager - Career path preview - Culture check-in + stay conversation Quick Win: Ask "What's one thing you'd change about our onboarding?" Why this works: - Week 1 onboarding creates anxiety relief but not engagement. - 30-day onboarding builds belonging but lacks direction. - 90-day onboarding creates clarity, confidence, and measurable impact. Most companies frontload everything into the first few days, then abandon new hires to figure it out. The result? Talented people leave because they never felt integrated or clear on their impact. TAKEAWAY: Your onboarding process is a 90-day audition. Not just for the new hire to prove themselves. For your company to prove it's worth staying. The companies with the best retention don't just hire great people. They systematically integrate them into something they want to be part of.

There is growing concern in corporate mental health, especially within the Middle East, where traditional, one-size-fits-all approaches to employee mental health often miss the mark. Given the current regional context, exposure to painful conflicts, employees face specific challenges—such as secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, and PTSD—that standard wellness programs might not adequately address. The current trend of expecting managers to bridge the gap between employees' needs and corporate mental health programs is problematic. While managers can and should offer support, expecting them to manage complex mental health issues without specialized training or resources is both unrealistic and potentially harmful. The solution would involve organizations adopting trauma-informed policies and creating a workplace culture that understands and responds sensitively to these needs. These could include: 1. When choosing mental health trainings or wellness programs, make sure they are culturally tailored and region specific. 2. Have trauma-informed policies and practices which could include defining boundaries around managers' roles in supporting employees, acknowledging that they are not therapists. These policies should focus on recognizing trauma symptoms, avoiding re-traumatization, and connecting employees to appropriate mental health resources. Also, considering flexible work options for employees struggling with their mental health or having a trauma reaction. These flex work options could include having a workplace that has quiet rooms, or allow for remote work days, or flexible hours, to allow space for self-care and recovery. 3. Offer access to mental health professionals who are both trauma-informed and culturally aware, partnering with regional mental health providers who understand the local context. 4. Expand the corporate “wellness” agenda to include workshops and seminars about vicarious trauma, PTSD, and secondary trauma, focusing on how these issues can affect them indirectly through news, social connections, or work responsibilities. 5. Offer employees routine emotional well-being check-ins with a mental health professional, where they can discuss their concerns in a confidential setting, especially after significant regional events or traumatic incidents. You can also consider group debriefings for teams who may be experiencing vicarious trauma due to their work or regional news. Structured support sessions can help individuals process collective experiences. #BigIdeas2025

We all say “customer first.” And yes, that always matters. But let me ask you this: Who actually experiences your brand before anyone else does? Your employees. Think about it. They’re the first ones to – - Test your systems. - Experience your culture. - Integrate your processes.  - Spot the gaps between your mission and your reality. So, if your employees don’t believe your story – why would your customers? I learned this early at Rubans Accessories. We stopped treating “employee engagement” like an HR checklist... Instead, started treating them, like the early adopters of the brand. When your employees are your biggest fans, your customers feel more drawn to your story. Think about it like a product launch: → Your sales team is testing your value prop every time they pitch. → Your customer care team feels the emotional gap between your promise and delivery. → Your warehouse staff understands speed and scale better than any consultant ever will. In fact, research shows brands with strong employee experience outperform competitors by 147% in earnings per share (Source: Gallup.) The math is simple: Happy employees → Happy customers → Loved brand. Your employees are not just building your brand. They’re living it – every single day. Treat them as your first customers, and the marketplace will simply follow.

EX breaks when it “lives in HR.” It works when the entire system owns it. Many organizations talk about employee experience as if it’s a program, a perk, or a function. But employee experience is a network of decisions — hundreds made every week by leaders at every level, and by employees themselves. A Board sets the standards and funds the trade-offs. A CHRO architects the operating system: the data, cadence, guardrails, and design. Business leaders allocate resources, shape role mix, and remove blockers. People leaders create the weekly reality: clarity, feedback, recognition, and team rituals. And employees play their part by meeting commitments, engaging in the process, and providing signal-rich feedback. That’s the real chain of ownership. Across the book, I highlight five core mechanisms that shape experience and performance: Hiring & Onboarding, Performance Systems, Rewards & Recognition, Work Design & Cadence, and Tools & AI Guardrails. These aren’t “programs”—they are the structural levers through which culture, clarity, and accountability show up day-to-day. If a lever has no owner, it has no impact. If too many owners touch the same lever, it becomes noise. Use this map with your team: Write the name of the true owner for each lever. Then set one 90-day target per lever. You’ll instantly see where clarity exists — and where the system is breaking down. Employee experience isn’t an initiative. It’s an operating model.

Today’s Thought: Treat Employees Like Customers 🚀 When Brian Chesky and Mark Levy at Airbnb asked, “Why not create an Employee Experience (EX) team just like Customer Experience (CX)?” they sparked a culture shift that helped fuel Airbnb’s 2020 IPO success. From “Genius Bars” for seamless IT support to travel stipends that let employees experience the brand firsthand, Airbnb made EX central to who they are—boosting talent appeal and innovation. The bottom line: How can you align your internal culture with the customer experiences you want to deliver? If you’re looking to stand out, start by looking inward. Great EX isn’t just a “nice to have”—it’s the unstoppable force behind every business breakthrough.

Why Employees Leave My HR senior in Citibank once explained to me that over 90% of employees who quit their companies did so because they did not see their careers developing in the coming years. There are, of course, other reasons like horrible bosses and low pay. I always get reminded of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs when analyzing these types of issues, coupled with evaluation of actual situations. For example, when a young employee is the breadwinner of his or her family, pay becomes a primary consideration, and giving a competitive package is the solution. The next question I ask is if the employee has a best friend at work. I learned from a Gallup material (which they have written extensively on) that having a best friend is key to employee engagement. Whenever I mentor, I ask this question to check whether my mentee's social needs are met. The answers are often telling. As a new manager in the 90s, I benefitted from a performance appraisal process which required me to identify each employee's areas for improvement, and to write up a career development plan. Over the years, this has become the focal point of my appraisal discussions for the middle management layers. The discussions don't have to be formal. These can also be covered during informal one-on-one sessions. Finally, I have to stress that the annual appraisal process has to be taken seriously, and not simply be a form-filling exercise. To me, that is how to retain our best employees. #employeeretention #careerdevelopment #reinventandoutperform

When I thought I’d done enough hiring, I missed one small but big thing, and it cost a great employee. Last quarter, I filled an important position in just 11 days. It felt like a win. But 6 months later, that person quit. And I realised, the mistake wasn’t in how fast we hired, but in how little we understood what truly motivated them. I did everything right, job description, skill match, reference check, offer letter. The candidate joined happily. They were talented and responsible. But what I never asked was: 👉 What will make you stay here beyond one year? During his exit talk, he said, I wanted more challenges, a clear path, and a stronger sense of belonging. That’s when it clicked, we hired for skills but didn’t show them the growth journey. Here’s what I should have done from day one: 1️⃣ Growth Plan: Explain what their 6, 12, and 18 months could look like, including new learning or team exposure. 2️⃣ Culture Talk: Share how our company lives its values daily and how they’ll be part of it. 3️⃣ Ownership Chance: Tell them what project they’ll own and how it will make a difference. Because employees don’t just quit jobs, they quit environments that don’t meet their expectations or values. Recent reports also say: Professionals now value purpose, growth, and belonging more than just salary. A good onboarding and role clarity are now key to retaining employees in the first year. So I changed my process, Now ask them: ✔ Why this role? Why now? during interviews. ✔ Share a short growth roadmap at the offer stage. ✔ Have a First 90 Days check-in on culture and impact. ✔ Explain, What success looks like in Year 1 and review it at month 6. Results: ✅ Fast hiring (under 20 days) ✅ Better offer acceptance and retention rate Key lessons for HRs and recruiters: 1️⃣ Start with why, understand what drives the candidate beyond the job title. 2️⃣ Talk about culture and belonging early, not after joining. 3️⃣ Show the path, people stay when they see how they’ll grow and make an impact. Simple frameworks: Why-Impact-Roadmap: Explain the reason, result, and path. Environment Check-In: Discuss clarity, culture, and growth before hiring. 90/180-Day Review: Set early goals and revisit them at 3 and 6 months. #careers #careeradvice #hr #linkedinnewsindia #linkedin