The classic perks of a good employee experience—unlimited catered meals, posh offices, and slides—are no longer enough. Today's workforce seeks a more holistic approach, prioritizing work-life balance, flexibility, transparency, and a sense of purpose. The pandemic accelerated this shift, elevating these elements from mere "nice-to-haves" to essential "must-haves." As Ritika Malik, VP, Human Resources at Amway India, explains, "The perception of a 'good' employee experience has evolved significantly over the last decade."

She brings it to the notice that physical workspaces where employees spend a substantial time plays a key role in employee experience and are often neglected. Citing a Harvard Business Review article, Ritika says that natural light is the most valued office perk. “This drove a lot of our design decisions as we worked on our new HQ in Gurugram. The location allowed us the benefit of 360-degree natural light and we ensured that meeting rooms or leadership cabins do not block any of that. A sense of openness, indoor plants, natural light & open views help elevate employee wellbeing and everyday experience.”

Making experience and engagement good

For Ritika, authenticity and meaningful interactions are the secret sauce for a ‘good’ employee experience. Amway India believes that transparent communication, learning & growth opportunities, and an inclusive culture that encourages everyone to be their true self, are the key elements to elevate employee experience. “We ensure that our employees know the organisation’s strategic direction & goals by hosting monthly town halls, weekly functional huddles, and opportunities to self-nominate in cross-functional project teams. This fosters a strong sense of ownership and trust, helping employees drive organisational productivity and eliminate silos.”

To break the silos, Ritika emphasises collaboration and open conversations. “One of the concepts we piloted and one that has worked well for us in breaking silos and creating an engaged team working towards one goal was to move away from designating bays by function, this has ensured that employees from across functions sit together and collaborate organically.”

Ritika highlights offering customised learning experiences allows employees to invest their time to opt for learning plans that resonate with their career approach or hone their functional skills. “Our Corporate Education Policy supports professional advancement by pursuing short-term certifications or long-duration courses without a clawback clause linked to the monetary support provided.”

‘MentorcliQ’ is a algorithm-based mentoring platform that matches mentors to mentees based on their shared end goal thereby eliminating any unconscious bias from the process. “The opportunity to be mentored by someone who understands what you want to achieve and wants to play a role in your success is unmatched.”

Another important aspect of making an experience good is fostering a culture of celebrating diversity and ensuring equity & inclusion. Amway has a 100% volunteer-led DE&I board that has put in place long-term aspirational goals linked to DE&I metrics. They also have two active inclusion networks, the Women Inclusion Network or WIN and the Young Professional Network that work to ensure employees from these groups have a safe space to raise concerns, ask questions, and seek support along with building a network of allies.

Managing employee expectations

Ritika is of view that managing employees’ and organisational expectations requires clear communication from the leadership. “It offers employees a transparent view of the organisation's direction and highlights how their contributions drive Amway's success and growth. Our leadership prioritises transparency, ensuring that employees have a clear understanding of the organisation’s direction and how their individual and collaborative efforts contribute to collective goals. This approach fosters a strong sense of purpose and engagement while aligning with the vision and desired culture of the company.”

She further calls for having a robust feedback mechanism that allows employees an opportunity to share their honest feedback on areas that matter the most and the ones that impact them. “We believe in the feedback flywheel, our bi-annual culture and employee engagement survey allow employees an opportunity to share feedback. Each feedback is followed by a cycle of sharing results and action planning.”

She further adds that frequent check-in conversations between the upline and team members ensure there is clarity of expectations, our performance management system ensures there are 3 formal check-in conversations that are focused on coaching and development and not ‘judgement’. “A culture of ‘we before me’ and encouraging a growth mindset helps open sharing during these conversations helping reinforce alignment between employees’ contributions and the company’s broader objectives.”

Driving employee engagement and positive experiences

Creating a high-performing culture involves a balance between two key elements: Encouraging risk-taking without the fear of failure and demonstrating that we have each other’s back, Amway has baked both into their key processes and programs.

An annual bonus for each employee is linked to organisational performance and does not link to individual performance to encourage employees to think fearlessly while demonstrating ‘we before me’. Our top talent program, which is a key lever to building a leadership pipeline, measures potential by an individual’s ability to demonstrate a growth mindset and not just performance.

With a greater commitment to celebrating diversity and building an inclusive and equitable workspace, come challenges. Employee experience and engagement programs, concludes Ritika must be designed to provide personalised experiences, flexibility, and feedback. “

To hear more HR leaders on transforming Total Rewards into a driver of growth and well-being, join us at TRWC 2024 at Leela Ambience, Gurgaon on November 14.