The world of work is changing.
Employees are consumers in the workplace - and experience counts for everything.
But employers are struggling to keep up. And the gap is widening.
The new employee landscape
The world of work is a different place from the one we all knew just a few years ago. Seismic events such as the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have fundamentally changed not only how people work, but how we view work - and what we expect from our employers in return. In a reversal of JFK’s famous speech, employees today want to know what their employer can do for them, not just what they can do for their employer. They want to know what training and development they will have access to; what benefits they will receive; and whether their working lives will be underpinned by autonomy, purpose, and consumer-grade experiences.
They expect more. And they deserve more.
It’s a tall order for employers, of course, but there are also significant benefits for those who can rise to the challenge: improved talent attraction and retention, increased engagement and motivation, and higher productivity - not to mention long-term efficiencies and cost-savings.
Suffice to say the transactional employee-employer relationship is being resigned to the history books as a new era takes over; one in which employees are viewed as consumers, rather than commodities; an organisation’s most valuable asset, yes, but also human beings who want (and need) engaging experiences.
So how can organisations seek to bridge the gap and meet their employees in this new world of work?
The psychology of simple
The solution lies in keeping it simple.
The pace of modern life is rapid and often overwhelming. In the workplace, employees and managers are juggling multiple projects and deadlines - and truth be told, many are just trying to keep their heads above water. Not surprisingly, anything that adds to this strain will be met with resistance and procrastination. We simply don’t have the mental capacity or time to entertain overly complicated processes and arduous tasks. We love simple things because they’re easy on our brains and because we don’t need to work as hard to understand them. In other words, an easy, stress-free experience is also an inherently better one.
Keeping this front of mind, and building it into the HR strategy, is absolutely key.
Making 1:1s easy: the era of employee consumer experience
Taking the complexity out of 1:1 conversations and making them easy - both for the employee and the manager - presents an obvious starting point on the journey to consumer experience.
If you’re familiar with OpenBlend, you’ll know that we’re in the business of enabling great 1:1 conversations at work; conversations that extend beyond just performance to include wellbeing, motivation, development - and much more. The kind of conversations that happen frequently, touch on a broad range of topics relevant to the individual, and which, above all, affect positive change and progression. We believe these conversations sit at the heart of employee experience because they help managers better understand individual employees and shape more enriching experiences as a result.
But like anything, these conversations have to be effective if they are to create a positive impact on people’s ability to thrive at work. Crucially, and as we’ve already mentioned, they also need to be simple and easy to navigate. Yet herein lies a major problem: many employers are not making it easy for employees and managers to have great 1:1 conversations.
Embracing the consumer revolution at work: three steps to success
When we break this down, three elements need to be present to ensure 1:1s are both easy and effective: culture, skills, and the right technology.
1. Culture
Building a culture in which frequent, broad, and effective manager-employee conversations are the norm is essential. What we’re talking about here is placing these conversations at the heart of the organisation’s ethos and continuously reinforcing the value they deliver to people, managers, and the wider business. This calls for leaders to demonstrate their support and lead by example, create buy-in, and set the tone for the rest of the workforce to follow suit. Culture change doesn’t happen overnight but there’s no time like the present. Beginning the journey, bringing people on board, and building the right mindset for effective 1:1s is key to creating the appetite that spurs positive action and outcomes.
2. Skills
But more than just building the right culture to pave the way for these conversations, organisations must also provide employees and managers with the guidance and support they need to have effective discussions around the issues that matter most. This is about helping employees to steer their own 1:1s and broach difficult conversations, but it’s also about giving managers the skills and know-how they need to structure conversations in line with specific needs, wants, and personalities - and given 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager, much rides on getting this right.
The solution lies in coaching employees and managers in how to have great 1:1 conversations. Giving both parties access to bite-sized learning content to improve the effectiveness of 1:1s and, yes, making them easy. This is exactly why we developed Lightbulb - an OpenBlend module that places expert advice at the learner’s fingertips and empowers them to consume useful tips in the moments before a 1:1 conversation. By providing access to the most relevant insights at the right time, Lightbulb enables employees and managers to access and apply knowledge within the space of just a few minutes - and with maximum benefit.
3. Technology: the third person you need in the room
Last but certainly not least? Technology.
But not just any technology. Intuitive, purpose-built tech that drives engagement by providing a modern and consumer-grade experience. The days of distinguishing between business software and consumer software are a thing of the past. Scheduling a 1:1 should now be as easy as using a banking app or watching something on Netflix. Simple and seamless. Every time.
In this way, technology presents the biggest opportunity to bridge the gap between employees’ consumer expectations and the employer’s ability to deliver on them. The right technology will assist and guide, remove complexity, and support better experiences all round. Think of it as having a third person in the room…you didn’t know you needed them but once they’re there, you wouldn’t ever want to be without them. After all, how many people have ditched their banking apps and returned to the cheque book? Case in point.
It’s time for employers to up their technology game. It’s time to make 1:1s easy. And guess what? Your engagement and productivity depend on it. Research from Gallup confirms what we, at OpenBlend, have known for a long time: that an employee's conversations with their manager define their experience of work. Onerous and ineffective 1:1s can therefore definitely harm employee experience, but when these conversations are made easy and when they are effective, they will deliver consistent value that drives engagement, intrinsic motivation, and productivity.
User experience: encouraging people to talk more
We’ve dedicated countless hours and resources to ensure OpenBlend delivers an exceptional user experience (UX) fit to rival that of any consumer app. Why? Because we know this presents the best route to creating and embedding a culture of continuous 1:1 conversations. Our platform offers a simple and superior UX that not only delights but which builds positive behaviours and benefits that compel people to keep coming back.
Here’s how we support a consumer-grade experience that cuts through:
✅ We enable employees and managers to create their personalised agendas built around specific 1:1 types and offer relevant suggestions based on previous conversations
✅ Seamless integration with other HR and comms platforms, ensuring we’re meeting the employee in their world and removing barriers
✅ All previous 1:1s and data insights are stored in one place, removing the need to search for notes and actions from previous 1:1s
✅ We send reminders when goals and actions are nearing due dates, making it easy for people to stay on track
✅ We support anytime/anywhere conversations because we know the 9-5 doesn’t suit everyone
✅ We provide value-add coaching frameworks through our Lightbulb module to support highly effective conversations
✅ We recognise that every individual is different, and offer modules addressing motivation, feedback, wellbeing, personalised development plans as well as core performance in objectives and reviews.
If you’re looking to make 1:1 conversations easy and more effective in your organisation, get in touch with our team today or book your OpenBlend discovery call. We’d love to hear from you.