Tunnel vision of funnel vision?

Should employee engagement be viewed through an HR lens or a customer funnel? If attraction, retention and loyalty is on the line, it’s time to adopt a new employee engagement funnel.

Photo by Melanie Deziel on Unsplash

In today’s competitive environment, companies obsess over the customer experience, meticulously nurturing every touchpoint from awareness to advocacy. But what about the employee journey? Imagine if companies viewed employee engagement through the lens of a customer funnel, dedicating the same level of care to each stage of the employee journey to drive loyalty and advocacy, just like they do for their customers. They could and should, and here's why.

Is it time for an employee engagement funnel?

The employee journey mirrors the customer journey in several key ways, making the adoption of a customer funnel approach a game-changer for companies. Just as customers move through stages of awareness, consideration, purchase, and loyalty, employees experience a similar progression: from learning about the company, evaluating if it's a good fit, committing to join and ultimately becoming loyal advocates. By applying a customer funnel mindset to the employee journey, companies can systematically enhance each stage of the employee journey, from attracting top talent with strong employer branding to retaining them through continuous mentorship and skills development.

How do the different stages align?

Attracting top talent mirrors customer acquisition, capturing attention through a compelling brand and a seamless recruitment process. The onboarding phase parallels the initial customer experience and is crucial for setting expectations and fostering early loyalty. Continuous engagement, which is similar to nurturing customer relationships, requires ongoing communication, recognition, and development opportunities. And, just as customers value personalised experiences, employees thrive on individualised career paths and growth. Feedback mechanisms for employees are as vital as customer feedback loops, ensuring their voices shape the company’s evolution. Ultimately, engaged employees become loyal advocates, driving productivity and innovation from within.

What are the five stages of the employee engagement funnel?

To harness the power of the Employee Engagement Funnel, we need to break it down into its 5 key stages and the strategic actions required to enhance each stage of the journey.

1. Attraction (awareness and interest)

Employer branding: Just as customers are drawn to brands, potential employees are attracted to companies with strong, positive reputations. Highlight your company culture, values and success stories on social media, job boards, and your company website.

Recruitment marketing: Use targeted campaigns to reach top talent. Share employee testimonials, behind-the-scenes videos, and thought leadership content to showcase why your company is a great place to work.

2. Onboarding (consideration and evaluation)

Seamless integration: A smooth onboarding process sets the tone for the entire employee journey. Ensure you provide comprehensive orientation programmes, mentorship opportunities and clear communication about every role and expectation.

Early engagement: Foster early engagement through team-building activities, introductory meetings with key stakeholders and access to necessary resources and tools.

3. Development (commitment)

Continuous learning: Offer ongoing training and development opportunities tailored to individual career goals. Invest in e-learning platforms, workshops and seminars to keep skills sharp and relevant.

Career pathing: Develop clear career progression plans, providing employees with a vision of their future within the company and how this aligns to the company purpose.

4. Retention (loyalty)

Recognition and rewards: Implement robust recognition programmes that celebrate achievements and milestones. Use digital platforms for real-time recognition.

Employee wellbeing: Prioritise mental and physical wellbeing through wellness programmes, flexible work arrangements and a supportive working environment.

5. Engagement (advocacy)

Employee feedback: Create channels for regular feedback, such as surveys, suggestion boxes and town hall meetings. Act on this feedback to demonstrate that employee voices are both valued and impactful.

Internal ambassadors: Encourage employees to become brand ambassadors by sharing their positive experiences on social media and participating in recruitment efforts. You can also celebrate and publicise their contributions to strengthen their sense of belonging and pride.

By adopting an “Employee Engagement Funnel”, companies can systematically enhance the employee journey, creating a dedicated, high-performing workforce that drives organisational success. This strategic approach will not only ensure that employees feel valued, supported and motivated, but will ultimately lead to higher retention rates and a more dynamic, innovative and engaged workforce.

Need help creating your employee engagement funnel?

icandi CQ specialises in internal communications and is a full-service digital brand, communication and employee experience agency. As relevant changemakers who unlock creativity for workplaces, we help companies build high performing, purpose-driven cultures, from the inside out. Email az.oc.qcidnaci@mik for solutions that deliver measurable results.