Only 23% of full-time workers across the globe are engaged, according to Gallup. In other words, less than a quarter of the world’s workforce has any enthusiasm for what they do every day.
In the U.S., the percentage creeps up to 32%. Out of nearly 132 million workers, half are not engaged (meeting expectations, but that’s about it) and 16% are actively disengaged (think quiet quitting and excessive absenteeism).
For these employees, work is merely a necessary evil. Most of us can relate to this feeling at some point in our careers. We’ve toiled away for certain companies, day in and day out, for a paycheck that allows us to take care of our families, indulge in hobbies on the weekends, and take vacations at some point during the year.
But disengagement costs the world $8.8 trillion in productivity—employers can’t afford to let work feel like a burden to their team members.
Treat employees like internal customers
Marketers have long understood the importance of crafting delightful customer experiences to strengthen brand loyalty, yet the same level of care hasn’t always been extended to employees. There’s a compelling case to be made for improving the employee experience, and it starts with embracing the concept of hyper-personalized employee journeys.
Rather than send a mass email to the entire company, HR and internal comms teams can craft personalized messages for every individual at each stage of the employee life cycle. This approach will reach them more effectively and demonstrate their value to the organization.
Does creating personalized employee journey communications sound overwhelming? This is where an employee experience (EX) Content Library comes in, saving you countless hours of drafting from scratch.
Belonging drives engagement
What is an EX Content Library?
An EX Content Library is a one-stop shop for resources and templates designed to facilitate effective communication with employees throughout their journey within your company.
Firstup recently launched an EX Content Library that includes a variety of templates tailored to different touchpoints along the employee life cycle, from onboarding to offboarding and everything in between. Designed for HR leaders, this toolkit provides ready-made content to make it easier to create personalized, relevant communications that resonate with your employees.
Let’s look at five reasons you need an EX Content Library to support and streamline your HR and internal comms programs.
86% of executives say ineffective collaboration and communication is a major cause of failure in business.
Salesforce
1. Personalize HR communications
For diverse and dispersed workforces, one-size-fits-all doesn’t cut it when it comes to effective communication. Imagine a workplace where every step of the employee journey is tailored to their unique needs, preferences, and aspirations. Beyond sending an occasional companywide email, HR teams can create meaningful interactions and experiences that resonate with each individual within the organization.
A robust EX Content Library offers a wide range of content you can customize and personalize for every employee. Whether it’s delivering information about benefits, career development opportunities, or company updates, personalization is key to ensuring your messages reach and engage your audience.
Find out how to personalize and automate employee journey communications at scale
2. Enhance employee engagement
Personalized communication helps employees feel more valued and connected to the company, even in a remote or dispersed work environment. By fostering a sense of belonging and community, you boost engagement, morale, productivity, and retention.
Organizations that prioritize engagement have 10% higher customer loyalty, 23% higher profitability, 43% reduction in turnover, and 81% lower absenteeism, according to Gallup. An EX Content Library gives you the tools to create the most relevant messaging for your employees—making them more likely to read, respond, and interact with your communications.
94% of employees who receive effective communication, information, and guidance throughout their employee journeys are more likely to be highly engaged.
Forrester
3. Increase productivity and retention
HR leaders know that engaged employees are more productive, more creative, and more dedicated to their work. When employees feel valued and supported by their employer, they’re more likely to go the extra mile to contribute to the company’s success.
What’s more, engaged employees are less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere—reducing turnover costs and preserving institutional knowledge and expertise within the organization.
An EX Content Library makes it easier to create effective communications that will cultivate a more creative, innovative, and dedicated workforce.
Businesses with a positive employee experience are 1.3 times more likely to outperform their competitors.
McKinsey & Company
4. Mark the moments that matter
Every step along the employee journey is significant, from onboarding to departure. Each of these moments presents an opportunity for HR teams to make a meaningful impact on the employee experience.
The templates in an EX Content Library help you craft messages specific to the pivotal points along the employee journey, whether it’s welcoming a new team member, guiding employees through open enrollment, or celebrating professional milestones.
The Firstup EX Content Library was built to help you guide employees through these transitions with clarity and support.
Choose from customizable templates for:
Onboarding. Welcome new employees and equip hiring managers from before day one through a new hire’s first three months on the job.
Open enrollment. Help employees understand their enrollment choices, select the best plan for their needs, and not miss the critical enrollment window.
Performance. Map out annual performance journeys and communications to align employees with company goals.
Promotions. Train new managers and upskill current ones to ensure their teams are supported, motivated, and productive.
Celebrations. Notify managers about upcoming birthdays or anniversaries and send notes of recognition to your employees.
Life events. Acknowledge and support employees during significant shifts in their personal lives, such as marriage or divorce, having a child, or bereavement.
Global mobility. Prepare expats with proper paperwork, tips on traveling abroad, and education to ease family transition and prevent culture shock.
Observances. Promote belonging and inclusivity by celebrating diversity and acknowledging holidays and traditions around the world.
Offboarding. Maintain goodwill with departing employees by providing structured and supportive closure to their tenure with the company.
Ready to get started mapping out your employee journeys?
Check out 5 Steps to Creating an Employee Journey Map
5. Simplify content creation
As HR and internal comms professionals, you already have enough on your plate—from managing benefits programs to overseeing companywide initiatives.
The last thing you need is to spend hours crafting individualized communications from scratch every time you need to send out a message. An EX Content Library helps you streamline the content creation process so you can be more efficient and consistent in your communications throughout the employee journey.
No more facing the blank page or scrambling to craft strategic, high-quality communication. With the time saved, you can focus on the strategic, high-touch initiatives that drive value for your organization.
Permission to plagiarize
While it might take considerable investment to instigate significant shifts in the employee experience, templates in the Firstup EX Content Library are completely free. You can explore templates by category or use search terms to find the specific HR communications you need.
When you click on the link to a template, you’ll find a Copy Text button to capture the text and paste it into your own documents to be customized. Beneath the text you’ll also find suggestions and best practices so you remember to include important details relevant to that touchpoint of the employee journey.
The era of generic employee communication is coming to an end. By embracing hyper-personalized employee journeys, you can create positive employee experiences and move the needle on engagement. With a wealth of journey communication templates at your disposal, crafting personalized communications has never been easier.