Kaz ex-manifesto-3.26.2

THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
A MANIFESTO FOR THE
FUTURE OF WORK

2
The Employee Experience Revolution: A Manifesto for the Future of Work
2
WHAT’S INSIDE:
Project Sophia
Nailing the Employee Experience
The Balance of Inspiration Alignment
The Four Pillars of EX
The Future of EX
03
07
1 9
2 5
3 1

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3
PROJECT
SOPHIA

4
Helen:
In light of our upcoming strategic planning session, I wanted to bring the following resignation letter to your attention
because I believe it highlights broader issues with our employee experience and its impact on our company performance.
Sophia, the author of the attached letter, worked for our company as a senior data engineer. Her team leader and
department head were both surprised by her sudden resignation given the excellent quality of her work and the fact
that she had not voiced any concerns. This position is very difficult to fill and it is likely our new product release will be
delayed as a result.
It’s clear that our employee experience is negatively impacting our ability to hire and retain top performers, which in
turn is hurting the velocity and quality of our work. We can no longer do the bare minimum and expect to thrive while
our competitors are enabling their people to do their best work and grow within their company.
I consider our employee experience to be the single most urgent challenge facing our company and recommend that
we place it first on our agenda.
Sincerely,
Ron Washington
Vice President, Human Resources
Helen Gonzalez, CHRO
Employee Turnover and our Current Employee Experience
4

5
Helen:
Sincerely,
Ron Washington
I’m quitting on Friday. So maybe consider this notice of my notice.
As I reflect on my time here, it feels like nearly every significant
moment of my work experience — every opportunity you had to
make me feel valued — was mishandled in one way or another.
• No one took the time to show me how my work matters to
the team, much less the company or the community.
• I take a lot of pride in my work and on the two occasions
when I wrapped major projects, no one seemed to notice.
• When our team leader left, I felt like I was a good fit for
her job. I let people know I was interested, but I never got
the chance to make my case. It is not clear to me how I can
grow here.
The bottom line is this job hasn’t inspired me. I’m not even sure
how my work fits with the rest of my team or the company and
I’m left wondering if my position even matters.
5
S
1

6
Helen:
Sincerely,
Ron Washington
6
But don’t feel bad. It’s not just you.
Every significant moment in my employee experience – good or
bad – has left a mark. And they all add up, reinforcing either a
really great experience or a negative one. When my experience is
too negative for too long, I start thinking about greener pastures.
Everyone knows that most of us workers aren’t “engaged” so
you’re not the only ones who need a little help. But here’s the deal:
If you want us to be aligned and inspired, you have to start by
realizing our work experience is punctuated by moments that are
super important to us. How you handle those moments will define
our work experience, and thus our relationship with the company.
Maybe it hasn’t always been that way. (Then again, maybe it has.)
But either way, you can’t ignore the human side of the employee
experience anymore. The revolution is at your door.
Sincerely,
Sophia Jones
2
S

7
7
NAILING THE
EMPLOYEE
EXPERIENCE

8
8
Simply put, the policies, processes, and
technologies that defined the relationship
between companies and employees for the
past several decades must be replaced with
more human versions. What we are doing is not
working. After the billions of dollars we invested
in “employee engagement,” employees are
barely more satisfied with their experience today
than they were decades ago.
Change will simply not happen without the
shift in perspective that places people and
their emotional needs at the center of business
strategy. Employee experience (EX), after all, is
about building emotional connections. So what
is EX? The answer is deeply rooted in the spirit
of our times. Remembering how things used to
be can shed light on why businesses need to run
differently now.
NAILING THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
Revolution
SOPHIA IS RIGHT.
We are in the middle of a

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9
In the old days (think 30 years ago), there was a certain way
of doing things. We were born. We went to school. We got a
job. And we worked there until we retired or died.
In between, maybe we adopted a few pets, had some kids,
or dabbled in karate.
Turns out, The Game of Life
was pretty accurate.
1. Job Tenure of American Workers, January 1963, Harvey R. Hamel, Monthly Labor Review, Vol.
86, No. 10 (October 1963), pp. 1145-1152
2. Millennials: The Job-hopping Generation, Gallup, Workplace, Business Journal, 2019
“More than 1 in 5 of millennials say they’ve
changed jobs within the past year, which is
more than three times the number of non-
millennials who report the same.” 2
“Some 6.5 million of the 66 million persons
employed during January 1963 had held the
same job for at least 21 years.” 1
21 years

employment
THERE HAS ALWAYS
been a social contract in
Each party is expected to make certain
sacrifices and to produce value for the
other party for mutual benefit.
In the “old days,” this contract was heavily
tilted in favor of the company. Workers
made a lot of sacrifices for a stable
paycheck. Many of these sacrifices had
a negative impact on quality of life. And
people didn’t really expect much more from
their employer than that check and the
promise of long-term employment.
Clearly, those days
are gone.
— an implicit agreement between companies and workers.
10

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Communication feedback
Nature of work
Leadership
Why we work
Where we work
When we work
Performance conversations
People process
Top-down
Siloed
Managers who manage
Pension
Office
9 to 5
Annually
HR-led
Up, down across
Aligned networked
Managers who coach
Purpose people
Anywhere
Anytime
Continuously
Key outcome Satisfaction Engagement
Company focus Employee loyalty
FROM
Manager- and employee-led
Employee Experience
TO
HOW
THINGS
ARE
CHANGING

12
employee
So, what is
Employee experience is the quality of
emotional connection that an employee
has with a company. It is shaped by their
interactions with people, policies, processes,
and technologies during significant moments
in their employee journey.
Employers who create a positive EX do so
with great intention. They take an expansive
and holistic view of the employee experience
and work to create exemplary experiences at
every step in the journey.
Think of it like consumer brands and how
they work hard to create great customer
experiences, whether in the store, on the
website, returning a product, or calling a
customer service representative.
EXPERIENCE?
12NAILING THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

13
The Employee Experience Revolution: A Manifesto for the Future of WorkThe Employee Experience Revolution: A Manifesto for the Future of Work
In her exit interview, Sophia talks about
specific emotions she felt during significant
moments with her company. She also paints
a picture of how these moments shaped
her overall relationship with the company.
In doing so, she offered a
compelling definition of EX:
13NAILING THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

14
14
I WANT
MORE THAN
A JOB
I spend most of my waking hours here and I want to plug in to
a healthy work culture that recognizes my individual needs and
ambitions.
I’m willing to go the extra mile to be successful in my position,
to help my team, and to hit company goals. But to get the most
out of me, I need the most out of our company. I’m here for an
experience. You need me to be aligned. I want that too. But I
also want to feel inspired.
When the experience is good, I’m all in. When it’s bad, I’m either
out of the game or out the door.
SOPHIA’S EXIT INTERVIEW
94% of [professionals] said they put in 50 or
more hours a week, with nearly half that group
turning in more than 65 hours a week. That
doesn’t include the 20 to 25 hours a week most
of them spend monitoring their mobile phones
while outside the office.4
94%
4.https://hbr.org/2009/10/making-time-off-predictable-and-required

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THINK
OF ME
AS YOUR
CUSTOMER
And don’t forget that I have options.
I don’t need to read The Wall Street Journal to know that
companies are on the hunt for top talent to push their business
forward.
The thing that will keep me here is a strong emotional attachment
to my work and the company.
Just like with consumers, emotional attachments are made by
great experiences across multiple moments. It’s not just one thing
— it’s the totality of experiences. Each bad experience chips away
at the bond, and each good experience strengthens it.
Put enough bad experiences together, and I will start evaluating
my options.
The jobless rate dropped to 3.5% in
September 2019 from 3.7% in August,
marking the lowest rate since December
1969 when it also hit 3.5%.5
3.7%
3.5%
SEPTEMBERAUGUST
5. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-september-nonfarm-payrolls-grew-steadily-11570192288

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WE NEED
THE MOST
OUT OF
EACH
OTHER
Everyone knows what you want out of me.
Here’s what your employees need from you.
WE ARE ALL INSPIRED BY A DESIRE TO:
• Have opportunities for
growth and development
• Feel connected with
our colleagues and the
community
• Feel appreciated for our
work
• Receive continuous
feedback about our work
• Work in an environment that
promotes well-being
• Know that compensation is
fair for all
• Feel a sense of autonomy
and individuality
• Know that our work is
making a meaningful impact
THESE ARE HIGH-IMPACT MOTIVATORS!
If you can sew these into the fabric of
the employee experience one significant
moment at a time, then you’ve got me.

17
ONE THING
Application
Process
Performance
Feedback
Moments of
Recognition
Outplacement Interview
Onboarding
Speaking Up
Promotion
Training
IT’S NOT JUST
17
The employee experience is shaped during the entire
employee life cycle. That means the experience during
the pre-hire phase is just as important as the employees’
experience with the company, and as alumni.
Focusing on one component of the
employee life cycle is insufficient.

18
EX
HOW
EMOTION
DRIVES
18
6. https://hbr.org/2016/08/an-emotional-connection-matters-more-than-customer-satisfaction
The organizing principle of employee experience is the
link between emotional needs and intrinsic motivation.
When people feel that their needs are met, they are
more likely to engage with their work in productive
ways.
So if EX is grounded in creating emotional connections,
what kinds of emotions are relevant? Taking another
cue from CX: Emotional connections matter more than
the simple notion of employee satisfaction. Employees
can be satisfied without being invested — satisfaction is
not enough.
Companies must tap into the fundamental motivations
of employees and fulfill “their deep, often unspoken
emotional needs. That means appealing to any of dozens
of ‘emotional motivators’ such as a desire to feel a sense
of belonging, to succeed in life, or to feel secure.” 6

19
19
THE BALANCE
OF INSPIRATION
ALIGNMENT

20
There is an important relationship between
emotional motivators and the balance of
inspiration and alignment within an organization.
Employee experience pillars such as connection and
appreciation are critical for creating an environment
where inspiration can flourish. In the same way,
opportunities for meaningful impact and growth are
critical for driving alignment with the company’s
vision and goals.
But inspiration without alignment can quickly drive
a company off-course (as enthusiastic teams row
diligently in different directions). And alignment
without inspiration feels a lot like doing the bare
minimum, prioritizing company goals over the
people’s well-being.
Why
20THE BALANCE OF INSPIRATION ALIGNMENT
INSPIRATION
ALIGNMENT

21
Every company exists somewhere on this graph and their location
depends on how focused they are on inspiration and alignment
within their organization.
No matter where a company is on this graph, the goal should be
to strike a balance between inspiration and alignment by engaging
high-impact motivators like connection, appreciation, meaningful
impact, and growth so that a thriving culture is possible.
INSPIRATION
(Connection+Appreciation)
ALIGNMENT
(Meaningful Impact + Growth)
21
KAZOO THRIVE INDEX
THE INSPIRATION
ALIGNMENT
BALANCE
THE BALANCE OF INSPIRATION ALIGNMENT
Off
Course
The Bare
Minimum
Surviving
ThrivingOFF
COURSE
SURVIVING
BARE
MINIMUM
THRIVING

22
22
Companies that are simply surviving are mostly
extrinsically motivated (e.g., “I must finish this project
or my boss is going to yell at me”).
Conversely, people and companies that are thriving
are mostly intrinsically motivated (e.g., “I’m going to
put my best into this project because it’s important to
me, my team, and the company”).
Companies want workers to be aligned and engaged.
Workers want to be nurtured and inspired. To be
blunt, Sophia was only surviving at her company. And
she was not the only one. However, the path forward
is extremely clear and very achievable.
To start, let’s describe what it means to be aligned
and what it means to be inspired, and how the two
interact together to drive different states of employee
engagement.
THRIVE
FROM SURVIVE TO

23
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The quality of inspiration is essential for employee
engagement and the employee experience. Companies
must fill people with the urge or desire to achieve at the
highest levels.
• Employees feel bought into the company mission
• Change takes place in a positive, effective manner
• There is high participation in company and HR
programs
• Employees feel psychologically safe
• Employees find meaning in their work
• Employees feel appreciated and recognized for
their work
WHAT IT MEANS TO
Organizations know
people are inspired when:
be INSPIRED

24
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• Employees feel connected with each other, with
leadership, and with company values
• Employees collaborate with each other across
branches, departments, and age groups
• Communication flows freely and efficiently between
departments and locations, and from HQ to remote
workers
• Leaders and colleagues exchange frequent
feedback on performance
• Employees feel equipped to excel in their work with
effective policies, processes, and technologies
• There exists a positive perception of leadership/
management
WHAT IT MEANS TO
Companies know their
people are aligned when:
Alignment is the hallmark of highly productive companies.
be aligned

25
25
THE FOUR
PILLARS
OF EX

26
CONNECTION MEANINGFUL
IMPACT
APPRECIATION GROWTH
THE FOUR PILLARS OF
There are four deep emotional needs
broadly shared across most people
in most organizations. Companies
must address these pillars to build an
aligned, inspired employee experience.
EX
26THE FOUR PILLARS OF EX

27
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Belonging is another way to say
connection. As evidenced by seminal
research of the Blue Zones, humans need
connection to thrive. Blue Zones are
communities in the world where people
live the longest like Okinawa, Sardinia,
and Costa Rica.
These communities shows that strong
connection to other people (including
families, friends, and colleagues)
contributes significantly to an overall
sense of happiness, a desire to
be productive, and a high level of
engagement in the community.
The same is true at work. People need
to feel connected to their colleagues,
their team, their managers, and
their communities to feel engaged,
be productive, and have a positive
experience. This may happen organically
in some companies. In most, it forms as
the result of intentional effort.
CONNECTION
Radha Agrawal’s Hierarchy of Needs
Joy
Purpose
Physical Mental Well-being
Basic Human NeedsBelonging
THE FOUR PILLARS OF EX

28
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The raw power of appreciation and its impact on
the employee experience is well documented. People
who feel like they are recognized for their effort in
meaningful ways are more likely to apply additional
effort and produce higher quality work in future
projects and tasks.
In addition, recognizing and rewarding people for their
contributions to the team and the company is common
sense. We all know what it feels like to have our work
noticed — and we all know what it feels like to have
it overlooked. Filtered through the perspective of EX,
what emotional impact can appreciation (or the lack
thereof) have on significant moments in the employee
experience?
Moments of appreciation are not only the responsibility
of the people in the company. Policy, process, and
technology have a significant impact on how people
handle appreciation. Without policies that clearly
prioritize employee recognition, processes to make sure
it happens, and technology to make it a more enjoyable
and a more efficient experience, people in the company
are left to make it all up as they go along.
APPRECIATION
The most memorable recognition
comes most often from:
MANAGER’S
MANAGER
28%
HIGH-LEVEL
LEADER
OR CEO
EMPLOYEE’S
MANAGER
24%
12%
CUSTOMER
10%
PEERS
9%

29
29
People also need to know their work matters to
their company, and their company matters to the
community and to the world. It’s not enough for one
to be told they are doing a good job.
One needs to know that the good job they’re
doing makes people’s lives better — even
in some small way. That could be through the
products the company brings to market or the
charitable work done in the community or around the
world.
Employees today feel that prosperous companies
have a social responsibility to give back to the
communities that contribute to their success.
Therefore, corporate social responsibility initiatives
can have a significant impact on feelings of purpose
and meaningfulness.
6. Kazoo’s Employee Experience Study
MEANINGFUL
IMPACT
76% of executives believe
meaningful impact affects
employee productivity.6
72% of employees said knowing
how their work matters affects
their ability to deliver a high
quality customer experience.7
76%
72%

30
30
Finally, we come to growth.
We know the most important driver of happiness is a
good job. But what is the most important driver of a
good job? A recent survey by The Starr Conspiracy
identified “growth” as the single most significant
driver of engagement.
People want opportunities to master roles and
subjects. They want to advance in their positions
and they want to grow their status within their
communities in their professional and personal lives.
Facilitating growth requires leaders who provide
continuous feedback and ongoing support for
the career aspirations of their team. By regularly
setting goals, increasing learning development
opportunities, and creating clear expectations around
career advancement, employees will be more engaged
and willing to stay with their company longer.
7. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/284081/meaningful-feedback-means-millennials.aspx
GROWTH
87% of millennials rate
professional or career
growth and development
opportunities as important
to them in a job.8
87%

31
31
THE
FUTURE
OF EX

32
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It may appear that Sophia left her company for many reasons. In fact,
she left her company for one reason — that company had not yet
experienced the necessary shift in perspective that places people and
their emotional needs at the center of business strategy.
Like many organizations, Sophia’s company needs to evaluate their
policies, processes, technology, and people based on the quality of
emotional connections they create for employees during significant
moments in their employment journey.
Specifically, the company needs to evaluate the four pillars of
employee experience – connection, appreciation, meaningful impact,
and growth – to ensure their culture can balance alignment and
inspiration so their people can truly thrive.
THE FUTURE OF EX
PICTURE
BIG

33
The future state of Sophia’s company’s performance –
and the performance of all companies grappling with
their employee experience – hinges on which side of the
EX revolution they support.
Will they defend decades-old attitudes, behaviors,
and beliefs that discount the emotional experience of
employees? Or will they lead the company into the future
by creating a culture where people feel they belong,
their work has meaning, their efforts are appreciated,
and their opportunities for growth are unlimited?
The choice is theirs to make and is made in moments
both large and small every day in every company around
the world.
The EX Revolution is here.
Is your company ready for it?
FUTURE STATE
STATE
FUTURE

Kaz ex-manifesto-3.26.2

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