What is EX- Employee Experience?

In today’s workplace, where loyalty is fragile, engagement is low, and turnover is costly,  Employee Experience, or EX, is becoming a strategic priority but is it just another buzzword, or something much more fundamental?

Let’s explore what EX truly means and why measuring it is no longer optional.

What Is Employee Experience?

EX is the sum of every interaction an employee has with an organization from the first job ad they see to their last day on the team. It’s not just about onboarding or benefits, it’s the tone of emails, the clarity of goals, the frequency of feedback, and the way decisions are communicated. Every meeting without purpose. Every unread message. Every rushed 1:1. All of it shapes how people feel about their work… and, in turn, affects their motivation, mental health, and performance.

What Do the Numbers Say?

The research is clear:

1. Companies with strong EX see 21% higher profitability and 17% greater productivity (Gallup).
2. 70% of employees with a positive experience report greater loyalty and a lower risk of burnout (McKinsey).
3. In Poland, only 38% of companies regularly measure employee satisfaction (HRM Institute, 2023).
4. In the UK, it’s 37%. In the US, over 50% (WorkBuzz, DecisionWise).
5. More than 80% of companies measure onboarding and offboarding, but what about the everyday experience in between?

Why Don’t More Companies Measure EX-Employee Experience?

Despite the data, many organizations still avoid regular EX- Employee Experience assessments. Why?

1. Fear of uncomfortable results and not knowing what to do next (Forbes),
2. Limited resources: budget, time, tools,
3. Organizational cultures that resist feedback or view it as risky,
4. Belief that surveys won’t change anything or that EX is just “HR’s job.”

Let’s be clear: without asking how people feel at work, we can’t expect to create better workplaces.

EX– Starts With Leadership

EX isn’t owned only by HR – it lives in everyday leadership behaviour. In how managers listen. In how they recognize effort, offer autonomy, and respond to subtle signs of stress or disconnection.

Gallup reports that 70% of team engagement is directly influenced by the manager, leadership style is one of the most powerful levers for building, or breaking, employee experience.

What Can You Do Today?

1. Ask for input: not once a year, but regularly and genuinely.
2. Empower autonomy: let people work in ways that suit their strengths.
3. Create rituals: weekly check-ins, shared moments, and small habits that foster belonging.

EX-Employee Experience Is Not a Cost, but an Investment

Investing in EX isn’t about expensive perks or glossy career pages. It’s a strategic commitment to people: how we treat them, support them, and include them in the evolution of our organizations.

Because a company where people want to work is a company that’s built to win not just today, but in the long term.

Employee Experience: Trend or the Foundation of a Healthy Organization?

Employee Experience (EX) is not a passing trend, but a key foundation of a modern and healthy organization. It’s an approach that aligns employee needs with company goals, resulting in greater engagement, loyalty, and team efficiency. In an era of increasing competition for talent and challenges related to sustainable development, EX is becoming a strategic tool for building an organizational culture that supports employee well-being and long-term business growth.