While these events are powerful in boosting morale and camaraderie, they become even more impactful when combined with a comprehensive Employee Experience (EX) strategy. The true measure of employee satisfaction lies in an EX Map that encompasses every aspect of the employee journey. 

Today’s workforce seeks a holistic approach to their work experience, fulfilling modern employees’ expectations as stakeholders. This is where a well-defined EX Map comes in. By moving beyond a myopic focus on individual moments or touchpoints, organizations cultivate a deeper sense of engagement and a shared sense of purpose among their employees. 

Through effective EX mapping, event professionals bring a big-picture perspective to employee engagement and turn it into meaningful, authentic brand movements. 

When we work with our clients to map their employee experience, we focus on five core pillars: Declaring, Framing, Engaging, Surrounding, and Modeling. These pillars work together to shape a meaningful employee journey that fosters a positive and productive workplace culture.

Let’s dive in!

Declaring

Communications that define the employee experience

The employee experience should spark a fire in your workforce to create a shared sense of purpose that fuels engagement and results. This begins with the Declaring pillar, the foundation of any strong EX strategy. 

Declaring is all about boldly communicating your values, mission, and vision — the guiding light that draws teams together and ignites passion for the work you do. 

To make your Declaration sing, try some of these tactics:

• Communications Platforms: Consider your comms platform a digital stage for sharing consistent, targeted information with your team. Ditch the outdated employee handbooks and instead leverage internal websites, intranets, and social collaboration tools to deliver resonating messages. Think bite-sized content, interactive elements—anything that keeps people engaged and informed. 
• Anthem Videos: There’s no denying that a well-crafted video is pure gold. Sparking inspiration and tugging at heartstrings, these videos capture an organization’s culture, values, and goals to foster a sense of unity and motivation. Use powerful visuals, stirring music, motivational messages, and even an inside joke to rally the team.  
• Microsites: Design dedicated online spaces, such as virtual town halls or event microsites, where employees can easily access information, resources, and updates relevant to them. Convenience is key!

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Framing

Storytelling that showcases success and meaning at a group and individual level

The Framing pillar, the second in the EX map, leans into the power of good storytelling. It engages teams through real-life stories about your organization's brand heroes. This pillar uses storytelling to highlight your employees' achievements and impact, both individually and collectively. 

When you highlight the amazing things your people are doing, you create a sense of belonging, pride, and motivation that fuels engagement and keeps your team feeling like they are making a real difference. 

Here’s how to bring it into the spotlight:

• Employee Stories: Did someone reach a career-milestone sales goal? Maybe someone received a local community award for their volunteer service. Celebrate your team by sharing authentic stories of their journeys, challenges, and victories. Blog posts, videos, and podcasts are all avenues for sharing employee stories. 
• Awards and Recognition: Our recent research shows that recognition is a rising priority among professionals. Implement a killer awards program that acknowledges and celebrates outstanding contributions. Festivalized awards nights, adventurous incentive trips, and even personalized gifts show you genuinely appreciate the hard work. 
• Social Media: The rest of the world should also know about the amazing things your team is doing! Promote employee stories and accomplishments on your company’s social media channels. This rewards your employees with public kudos and enhances your organization’s brand and reputation, a win-win.

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Engaging

Initiatives that build audiences, awareness, consideration, conversation, and conversion

Now that you have a great story to tell, it’s time to get your team excited about it. After all, a truly engaged workforce is a conversation, not a lecture. 

The "Engaging" pillar focuses on building active engagement and interaction among team members—capturing attention, sparking discussions, and encouraging people to jump in and be part of something bigger. So, how do you turn your brand stories into conversations?

• Well-Timed Communications: Don’t throw information into a void. Strategically launch and intercept communications to coincide with key events, launches, or company changes. Catch your team’s attention during crucial moments when they’re most receptive. 
• Channel Surfing: Everyone has a preferred way to consume content and information. Extend the reach of your key messages by offering them through various channels. Email, infographics, interactive webinars—the more options you provide, the more likely you are to connect with everyone on the team.
• Swag On Purpose: Everyone loves a good freebie, and there is so much potential beyond a logo on a t-shirt. Offer branded merchandise or incentives that foster a sense of pride and belonging. Invest in high-quality items that people want to use and wear.
  
  

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Surrounding

Programs that transform preferences and pull people into behavior change‍

The "Surrounding" pillar aims to transform the physical and virtual environments where your employees work in ways that align with the desired employee experience. This pillar is about creating immersive environments that go beyond breakrooms and cubicles to reinforce cultural values and behaviors. 

Are your work environments truly reflecting your culture? Here’s how to surround your team with an experience that inspires:

• Environmental Branding: Transform physical spaces with branding elements that reflect the organization's values and culture. Inspiring artwork, comfortable collaboration zones, and even social areas like a patio or lounge help create a sense of identity and make people feel good about where they work. 
• Pop-Up Experiences: Create temporary, engaging experiences within the workplace that generate excitement and encourage interaction. Think innovation challenges, themed lunches, and pickleball tournaments. 
• Activations: Organize events and activities that immerse employees in the desired experience. Bringing your team back in-office? Host an internal hackathon to drum up enthusiasm. Want to strengthen your brand’s role in the local community? Organize a volunteer day. The key is to get people moving, collaborating, and feeling a deeper connection to the company. 

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Modeling

Champions that elevate peer-to-peer expectations inside and outside of the company‍

The final pillar in the EX Map, Modeling focuses on cultivating a community of employee champions. These individuals walk the walk, embody your company values, and inspire their peers. These are your brand ambassadors, setting the standard for a positive and productive work environment. 

How do you turn Jamie from HR into a brand ambassador? It starts with building a program that empowers and motivates. 

• Ambassador Brand Definition: Clearly define the qualities and behaviors that brand ambassadors should exemplify, aligning them with the organization's values.
• Ambassador Playbooks: Equip ambassadors with a toolkit of brand assets, resources, and strategies to effectively promote the desired employee experience. Social media templates, talking points, and access to exclusive training or events are great places to start. 
• Ambassador-Specific Recognition: Everyone loves kudos, especially your company champions. Offer unique incentives and rewards to show appreciation for their role and encourage continued engagement. This could be exclusive experiences, personalized gifts, or public shoutouts on your internal comms platform or social media. 

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By effectively implementing each of these five pillars—Declaring, Framing, Engaging, Surrounding, and Modeling— organizations create a robust and impactful employee experience that fosters engagement, collaboration, and a strong sense of belonging. 

Want a custom EX Map? Start here!