Making your map

1. Define and segment employee personas

Not every employee will have the same experience or the same journey. Employee journey mapping begins with understanding that a one size fits all approach will not work. Instead, define different employee segments based on their roles, levels of seniority, or experience. Then, complete the mapping process for each segment.

2. Gather feedback

Qualitative data regarding turnover rates in various departments or by years of tenure can help companies understand when and where employees start disengaging. But nothing compares to getting feedback directly from employees via surveys and conversations. This can include anonymous surveys and information from exit interviews, which can identify moments that impact the employee experience – moments that many may not have considered.

While employee experiences vary, the data gathered will help determine patterns and inconsistencies with key moments that can make a big difference. For example, some employees may have had a very supportive onboarding experience. In contrast, others did not receive adequate training for their roles. That initial experience will likely significantly impact their employee journeys, and knowing this can help organizations improve the onboarding experience.

3. Define moments that matter

Starting with one segment or persona at a time, identify key moments in their journey that shaped their experience for better or worse. A Stewart Leadership study found that the moments that most need improvements include initial experiences like the first day, onboarding, and training processes. Additionally, major transitions such as role expansion and promotion can also use an upgrade. Some other important moments in the employee journey include:

Job interview
Initial meetings with a manager or mentor
Performance reviews
Team events
Professional development events
Employee appreciation events
Restructuring within the organization
Exit

Other significant moments might include how the company responded to the COVID-19 pandemic or whether an employee was able to take enough parental leave.

4. Build a timeline

The moments that matter can then be placed into a visual chronology of the employee lifecycle for each workforce segment. While doing this, it's important to note which moments seem to drive the most employee engagement and which are crying out for improvements.

5. Use the insights to develop improvements

The insights from employee feedback will help identify which moments in the employee journey are the highest priority or have the most impact on employee engagement and retention. This is where HR professionals need to work with key stakeholders in the organization to develop solutions to the problems that have been identified.

6. Measure KPIs

No initiative can be successful if there's no way to measure it. Determine how the success of the proposed improvements will be measured, such as shorter wait times for log-in information, and align the measurements with the employee journey map. Organizations sometimes want to send surveys at key moments in the employee journey to capture contemporaneous feedback about onboarding or a professional development opportunity, instead of waiting for the employee's annual performance review. That feedback can be used to note whether the changes successfully improve the employee experience.

Keep in mind that improving the employee experience is an ongoing process. The employee journey map is meant to be a living document that continuously evolves as the company and employee experiences change. But there's tremendous value in having a tool the organization can use to engage and retain good people.

Jason Romanosky is Senior Director of Product Marketing at LumApps.

Instant Insights /

Journey mapping: A key to improving the employee experience

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