{"id":40523,"date":"2022-11-24T21:31:38","date_gmt":"2022-11-24T21:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/articles\/employee-experience-vs-employee-engagement-why-leaders-fail\/"},"modified":"2024-08-29T06:46:20","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T06:46:20","slug":"employee-experience-vs-employee-engagement-why-leaders-fail","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/articles\/employee-experience-vs-employee-engagement-why-leaders-fail\/","title":{"rendered":"Employee experience vs employee engagement: Why leaders fail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class='inline-text-container MobileAlignment DesktopAlignment'>\n  <div class='richText'><p dir=\"ltr\">What\u2019s the difference between employee engagement and employee experience?<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">We previously stressed why investing in employee engagement and <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/become-a-partner\/totara-trade-show-partners-3\/\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"8f48d3a4-9496-4a4a-9352-c332e03dd429\"> employee experience management<\/a>\u00a0should be the rule, not the exception, for every organization.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Investing in these two powerful drivers of workforce productivity, however, comes with an inherent challenge:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Monitoring, measurement and therefore, improvement, is difficult due to the inextricable link between employee experience and engagement.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">How do you distinguish between the pair? And more importantly, what practical steps can leaders take to intentionally improve them?<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In this post, you\u2019ll learn about the key difference between employee experience and employee engagement, and why prioritizing the essential elements of employee experience\u2014called <u>talent experience<\/u>\u2014is\u00a0key to high levels of performance and success in the workplace.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Table of contents:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"#What-is-employee-experience?-(And-why-most-get-it-wrong)\">What is employee experience? (And why most get it wrong)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"#What-is-employee-experience?-(And-why-most-get-it-wrong)\">The definition of talent experience<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"#Employee-experience-vs-employee-engagement:-The-difference\">Employee experience vs employee engagement<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"#Technology-to-improve-your-employee-experience\">Technology to improve your employee experience<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">What is employee experience? (And why most get it wrong)<a id=\"What is employee experience? (And why most get it wrong)\" name=\"What-is-employee-experience?-(And-why-most-get-it-wrong)\"><\/a><\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Employee experience is a broad definition of an employee\u2019s workplace experiences at different stages in the employee lifecycle.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Starting from job candidacy through to daily experiences, the employee lifecycle encompasses management, engagement, reimbursement, culture, rewards and much more.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Unveiling the overwhelming breadth of the term <em>employee experience<\/em>, some of the employee touchpoints and lifecycle stages that HR, L&amp;D and management can influence to improve it are:<\/p>\n<div class=\"note\" role=\"note\" aria-label=\"Information\">\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Applicant tracking<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Recruitment<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Performance management<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Compensation and benefits<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Skills gap analysis<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Employee retention<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/become-a-partner\/name-badge\/\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"63b57bd4-51c3-4d02-be8f-bf3a61ae5e73\">Employee development <\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Succession planning<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Career management<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Given the expansive (and consequently, borderline enigmatic) nature of the term employee experience\u2014and the many potential avenues an organization can take to improve it\u2014it\u2019s natural to ask:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Which components of employee experience deliver long-term ROI for employee performance and engagement?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The answer lies in three core employee lifecycle stages:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_txp_pillar__diagram_8.gif\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Employee development<\/strong>: In addition to <a href=\"\/totara-feature\/compliance-management\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"f103bb6f-180b-46a5-b659-01547b1a7fa4\"> mandatory compliance training <\/a> , are employees honing their craft or learning the skills they need to develop and progress in their careers? Are they acquiring skills that will benefit your organization in the future?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Enabling engagement and collaboration<\/strong>: Are employees able to collaborate effectively, even within a primarily <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/historias-de-clientes\/easyjet-drives-a-702010-learning-culture-across-seven-countries\/partner-guidelines-2\/\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"3910fa53-d261-45d0-bf68-b5b350014857\"> virtual workspace<\/a>? Can they access experts in the business that will have solutions to the problems they face? Can they learn what they need to, at the time of need, <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/werden-sie-partner\/partner-meetup-2-2\/\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"10a93b86-e607-40c1-9f7f-d882246420fd\"> in the flow of work<\/a>?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Performance and mentorship<\/strong>: Is your <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/request-a-demo-form\/\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"e98a1311-7e41-4d63-9bbf-45f29bdb8e1a\"> performance management process <\/a> personalized to the needs of the individual? Are you providing continuous and timely feedback? Do employees understand how their day-to-day roles contribute to the organization\u2019s overall business goals?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Addressing this powerful (but often overlooked) trifecta together is what we call <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/why-totara\/ladies-in-office\/\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"c7a3e79f-c191-4c49-b61b-25e59ddf2094\"> talent experience<\/a>:<a id=\"The definition of talent experience\" name=\"The-definition-of-talent-experience\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"bg-warning\">Talent experience defines the most practical (and influential), everyday elements of employee experience that when improved, unlock exceptional employee engagement and organizational productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-31077 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_1txp_pillar__diagram_9-1024x516.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_1txp_pillar__diagram_9-1024x516.gif 1024w, https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_1txp_pillar__diagram_9-300x151.gif 300w, https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rsz_1txp_pillar__diagram_9-768x387.gif 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"note note--perform-blue\" role=\"note\" aria-label=\"Information\"><\/div>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">Employee experience vs employee engagement: The difference<a id=\"Employee experience vs employee engagement: The difference\" name=\"Employee-experience-vs-employee-engagement:-The-difference\"><\/a><\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Now that we\u2019ve defined employee experience (and why most approaches to improving it are inefficient), let\u2019s clarify the difference between employee engagement and employee experience.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Employee engagement is not an event, a perk or an incentive program. It\u2019s a psychological state that\u2019s constantly shaped by an employee\u2019s day-to-day work environment, culture and sense of purpose.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">As confirmed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gallup.com\/workplace\/229424\/employee-engagement.aspx\"> authorities like Gallup <\/a> , employee engagement is unlocked when employees:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Have their social and emotional needs met; often derived from doing meaningful work<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Feel like they are learning and progressing in their careers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Know what&#8217;s expected of them and have the materials they need<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Trust their leaders and managers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Get along with their colleagues<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"bg-warning\">Employee experience (or talent experience to be specific), on the other hand, creates the conditions that unlock high employee engagement. It sculpts an employee\u2019s perception of their day-to-day work environment, culture and sense of purpose, which in turn influences their level of engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This is because focusing on talent experience addresses the definitive (and high-ROI) stages of employee experience in which an employee spends most of their time in your organization:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Engaging and working with others<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Performing tasks and being managed<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Developing themselves through learning or career development to perform better<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Therefore, a positive employee experience facilitates the feeling or state of being highly engaged, content and committed\u2014which paves the way for an unrivaled, high-performance workplace.<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">Technology to improve your employee experience<a id=\"Technology to improve your employee experience\" name=\"Technology-to-improve-your-employee-experience\"><\/a><\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">At Totara, we built the <a href=\"\/products\/totara-talent-experience-platform\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"ae986999-da9c-4351-b1ac-f00e8232d857\"> Totara Talent Experience Platform<\/a>\u00a0(TXP) to help organizations use <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/become-a-partner\/ken-george-reading-totara-news\/\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"245dd4f3-dae5-4619-a0b1-0deb0b1f67ac\"> technology to improve the essential elements of employee experience<\/a>\u00a0listed above.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Comprising three solutions\u2014that are powerful on their own, but transformational when used together\u2014the TXP (trusted by organizations such as the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/customer-stories\/us-department-agriculture-usda\/\">USDA<\/a> and Catalyst IT) enables you to build a better workplace experience, increase resilience and prosper in today\u2019s fast-changing world. It unites:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>1. Totara Learn<\/strong> &#8211; the <a href=\"\/products\/learning-management-system\"> learning management system<\/a>\u00a0(LMS) trusted by millions of learners and favored by companies worldwide\u00a0to deliver transformational learning.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>2. Totara Engage<\/strong> &#8211; the <a href=\"\/products\/learning-experience-platform-lxp-totara-engage\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"ffe4c8df-9537-4f19-9315-98644b74237e\"> learning experience platform<\/a>\u00a0(LXP) built to engage, unite and upskill your workforce. Totara Engage empowers employees to simplify complex knowledge sharing with permanent workspaces, content playlists, a Microsoft Teams integration and more, to nurture deep collaboration and job-relevant learning.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>3. Totara Perform<\/strong> &#8211; the <a href=\"\/products\/totara-perform\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"af0303bf-a392-4f6b-9fe8-4742697a313d\"> performance management system<\/a>\u00a0with a central place to track employee feedback, monitor progress and assess competencies, allowing you to easily introduce frequent check-ins, establish critical goals, get 360-degree feedback, connect learning &amp; development to performance management, and much more.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Together, these intuitive systems (that integrate with your current HCM and L&amp;D tech) empower you with a Talent Experience Platform that improves every aspect of your employee-employer experience to unlock peak performance and boost agility in your organization.<\/p>\n<div class=\"note note--perform-blue\" role=\"note\" aria-label=\"Information\"><\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>","protected":false},"template":"","tax\/tags":[724,726,806],"tax\/solutions":[778],"tax\/topics":[731,727,808],"tax\/industries":[],"tax\/article-types":[1021],"class_list":["post-40523","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/40523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax\/tags?post=40523"},{"taxonomy":"solution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax\/solutions?post=40523"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax\/topics?post=40523"},{"taxonomy":"industry-tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax\/industries?post=40523"},{"taxonomy":"article-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.totara.fortyapp.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax\/article-types?post=40523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}