8 practical ways to improve your employee experience

Winning top talent in today’s global market starts with one thing: an exceptional employee experience (EX).

According to McKinsey’s HR Monitor 2025, EX remains a key priority for organizations, emphasizing that companies must create work and workplaces employees can genuinely get excited about.

And that means putting humans at the center of a company's priorities—especially in a professional landscape now shifting toward automation and distributed working models.

In this guide, you’ll discover what EX means, why it matters at every stage of the employee lifecycle, and how to make your company an even better place to work.

What is employee experience?

EX is the perception that a workforce has of its company. This image arises from the interactions and emotions employees face on the job, such as the quality of conversations with managers or feelings of inclusion and respect.

Every employee has an experience at their company, but it will only be positive if the organization strategically develops workplace culture, communication, leadership, and opportunities throughout the employee lifecycle—from attraction to exit.

The stages of employee experience

Since a worker’s experience of a company forms across the employee lifecycle, leaders and HR teams must make team members feel comfortable and respected during their entire tenure with the company.

Here’s how EX plays into each phase of the employee lifecycle:

• Attraction: Attraction is the process of generating interest among candidates in working for your company. When a company creates a “work for us” page on its website or posts a job listing, it begins the attraction phase. The employee’s experience technically starts with a candidate's first perceptions of and interactions with a company. The person learns about its values and benefits and might read reviews on previous team experiences to ensure that the work environment has a positive culture, strong leadership, and fair compensation.
• Recruiting and hiring: During the recruiting and hiring process, candidates meet for the first time with representatives of the company—like the HR personnel that interviews them. If a person has an in-person interview, they’ll also experience the workplace first-hand. Making a positive impression during interviews reinforces that the company is a respectful, engaging place to work.
• Onboarding: During onboarding, HR staff provide information on employee compensation and benefits, as well as rules and expectations. And team leaders train new hires on performing their jobs. Both aspects of onboarding should deliver comprehensive information, and leaders should remain open to questions. A successful onboarding experience empowers an employee to perform their work confidently and navigate the company culture well.
• Employee engagement or retention: Once employees have begun work at the company, the HR team and leadership must then actively work to retain them. According to Gallup, retention often relies on fair compensation, positive experiences with management, and worker well-being. Organizations must have an intentional strategy for maintaining each in order to keep their workforce.
• Development: To keep employees motivated and engaged for the long-haul, research shows that companies should offer opportunities for professional development and advancement. People want to take on greater responsibility and learn more, becoming better versions of themselves and gaining access to higher salaries and roles.
• Exit: Whether employees make voluntary or involuntary exits, the offboarding process must be a respectful one that represents the company’s values. Companies should conduct exit interviews or surveys, allowing exiting team members to share unfiltered feedback. Employees feel heard, even in this final moment at the organization, and the company will gather key insights on how it can improve its worker experience.

EX isn’t a single program or initiative. It’s the sum of every interaction, impression, and opportunity across the entire lifecycle, each one shaping how employees feel about your organization long after they join—and even after they leave.

How to craft an employee experience strategy for success

Maintaining a positive EX takes consistent, focused effort, which depends on a clear strategy for helping your workforce thrive. Before drafting the central points of that strategy, set yourself up for success by learning the following best practices.

• Identify the baseline EX: Leverage one-on-ones between managers and their direct reports or anonymous employee surveys to determine their current experience. You can only improve when you have a baseline to start from and understand the present issues, for which you can analyze the root causes.
• Strategize for different employee personas: Instead of trying to force a one-size-fits all EX strategy, consider what people in different roles or working models need. For example, workers on a factory floor likely thrive off regulations and leadership that support their physical safety and wellness. But office professionals with desk-based roles might desire better work-life balance, like the opportunity to set their own hours.
• Involve leaders: Creating an EX strategy shouldn’t solely be the work of an HR department. While they may be experts on employee psychology, they don’t always have the first-hand experience working alongside team members that managers do. Invite leaders to share what their teams need to enjoy the workplace; this input can guide professional growth and engagement initiatives.
• Use metrics: Track metrics adjacent to the EX like turnover, retention, and productivity rates. High ratings point to an excellent EX, since your workforce is happy staying at the organization and is motivated to work hard for it.

Follow these best practices to build an EX strategy that drives engagement, satisfaction, and ultimately, business success.

8 ways to improve employee experience

A solid EX strategy outlines actions that leaders and HR members can take, instead of simply focusing on goals and high-level ideas. Here are eight practical ways to improve your workplace.

1. Use surveys to gather employee feedback

Send out routine surveys to gather anonymous qualitative and quantitative feedback on team experiences. These forums give your workforce the opportunity to answer honestly about their perception of leadership, professional advancement programs, and the company culture. Leave a space for open-ended written responses so employees can express their concerns and ideas freely and provide deeper context.

2. Strengthen DEIB at every stage of the employee lifecycle

Research shows that diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is essential to fostering a positive EX. Workplaces can protect inclusivity across the employee lifecycle by starting with an equitable hiring process that extends the same opportunities to people of all backgrounds. Then, throughout the retention and development stages, organizations should make a concerted effort to form diverse decision-making groups and extend advancement opportunities to all.

3. Offer workplace flexibility and hybrid support

Workplace flexibility correlates to improved retention and employee satisfaction rates, per recent research. All companies can find ways to support workers with more flexible working arrangements—not necessarily jumping straight to a fully remote model. Employees can work from home somedays, have a compressed work week, or set their own schedule.

4. Design a thoughtful onboarding experience

Create onboarding plans that not only focus on an employee’s first few days at a company but that also include regular check-ins from management to ensure people feel comfortable and have the resources they need. Help employees find their footing by running a peer-onboarding system in which a new hire shadows an existing employee, facilitating socialization.

5. Invest in employee well-being

Ensure that your benefits package goes beyond the basics, like health insurance. Include generous paid time off, so that employees can recharge, and wellness perks, like access to mental health care or attractive savings plans that help workers achieve financial security.

6. Train managers in inclusive, empathetic leadership

One of the main reasons employees leave companies is a negative experience with leadership. Invite leaders to be self-aware, sitting with their feelings before they act, preventing emotionally driven, potentially damaging responses. Also, educate them on actively listening to employees and empowering others by delegating responsibilities instead of micromanaging.

7. Provide development, mobility, and upskilling opportunities

Offer meaningful opportunities for professional advancement and learning, like a clear, step-wise route to a higher role at the company or access to continuing education. For example, companies might sponsor higher degrees in work-related subjects for high-performing employees.

8. Recognize employee contributions consistently

Quality recognition is a key driver or employee retention. According to Gallup, employees want to receive consistent, meaningful praise from their superiors that feels personalized. Adding a perk, like a bonus or reward travel, further reinforces recognition efforts.

Why employee experience should be a priority

A great EX keeps your workforce happy and engaged. And while that’s reason enough to prioritize it, companies stand to benefit in several other ways, too:

• Improved retention and reduced turnover: A rewarding EX leads to better retention rates (fewer exits), which saves money on the cost of hiring and training. 
• Stronger talent attraction: Companies with good employee experiences earn a reputation for their excellent company culture—an attractive point for candidates.
• Better customer experience and satisfaction: According to the Harvard Business Review, engaged employees who genuinely enjoy their workplace experience drive better organizational results, like improved customer satisfaction.
• More inclusive workplaces: By focusing on DEIB in your EX strategy, you end up with a diverse, inclusive workplace where everyone’s ideas are respected. Research shows this type of culture supports innovation and productivity, and in turn, better business outcomes.

Prioritizing team experience is a strategic investment in long-term organizational success.

Empower your global team with a people-first experience

EX is the driving force behind everything from workplace satisfaction to positive organizational results. Start strategically implementing a meaningful EX strategy with Oyster, and prepare to thrive.

Oyster’s Global employment solutions help companies create a better workplace for their teams with memorable onboarding experiences, equitable salary benchmarking, and timely, accurate payroll—no matter where in the world you hire.

Find out how Oyster’s EOR solutions can help you grow and support a diverse, international workforce.