If there’s one thing job seekers have in today’s labour market, it’s options. As a result, companies are getting creative in order to attract, retain and engage talent. To do this, they’re putting a greater emphasis on establishing a positive employee experience.

A company’s employee experience refers to the way in which employees feel and think about a company throughout the entire employee lifecycle – from their first day at work all the way up to their last. 

A positive employee experience is imperative; it elevates your employer brand and drives your employee engagement, where workers are passionate about their job, are willing to put in extra effort and are committed to their organization, its values and success. According to a Globoforce study, employees who work at companies ranking in the top 25% highest Employee Experience Index are likely to perform at higher levels and are less likely to quit. 

We wanted to get a better sense of the variables that contribute to an engaged workforce; what is the perfect blend of policies and initiatives that help attract job seekers and turn them into engaged employees? We surveyed over 2,000 employees in Canada to find out. Let’s take a look at the data. 

What employer initiatives and activities are front of the line for employees? 

Contrary to popular belief, our survey shows that many employees are, in fact, engaged at their place of employment. Three fourths of respondents (77%) say they’re engaged in their current role. So, what are some of the efforts their companies are making to ensure they remain this way?  

In terms of activities, policies and initiatives their company offers, over a quarter (26%) of engaged respondents say their company has established flexible work policies. As workers continue to thrive for better work-life balance, it’s no surprise that 40% of all respondents say that this perk would be most important to them. Following flexible work, over a quarter (25%) of respondents say their employers offer employee perks such as discounts and memberships. 

.While flex work, ping pong tables and free snacks are often hailed as the ideal employee perks, the survey showed that employee assisted programs, employer-sponsored programs that help people deal with personal issues, are also important. Just under a quarter (22%) of respondents say that their company offered mental wellbeing initiatives such as an employee help hotline. Nearly seven in 10 (68%) of respondents say that mental wellbeing initiatives would be important to them. Considering that 42% of respondents say that their job has at one point negatively impact their mental health due to such things as workload (47%) and long hours (32%), having programs in place to help employees cope is crucial. 

Source - Read More at: blog.indeed.ca