Interest in employee experience (EX) has taken hold at a global level. Recent reports from professional services heavyweights like Deloitte, Willis Towers Watson and Mercer highlight EX as a major consideration for business leaders and organisational transformation. So it’s fair to say that workplaces near and far are exploring new ways to deliver what candidates and employees expect and value most.

As a provider of salary packaging and workplace benefits to some of Australia’s largest companies and government agencies, the importance of keeping staff engaged and happy is something Maxxia understands well. So we’re welcoming the rise of EX as a concept that’s driving HR professionals and leaders to focus on their employees as key stakeholders.

Bringing an Australian perspective to EX

As we’ve discovered through extensive research for the inaugural Maxxia-Ignite Global Employee Experience Report, EX is providing many Australian organisations with a fresh perspective and innovative ideas to meet the challenge of attracting and retaining talent. But this wasn’t something we could take for granted. That’s why we’ve embarked on this project, with the aim of bringing together insights into what hundreds of organisations in over 20 sectors are up to in the brave new world of EX.

Translating theory into action - and results

Understanding what EX encompasses and its relative importance in the Australian context is just one of many topics covered in the report. These learnings from our survey can definitely help HR professionals understand the extent to which measurement and transformation of EX have been taken up by Australian organisations. But as a business that takes a practical and results-driven approach to delivering value through employee benefits, we also wanted this report to highlight real-world examples of EX best-practice. In doing so, we hope to set even more HR professionals on the path to success in EX.

The value of experience over “stuff”

One such example comes from tech business MYOB and their Chief Employee Experience Officer, Helen Lea. She shares their shift in EX focus, from delivering the stickiness of EX through free stuff – which has become something of a standard for the tech sector – towards fostering positive working relationships with managers. Whether it’s about flexibility, the day-to-day experience, or the amount of performance feedback given, they are helping managers build employee loyalty.

Freedom to choose benefits employees value most

As a shining example of EX innovation, LinkedIn have introduced a highly personalised approach to their employee benefits offering. Their purpose-led benefits program provides employees with an annual allowance to spend on perks designed to improve wellbeing and make their lives easier. They pay for their chosen perk – it could be childcare or fitness classes, massage or a personal trainer – and then apply for reimbursement up to the limit of their allowance.

Fuelling future EX transformations

These examples are just two of the many robust, actionable insights available from the first in our annual series of EX reports. And in future reports, we’ll continue to offer these insights from the EX frontline, bringing HR and C-suite leaders right up-to-date on how their own approach to shaping EX compares with their peers.

Download the inaugural Maxxia-Ignite Global Employee Experience Report and learn how leading companies are pioneering new approaches to measuring and improving EX.