Improve your EX by letting go of generational stereotypes
McKinsey’s research has shown that across generational stereotypes, people’s expectations and needs at work are largely the same. Generational stereotypes offer little relevant information about what individuals expect from their employers. So why do we see an endless stream of news about the needs of ‘Generation X’, ‘Millennials’ and ‘Generation Z’ in today’s media?
The answer is simple: understanding what people expect from their employers matters a lot to organisations when there is fierce competition for scarce talent. To attract talented people, McKinsey’s research states that leaders must learn to treat their current and prospective employees as unique human beings, rather than as members of a demographic segment.
HR experts are trying hard to understand what people expect from their employers in order to be able to attract and retain talent, but it is very difficult to have that conversation at the level of every individual employee. It may be possible to ask a small group of employees what matters to them and get generic answers such as financial compensation, development opportunities, caring leadership, flexibility, and purpose. But very few organisations have the resources to have this conversation on a regular basis with hundreds or even thousands of people. Currently, if data is captured, there are often blind spots and other stereotypes beyond age, for example, what people expect in types of roles and departments such as sales, marketing and IT. And even if organisations are able to capture this information at scale, they risk threatening the privacy and personal boundaries of employees. So, the problem remained unsolved, up until now.
Welliba’s EX+, which is the first ever developed Employee Experience Management System, combines behavioural science and human-centred technology to unlock a better employee experience. Through interacting with an AI-driven model, employees receive real-time insights into what shapes their experiences at work and at home, along with personalised advice on the actions they can take to improve their own experience. As Welliba acts as the data controller, and takes rigorous measures to protect employee data, whilst also providing such valuable self-insights, employees are encouraged to stay motivated to share open and honest information with the platform.
For employers, they gain rich insights via aggregated data, which allows them to better understand their employees on a more holistic view. This includes an overall score that reflects the evolution of the employee experience, along with what factors are driving this, both in a positive and negative way and with predictive insights into people’s commitment and risk factors. For managers and leaders, they can quickly identify where support is needed and what steps they can take to improve the employee experience of specific groups within their organisation.
This means that generational stereotypes can become redundant: why would leaders worry about what newspapers write about the expectations of Generation Z, if Welliba EX+ can generate scientific insights into the expectations of their employees from that age group, based on data those employees are voluntarily providing in real-time? By looking at real predictive employee experience data in ways that can directly inform business and talent decisions of functional business leaders as well as HR, it is now possible to act on the real motivators and drivers of people with a specific demographic which can only help strengthen attraction and retention strategies. And employees will also benefit: not only is the AI-driven platform helping them thrive at work and remain healthy and balanced as they manage their personal and work lives, but their expectations at work are more likely to be met as employers get new insights into employee expectations, that are not based on often criticised studies about vague generational stereotypes.
Would you like to find out more? Click here for more information on EX+
