10 Steps to Create a Strong Employee Journey Map

What is an Employee Journey?

An employee journey refers to all the experiences an employee has during the time the employee has a relationship with a company. It starts during the hiring process to the time the employee leaves the company, voluntarily or otherwise. The employee journey includes all the stages of the employee/employee relationship, from the job candidate completing an application form through an employee participating in an exit interview. 

An employee journey includes several important steps that may look like these:

• Recruiting and hiring
• The employee onboarding process
• Engaging the employee
• Employee development
• The employee progressing in their career
• Employee exit plan

Along the way, there are certain important moments in the course of an employee’s relationship with an employer that stand out. These experiences leave a deep impression on the employee’s opinion of their employer and the workplace itself. 

Many people remember their first day at a new company: they feel excited and looking forward to the new opportunity. At the same time, they feel a bit apprehensive about meeting new people and learning new procedures. Over time, they will settle in and stop being the “new person” on the job and simply be one of the employees. 

Why a Good Start is Important to Employers and Employees

At the beginning of this new employer/employee relationship, both parties want the relationship to work out. If a new hire doesn’t have a positive experience in the first days and weeks after starting work, that negative feeling stays with them. 

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), up to half of hourly paid employees leave a new job within the first four months. That figure also holds true for senior outside hires, who move on within the first 18 months of starting a new job. These figures show that the employee journey in a company is crucial for staffing success. 

What is an Employee Experience Journey Map?

An employee journey map is used to track the significant stages and major experiences that make up an employee’s relationship with the company. It’s a chronological chart that uses visual prompts to illustrate each stage. 

Employee journey mapping is a distinct way to depict the company’s values, goals, and processes. A positive employee experience reflects the company’s values and helps to establish a strong culture within the work environment.

Attract, Engage and Retain: The Employee Experience Advantage

In addition to ROI, employee experience measures help companies succeed at retention and recruiting.

Steps in Employee Journey Mapping

If you were going to create an employee journey map template, it would likely contain steps similar to the ones listed below. For each employee journey stage, ask these questions:

• What is the employee trying to accomplish?
• What emotions is the employee experiencing?
• What barriers or pain points is the employee facing?

 

1. Locating and Recruiting Candidates

Each employee journey with an employer starts with recruiting. How do prospective employees generally make contact with your company?

• Do they see signage indicating that your organization is looking to fill a certain position?
• Are online ads for available jobs resulting in a good pool of applicants?
• How successful are career fairs and on-campus recruiting drives for finding new or entry level talent?
• Do candidates reach out to you through your website or social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter?
• Does your company offer incentives to current employees who refer a friend who may be a good fit for a job with your organization?

When a job applicant shows interest in your company, is the process easy and convenient for them? Can a candidate upload their resume without getting bogged down in the process? Do they have enough space on your form to explain why they would be a good candidate for the position?
 

2. Pre-employment Stage

This is the stage when a candidate has formally accepted a job offer but has not officially started to work for your company. The new employee may be finishing up projects with their previous employer before they change jobs. They may be required to give their previous company a certain number of weeks’ notice before they can leave their job. If your new hire is taking the time to fulfill their obligations to their “old” company, consider it as a sign in their favor. The person takes their responsibilities seriously and wants to leave their job on good terms with their previous employer. 

During this time, you can start engaging with your new employee and begin the process of making them feel welcome. Your team will need to do a lot more than sending a “welcome” email to your newest employee to foster a sense of employee engagement. 

Invite your new hire to get acquainted with their teammates by introducing them to the company social network. Tell them how to sign up for the internal company newsletter so that they can stay on top of the latest happenings.

3. Onboarding Stage

A new employee, whether they are working in house or online, should be able to look forward to a smooth and positive transition when they start their new job. The onboarding experience encompasses more than the employee’s first day; it includes their first weeks and months on the job and it is a crucial phase in employee journey mapping.

How do you make an onboarding journey map? It includes the steps that a new hire will go through to make a successful transition during their introduction to your company. The employee shouldn’t be left to their own devices on their first day at work. Their login to the employee experience platform should be set up and ready to use. From there, the employee can access the Human Resources forms they need to complete as a new worker. 

If the employee is working remotely, a video chat should be scheduled so they can meet their new teammates. Someone who is working in house should be introduced to key employees personally. The new employee should also have a schedule for training and what they are expected to accomplish in their first days on the job. 

4. Payroll and Benefits Policies

When a new employee starts a job, one question that they will likely have is, “When do I get paid?” or “How often do employees get paid?” It’s normal to wonder about payroll, since everyone needs to ensure that their bills are paid on time. A new company may not have the same pay period as the old one, which may create a temporary cash flow issue until a new worker has started receiving their pay. For budgeting purposes, new workers need to know about the company’s payroll and benefits policies. 

At one time, the solution would be to call someone in the Human Resources Department. Now new employees can access company policies about compensation and benefits directly from the company intranet. The company can even post a list of Frequently Asked Questions to reduce the number of emails and messages being sent to HR.

5. Opportunities for Ongoing Learning

Employers want their employees to continue learning once they come on board. Employees are also interested in continuing learning opportunities. Unfortunately, many employers flounder in this area. They don’t know what to offer their employees or how to structure training and development.

You can ask your employees what areas they want to focus on for training opportunities and how they want the training delivered. Some employees respond well to “lunch and learn” opportunities, while others prefer to take courses (either online or in person) independently. 

It may be a good idea to offer both types of opportunities (as long as there is sufficient interest in a lunchtime learning program). Offer employees an education/training stipend they can use as they wish for ongoing learning. This option gives employees more flexibility than if they had to get a manager’s approval for any professional education requests. 

Attract, Engage and Retain: The Employee Experience Advantage

In addition to ROI, employee experience measures help companies succeed at retention and recruiting.

6. Ongoing Employee Engagement

When employees get settled into their roles in your company, you want to ensure that they stay engaged in their work. Employee engagement is critical for keeping workers connected and productive. 

Your company intranet plays a key role in ensuring that all employees receive crucial messages and news quickly. These internal communications play an important role in making all employees feel that they are valuable team members.

7. Recognition and Rewards

Employees work for more than just their regular pay. They also want to know that the work they do is appreciated. As an employer, there are several things you can do to let your employees know that you appreciate them and their hard work. 

Managers and executives should make a point of speaking to employees when they encounter them. Get to know their names and ask them about their work and their lives outside of their jobs. No one wants to be thought of as just another cog in the wheel of the company. 

Rewards for employees don’t always have to come as cash. Employees who have worked hard on a project or campaign can be recognized in the company newsletter. They can be rewarded with extra time off (paid), a movie night (virtual for team members who work in multiple locations), or a fun outing for the team.

8. Performance Reviews and Feedback

How often does a manager have a one-on-one with an employee to talk about their work performance? Is this a formal annual event? Do reviews take place every few months? When the manager gives the employee feedback about their performance, what happens next? 

Everyone likes to receive positive feedback about their work. It’s a little more difficult to hear about areas for improvement. When they are discussed during a performance review, does anyone circle back with the employee to help them in these areas? Does the manager offer coaching or training to help the employee in challenging parts of their job?

In a positive employment space, feedback is something used to support the employee as they grow into their position. The manager knows it takes time for the employee to become comfortable and learn all aspects of their job. Feedback is not used to punish, humiliate, or embarrass a worker. 

Feedback also includes employee engagement surveys, where employees can speak up anonymously about their concerns. Management needs to consider this feedback carefully and take it as an opportunity to improve the employee experience.

9. Career Planning for Advancement

Once an employee has “settled in” with the company and they feel comfortable, they need to find ways to stay engaged in their work. At this point in their career, the employee needs to understand the criteria their manager and the company need to see for them to be considered for advancement. 

An employee and their manager should be discussing the employee’s career goals and working on a plan for reaching them. Some employees may wish to pursue training toward a lateral career move as opposed to simply moving “up the career ladder”. These career goals should also be encouraged; a person’s circumstances and personal needs may change over time. An employee can be just as productive and engaged in a different role with the company. 

10. End of the Employee Journey

The final stage of the employee journey will look different for each employee. There are some employees who simply aren’t a good fit for the position they were hired to fill or your company. In that instance, it may be just as well to admit that the professional relationship isn’t working and allow the person to leave to find another job they are better suited for. 

Some employees will end their relationship with the company when they retire. Others will leave voluntarily because they want to move on to other employment opportunities, return to school, or due to family responsibilities. There will be some employees who will leave because their spouse or partner has received a lucrative job offer in another city and the entire family is relocating.

The end of a particular employee’s journey with your company may not necessarily be permanent. It’s important to handle this part of the employee journey with care. An employee who is retiring may be open to consulting or part-time work. Employees who leave the company for other jobs may be interested in returning if their circumstances change. 

As long as an employee has left on good terms, it may make sense to consider starting a new (and different) employee journey with them. The person has the advantage of already knowing your company, its values, and policies.

Attract, Engage and Retain: The Employee Experience Advantage

In addition to ROI, employee experience measures help companies succeed at retention and recruiting.

The Employee Lifecycle

A strong employee journey is made up of the moments that matter in the relationship between an employer and employee. Employee experience journey mapping helps the employer stay on track during this process. A company intranet has a key role to play in helping to ensure that this relationship is a positive and productive one on both sides. 

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