What is an Employee Journey and what is an Emloyee Journey Map?

Employee Journey

The Employee Journey describes the entire process an employee undergoes from their first contact with a company to leaving the company. It covers all experiences, interactions and phases undergone by employees during employment in the company.

The Employee Journey aims to create a positive employee experience and promotes employee retention, engagement, and performance. By considering the entire "journey" through the company, these companies can operate an effective talent management and improve the satisfaction and motivation of their employees.

Emloyee Journey Map

An Employee Journey Map is a visual representation of the different phases, experiences and interactions that an employee undergoes throughout his or her employment in a company. Similar to a customer journey map, which represents the process of a customer from the first contact with a company to the completion of a transaction, the employee journey map focuses on the experiences of an employee from hiring to possible separation from the company. The Employee Journey Map helps analyse, understand, and improve the employee experience by identifying the different points of contact an employee has with the company. This may include, for example, the application and recruitment phase, the introduction and onboarding phase, development opportunities, performance assessment, cooperation with colleagues and supervisors, work-life balance, training opportunities, career development, and possibly leaving the company. By creating an Employee Journey Map, organizations can enhance the positive aspects of employee experience, identify bottlenecks and vulnerabilities, and take measures to improve employee retention, engagement, and satisfaction. This can contribute to increasing productivity, retaining employees and ultimately business success.

Employee Journey phases and stations

The employee journey can be divided into different phases:

1. Recruitment: At this stage, an employee becomes aware of the company and may enter the application process. This may be the company's active application efforts or the potential employee's own initiative.
2. Hiring and onboarding: Once an employee has been selected, the hiring and training takes place. Here, the employee is introduced to the corporate culture, work processes and rules and is given all the necessary information and resources to understand and successfully start their new role.
3. Performance management: During the employment relationship, the performance of the employee is monitored, evaluated and promoted. The goal is to increase the performance and commitment of the employee by setting goals, providing feedback and taking development measures.
4. Development and further training: This phase offers opportunities for further professional development and further training in order to expand the employee’s skills and knowledge . This can be done through training, workshops, mentoring, or other development opportunities.
5. Employee retention and commitment: The company strives to retain the employee in the long term and to maintain their commitment. This includes creating a positive working environment, promoting a good work-life balance, recognition and reward of achievements, and fostering a strong corporate culture.
6. Career development: In this phase, the employee is supported in planning and pursuing their career goals. Opportunities for advancement, job rotation, promotions or other career opportunities can be offered within the company.
7. Separation or withdrawal: If an employee leaves the company, whether by termination, retirement or other circumstances, the separation takes place. In this phase, feedback discussions, exit interviews and other measures can be taken to gain insights and make possible improvements.

What is the Employee Journey Map for?

The Employee Journey Map has several purposes:

• Understanding the employee perspective: By creating an employee journey map, companies can better understand the employee perspective. It helps to understand the various experiences, needs and emotions of employees in the individual phases of their journey. This makes it possible to view the employee experience from their point of view and hence, to improve it in a targeted manner.
• Identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement: The Employee Journey Map helps to identify bottlenecks, challenges, or vulnerabilities in the various phases of employee travel. By analysing the different points of contact, companies can identify obstacles or discontent factors and take targeted measures to improve employee experience.
• Holistic approach: The Employee Journey Map makes it possible to view the employee experience as a whole and not isolated in individual phases. It shows the relationship and the interactions between the different stages and helps to shape the employee experience over the entire duration of employment.
• Employee-oriented design: The employee journey map promotes stronger employee orientation. It serves as a tool to take into account the needs, expectations and preferences of employees and to involve them in the design of personnel measures, processes and programmes. This enables companies to create a positive employee experience and promote employee loyalty and satisfaction.
• Communication and cooperation: The Employee Journey Map can serve as a communication and cooperation tool. It provides a visual representation of the employee journey that can be used by various stakeholders in the company to create a common understanding of the employee experience. This promotes cooperation between different departments and enables a targeted improvement of the employee experience.

Why is it so important to tailor an employee journey to the employees?

• Employee loyalty and satisfaction: By tailoring the employee journey to the individual needs and expectations of employees, companies can increase their satisfaction and loyalty. When employees have positive experiences throughout their employment, they feel valued and are more inclined to remain loyal to the company.
• Commitment and performance: A tailor-made employee journey can increase employee engagement. When employees feel that their work and contribution to the company are valued, they are more motivated to do their best and perform better. This in turn has a positive effect on the company's success.
• Talent acquisition and employer branding: A targeted employee journey can also help attract top talent and position the company as an attractive employer. If the company has a good reputation for its employee experience, potential applicants are more attracted and more willing to join the company.
• Employee development and retention: Through the targeted coordination of the employee journey, companies can improve development opportunities for their employees. This can take the form of training, continuing education programs, mentoring or other development opportunities. By giving employees the opportunity to expand their skills and knowledge, they feel valued and stay in the company longer.
• Positive corporate culture: An employee journey tailored to the employees contributes to the creation of a positive corporate culture. If the company takes into account the needs and expectations of its employees, an environment is created in which they feel comfortable, are motivated and work well together.

How to create an employee journey map?

Creating an employee journey map involves several steps. Here is a general guide on how to create such a map:

• Identification of phases: Determine the different phases or stages that an employee undergoes during their employment in the company. Typical phases could be: Application, hiring, onboarding, development, performance assessment, career development, etc. Adapt the phases to the specific needs and processes of your company.
• Take an employee perspective: Put yourself in the role of employee and consider the experiences they could have at any stage. Identify the different touchpoints, interactions and emotions that can occur at each stage. This can be achieved through employee surveys, interviews or focus groups.
• Identify touchpoints: Identify the specific points of contact where the employee comes into contact with the company. These can be, for example, the application form, the job interview, the onboarding program, team meetings or employee development measures. Capture these touchpoints at every stage.
• Review experiences: Evaluate the quality of experiences an employee could have in each touchpoint. Analyzse how effective the company is at every stage and whether it meets the needs, expectations and goals of employees. Identify positive experiences, potential problems, or opportunities for improvement.
• Visualization of the journey map: Create a visual representation of the employee journey map. This can take the form of a time axis, a flowchart or another suitable format. Make sure that the different phases and touchpoints are clearly illustrated, and the most important information is easily understandable.
• Analysis and Action Derivation: Analyzse the employee journey map to identify patterns, trends, and areas with potential for improvement. Derive concrete measures to optimize the employee experience and address the identified vulnerabilities. Consider the company's priorities and resources.
• Continuous review and updating: An employee journey map should not be a static document, but should be regularly reviewed, updated and adjusted. Businesses and employee needs change over time, so it's important to keep the map up to date.

It can be helpful to involve interdisciplinary teams in creating an employee journey map that can bring different perspectives and insights, such as HR, employee representation, executives, and employees themselves.