What Netflix can teach HR leaders about employee engagement — Talent Works International
By: Talent Works
Tags: Employee Engagement, Hr Talent Management, Company Culture, HR, Talent Management

Right now, there’s nothing we all love more than a Netflix series or a film night in front of our favorite streaming service. It seems to be all anyone can talk about. The excitement of finding a new series is almost magical, and it’s the sort of enthusiasm employers wish could be translated to their business. So, what can we learn about employee engagement from Netflix? How can we ensure employees are as excited about work as they are that new series that they’re desperate to get back to?

After looking at what makes Netflix so popular, I’ve come up with a few suggestions:

Provide opportunity and options

One of the reasons that I think Netflix is so popular is the endless opportunity it provides. Of course, you have the series and movies that everyone feels they should watch, but really the options are endless. Having so many options available makes the viewers not only feel in control of what they’re watching, but it opens up a lot of opportunities. This is something that employers could mirror easily. Give your employees options, whether it’s a bit more flexibility in their working day or options for learning and development. Doing so will allow your team to feel more in control of their future and will reflect positively on your employer brand.

Personalize the experience

Another reason Netflix remains a giant of entertainment is its completely personalized experience. No user will get the same recommendations. The algorithm considers your tastes, preferences, and history, tailoring suggestions for films and series that it thinks you’ll like rather than showing you what everyone else in the world sees. Employers can mirror this too. Don’t miss out on treating your people as human beings. Each one of your team members has a different story, different motivations, and a set of goals personal to them. Personalization is the most significant trend in consumer behavior; it’s something we’re all growing accustomed to seeing. Is it time then that we brought this into the workplace? Is it something that our employees will expect?

Treat employees like individuals, and they’ll feel more respected. They’ll work harder for you, be more likely to stay, and help boost your employer brand. Think about personalizing aspects of the employee experience, from performance reviews and check-ins with managers to the onboarding process.

Get conversations flowing

You can guarantee that people are more likely to watch a series or film that their friends are all talking about too. So why not get the conversation flowing in your workplace about what you’re doing?

Like with any great series, the more it’s talked about, the more people watch. So, the more your employees discuss your company, especially online, the better your employer brand and chances of enticing top talent in the new year.

You can also build up excitement about current projects and start conversations with and between your team members. It will boost engagement rates and make you feel like a much more exciting place to work. As we’re still working remotely, the art of office conversation has been lost. However, by instigating exciting discussions about your company, you may reunite teammates that have lost their close connection.

Be inclusive

Another great thing about Netflix is it’s inclusive. The platform has more than 20 available languages, which is always expanding. It provides subtitles and audio description as well as being compatible with many different hearing aids. This inclusivity means it’s available to everyone, and no one is left behind. To succeed and improve employee engagement, your company culture should be the same. Think about how you can diversify your workforce and make your organization more inclusive. Whether it’s reviewing your accessibility for disabled colleagues, considering making your hiring process more equal and removing unconscious bias, or even finding a way to make women leaders more prominent in your business, there are so many steps that can be taken to create an inclusive workplace. Diverse workplaces are full of creativity, more productive, and more enjoyable places to work; you’ll see a boost in employee engagement as well as a positive reflection on your employer brand.

Create a simple experience

Finally, one thing I love about Netflix is its simplicity. It really couldn’t be any easier to use, and I think this is a secret to its success. Scroll, search, and select; then, you have hours of entertainment. This is something that I feel can be translated into both the candidate experience and the employee experience within a business too.

Firstly, your candidate experience cannot afford to be over complicated in today’s market. If an application takes too long, candidates won’t even bother applying. It makes your business look behind the times and can mean candidates dedicate a lot of time and effort for no results. Simplifying the candidate experience will improve their perceptions of you as an employer from the get-go.

Secondly, don’t make like difficult for your employees. Create an easy experience across all stages of your business. It should be painless for your staff to contact HR or managers; they should be able to book time off easily, and you should automate any jobs that can help you save time. Your internal processes should be clear and straightforward, don’t overcomplicate them just because it’s the way things have always been done. Your employees will thank you, and their experience working for you will be improved dramatically if you remove unnecessary processes and added stresses.

If you’d like to talk about your company culture, refining your employer brand, or developing an EVP to roll out across your workplace, Talent Works has experts that can help. Contact us to start your conversation.