Deloitte Digital proudly launched the Human Experience Advisory Board with an in-person event for senior executives who are leaders in the field of customer and workforce experience.
Attendees discussed new research on how to build trust with customers and workers and how the expectations of Generation Z are shaping the evolving experience economy. They also explored what “elevating the human experience” means for them personally, for their customers, and for their workforce.
At a time of increased disruption and disconnection, leaders have an opportunity – and arguably a responsibility – to put human values at the center of their customer and workforce experiences.
“We wake up as humans, first, not as customers of a product or employees of an organization,” said Amelia Dunlop, chief experience officer at Deloitte Digital. “We wanted to create a forum where leaders, many of whom are in new roles, can learn from and collaborate with each other and push the boundaries of what it means to take a human- equity-centered lens to delivering on experiences.”
The first in-person gathering of the HX Advisory Board was held at the Troutbeck hotel in July and included senior experience leaders from some of the largest and most influential businesses in the U.S.
Attendees received a sneak peek into Deloitte Digital’s new research and discussed many of the most salient subjects driving human experiences with organizations today, including:
+ The drivers of a positive workforce experience
+ Gaps between what members of Generation Z (Gen Z) expect from their bosses at work and what their bosses understand or are willing to deliver
Here are some of the key insights from the event:
Stacy Kemp, executive lead of Deloitte's CMO Program and a principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP, Miya Gray, VP of Customer Experience & Engagement at Pfizer, and Matt Ohlinger, head of Digital Experience at Vanguard
Courtney Sherman, principal at Deloitte, and co-leader of the Workforce Experience practice, discussed with senior experience leader Wendy Dowd the latest research exploring the drivers of workforce experience. The research revealed a hierarchy of workforce needs, ranging from ones that are more fundamental to those that truly differentiate and elevate workforce experiences. Technology, compensation, and benefits, for example, were seen as fundamental needs – they’re essential but play a lesser role in workplace experiences unless they’re not met. Conversely, employee growth, well-being, and leadership are key drivers of an elevated experience.
“Growth, including being afforded the opportunities to upskill and transition to modern roles, exhibited the strongest influence impacting key workforce experience metrics like satisfaction and the likelihood to stay at an organization,” Sherman shared.
The data indicated a significant mental health gap as well. Barely 50% of respondents feel their job is good for their mental health, and only three out of five feel their organizations care about their well-being. In contrast, for employees who believe their organization does care about their well-being, 80% agree their job is good for their mental health – showing organizations can directly and intentionally seek to close this gap.
By taking a human-centered design approach to workforce experience, senior experience leaders can uncover and solve for these workforce needs.
The team took the workforce experience research one step further by looking specifically at current and incoming Gen Z employees’ (those born between 1996 and 2001) needs and expectations on their own and in relation to their bosses. Dunlop hosted a conversation with Michael Pankowski, a new college graduate, Gen Z speaker, and author on the five values most important to members of Gen Z entering the workforce.
This research shows that while there is interest in making workplace changes in response to Gen Z values, numerous gaps exist – whether bosses are unaware of what Gen Z needs, unaligned with Gen Z’s expectations, or simply unequipped to deliver.
“To Gen Z, empathy is one of the most important characteristics that bosses should demonstrate to connect with them, yet empathy doesn’t make the top two characteristics on bosses’ radars according to our survey respondents,” Dunlop shared.
Building on the mental health gap uncovered in the workforce experience research, less than 50% of Gen Z think their managers help them maintain a healthy schedule, and 28% say they struggle with their mental health because of their managers.
“For Gen Z, we’re asking for bosses who really care about us as people first and foremost, not just as employees,” said Pankowski.
Understanding workforce drivers across generations will help organizations create more intentional workforce experiences.
Wendy Dowd, health care executive, and Lou Gretta, VP of Human Resources at Black & Decker, Inc., connecting during the event
“The first HX Advisory Board set the stage for discussing and elevating the human experience as the drivers of the experience economy continue to evolve,” said Simon McLain, principal at Deloitte and leader of the Customer Experience practice. Be on the lookout for the full reports of the research coming soon!
The next HX Advisory Board will take place virtually on October 20th and will focus on “invisible lived experiences,” particularly related to the topics of mental health and accessibility in observance of emotional wellness month. As Dunlop notes, “You don’t elevate anyone’s experience generally. You have to understand particular lived experiences, which include our invisible lived experiences."
If you’re a senior experience leader interested in joining the HX Advisory Board and would like an invitation to join our community of leaders at one of our upcoming our events, please reach out to Amelia Dunlop.
As chief experience officer at Deloitte Digital, Amelia Dunlop helps companies develop winning strategies that combine innovation, creativity, and digital strategy.
