Powering Business Transformation through Culture Shaping

Employee Experience (EX)

With all these long-term, positive changes taking place, Cargill saw it important to start tracking their Employee Experience (EX), defined by DecisionWise as “the sum of the various perceptions employees have about their interactions with the organisation in which they work’ rather than just employee engagement which is narrower and more focused on the workplace and productivity. The findings from a study by Workhuman Analytics & Research Institute and IBM Smarter Workforce Institute culminating in The Employee Experience Index reveals that organisations that deliver a positive employee experience through human workplace practices like recognition, empowerment, and feedback see a significant impact on return on assets and return on sales. Many organisations use the Net Promoter Score (NPS) to measure the customer experience of their brand, Cargill decided to introduce an NPS score internally asking employees whether they would ‘recommend working at Cargill to a friend’. An employees experience is shaped by a multitude of different interactions, processes, and people across the enterprise. This complex matrix was defined by Cargill as the “Moments that Matter”, and used as a tool for HR managers to identify opportunities to communicate with employees with regards to satisfaction in the workplace.

Wearable biosensors

Maria Giovanna Vianello, Group Organisational Development Leader from Novartis shared details of the ‘pulse survey’ technology Novartis are using to measure employee satisfaction as well as the use of wearable biosensors such as Apple watches, they are piloting which are capable of measuring physiological levels (heart rate, respiration rate, body and skin temperature, blood pressure, etc.) and various surrounding parameters (distance, light, etc.) to gauge employee sentiment and wellbeing. This data enables Novartis to gain relevant information on talent and measure indicators of employee experience using a more objective, ongoing methodology. Jorge Osorio, Country HR Officer from Citi commented that “the transformation of the HR function is a reality across various sectors, and technology will enable us to redesign the way we do things and the way we add value to the business, which we are part of. It was encouraging to learn at this meeting that we are not alone in this journey.” Maria Giovanna Vianello also presented on the Novartis Culture Transformation and how, despite divesting a few business lines recently, their share price has stayed stable, thanks in part to the strong transparent culture they are building. One of their key drivers was to reposition their Employer Brand to attract Millennials to the organisation resulting in a branding exercise to position their internal culture more “fun and funky”. They did this by working closely with their Communications Department to create inspiring social media content, including videos which spoke to young peoples’ need for purpose and meaning in the work they do and to be part of a company that helps society. These dynamic interactions such as digital employer branding, have allowed Novartis to be proactive in highlighting the appealing aspects of their culture and coupled with flexible working arrangements, inclusivity and psychological safety in the workplace, have been successful in attracting and retaining the new generation, whom their CEO Narasimhan recognises “expect to work in a very different environment”.

In summary

Maria summed up the session as having “helped me to reflect on the massive impact of culture transformation across businesses and countries, it was an extraordinary opportunity for learning and discovery”. We would like to thank Maria, Manish and Richard for presenting and all of our HR attendees for their insightful contributions. To keep up with the latest HR trends, subscribe to our quarterly newsletter or follow us on LinkedIn. You can also check out our latest global HR opportunities, or contact our consulting team to discuss your search needs.

• Employer Branding
• Employee Engagement
• Organisational Culture
• Employee Experience
• EVP