Employee Experience and Well-Being: The Competitive Edge in 2025 Staffing

Posted on 12/23 by Erin Helms

This isn’t your grandfather’s workplace anymore. Employees today want more than just to show up on time, do their eight hours, and get paid on a regular basis. If your company hasn’t yet begun to consider the employee experience and their well-being—both during the workday and outside of it—you’re already behind when it comes to recruiting new, talented candidates. As an employer, how your employees feel about their time on the job, their experience in the workplace, and whether they feel supported can heavily influence whether they stay on the job or move elsewhere, but it can also negatively affect what they tell friends and family members who might be looking for a new job about what it’s like to work for your company and what they tell people online. Here’s how to improve your employee experience and wellness in order to improve your overall standing and reputation with new candidates.

1. Work-life balance isn’t just a buzzword.

When the working day is done, everyone wants to have fun. Your employees want to be able to be off the clock and spend their personal time with their friends and family. Institute a new policy that no one will be contacted about anything work-related unless it’s an actual emergency. There should be no expectation of checking in while on vacation; there should be no expectation of checking email or messages at night or over the weekend unless it’s a very specific, rare event of the highest priority. This also extends to being flexible with your employees when it comes to adjusting schedules on an as-needed basis so they can attend activities for their children at school or attend medical appointments if they’re caring for a family member. There should be no indication or implication of guilt or punishment for having a life outside of work. Employees who feel their managers trust them to get their jobs done while allowing them to put a priority on their families are happier and less stressed at work, something that helps increase productivity and employee retention at the same time.

2. Look toward the future

Another priority among employees is the opportunity to continue to learn and develop new skills as they go. Mentoring and job shadowing programs within your company would help provide cross-training to allow for coverage if needed without decreasing productivity in addition to encouraging your employees to expand their interests and skills while under your roof. If possible, encourage your employees to pursue other training outside your company as well, from free YouTube and LinkedIn tutorials to programs offered at local colleges or vocational schools. Learning new skills is a great way to energize workers while adding to the abilities they bring to your company and it shows that you’re interested in investing in your employees as people. Everyone wins!

3. Offer feedback on a regular basis... and be willing to receive it

So often, companies only look at annual reviews as the time to provide feedback to their employees. This can leave people feeling unimportant and overlooked, plus it can allow problems to grow and fester until it’s too late to solve them. By checking in with your team regularly, you’re giving them the chance to improve their performance and productivity—but you’re also giving them the opportunity to speak up, directly, about any issues they’re having. Feedback conversations shouldn’t be a one-way street, either. Employees should be encouraged to speak up if something isn’t working correctly or is detrimental to the group; they also should be inspired to speak up and give credit to and celebrate their team when something new and innovative is successfully implemented. Employees who feel their voices are valued, because their concerns are taken seriously and their work is appreciated, are more likely to stay in their current jobs rather than look for a new one.

4. Evaluate your company culture

Do you acknowledge employee birthdays on a regular basis? Are people encouraged to represent and share their backgrounds and cultures? Are all families treated with respect and dignity? Employees want to work in an environment where diversity and differences are celebrated, not ignored or hidden away. Different viewpoints and the ability to bring new ideas to the table help enhance the strength of any team, allowing for creative problem-solving and innovative thoughts. Working in an environment in which everyone is respected and accepted for the entirety of who they are and where they come from has been shown to result in a more profitable, successful, and enduring company.

5. Support overall employee health

If your company offers medical insurance coverage as part of each employee’s benefits package, congratulations! That’s the beginning of a great employee health program. Do your employees know about all of the benefits of their medical insurance coverage, including any discounts to gyms or other wellness programs, mental health resources, and other tools? Make sure they do! The overall health of your employees reflects the overall health of your company. Having adequate staffing in place to allow people to take a day off if they’re sick—which they should be encouraged to do for the overall health of your entire team—and having access to tools to help them live a full and healthy life are signs that you see your employees as whole people, not just contributors to your bottom line.

It never hurts to tell people they matter to you and that you appreciate them. Employees who feel taken for granted and overworked not only spread apathy and resentment, they lead to poor online reviews for their employers and few things will dissuade new candidates than bad reviews. It’s hard out there to find good help, but LaborMax is here and ready to assist! Our recruiters can help you find great employees who have the skills and experience you’re looking for. Plus, they can offer advice on how to improve your company culture and make it a desirable place for new employees. We’re just a phone call away—when you’re ready to make a change, give LaborMax a call!