O
On Topic | Catalyst
by Accenture Strategy. A 2019 study by CW Jobs
and Good and Co found that 56% of gen Z workers
believe a new challenge is more important than
their monthly pay cheque.
At financial services company Synchrony,
helping staff to understand how they can develop
and grow within the business is core to its employee
experience strategy. As well as supporting their
people to have “critical experiences” (opportunities
outside of their day jobs allowing them to gain new
skills), Synchrony holds a career week twice a year.
“This gives employees an opportunity to step back
and take an audit of where they are in their career
and what it is they want to do next,” says vice
president of employee experience Ashley Petersen.
“It provides them with resources and stories
from around the organisation that help them figure
out how they can achieve their career ambitions.
We are also developing a Career Experience
Centre – an internal website giving employees
the resources and tools they need to own their
development. We truly focus on everyone owning
their career journey,” she stresses.
It would be a mistake to assume that L&D
opportunities are only important to younger
workers. A 2019 study by Ricoh Europe found
that almost three-quarters of employees of all
ages expect to upskill throughout their career
and believe the best workplaces invest in digital
technologies to upskill staff. It’s not just the young
dogs who are keen to learn new digital tricks.
However, there are clear generational
differences that need to be considered for EX
strategy. Naschberger explains: “Millennials and
gen Z are particularly sensitive to experiences.
They grew up in an entertainment society and
are used to interacting on social networks, so can
challenge corporations more easily. They expect
personalised responses. These expectations might
be a shock for previous generations. Organisations
must promote intergenerational dialogue and
foster mutual understanding to avoid conflicts.”
EX-ceptions to the rule?
One potential drawback of the EX approach,
warns Naschberger, is that treating employees
like customers can make “employees more self-
centred, only considering things from their
own viewpoint instead of contributing to the
achievement of organisational goals.”
If HR becomes ‘consumerised’ in this way, then
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“It’s not just the young dogs who are keen
to learn new digital tricks”
employees will be more likely to ask what their
company can do for them, rather than what they
can do for their company.
Simon Gibson, head of L&D, EMEA for RS
Components, warns that “there is a fine balance
between providing what the employee needs or
wants and what the employer needs and wants
along with the pressures of owners and investors
driving a commercial agenda.”
And Helen Jamieson, founder of HR consultancy
firm Jaluch, agrees: “People generally have a vested
self-interest, meaning that, if allowed, they will
always pursue what works for them,” she says.
“But successful teams simply cannot operate like
this; they rely on the continual co-operation and
compromise of their members.”
More seriously, warns Naschberger, a poorly
executed EX strategy can backfire. “One of the