Employee experience efforts in Asia Pacific are lagging behind

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Organisations in APAC are putting greater effort into the employee experience – but while they are well intentioned, they are ultimately misguided.

That’s the key takeaway from research firm Forrester’s in-depth report on companies handling of the employee experience (EX) in the region.

“Firms across APAC are turning to the employee experience for reasons including talent shortages and the threat of automation. Despite high interest, employee experience maturity is low. Very few firms create employee personas or map employee journeys – the basics of experience design,” says Amit Bhatia, a senior analyst at Forrester.

“The employee experience spotlight (in APAC) for most firms is on the employee lifecycle, from hire to retire. Very few focus on understanding employees’ daily journeys, improving their productivity, or considering the role that technology plays in all of this – even though these factors have a significant influence on the employee experience,” adds Bhatia.

That said, there are a number of organisations in the region that stand out for their success with delivering an outstanding employee experience (see below).

Interestingly the report also found a link between the customer experience and the employee experience. Organisations now think that focusing on employees and improving their experience will help boost the customer experience they deliver.

Governments across APAC are also acting on this. In Australia, the Banking Royal Commission shone a spotlight on immoral and illegal behaviour in financial services, prompting companies to take a long, hard look at their culture.

Singapore’s government has been espousing the benefits of work-life balance for years, issuing the Work-Life Grant, which funds flexible working arrangements in companies.

While in Japan – notorious for its long working hours – karoshi (death by overwork) remains a serious issue, with the government endeavouring to curb its impact through initiatives such as more public holidays, mandatory vacations and a cap on daily work hours.

Despite APAC lagging behind when it comes to the employee experience, the report suggests that “the winds of change are coming to the fore”, with firms slowly turning a more effective focus to the issue.

Below is an infographic of the internal and external factors driving change in the employee experience in the region.

Infographics courtesy of Forrester