Are you and your colleagues struggling with the challenge of attracting the right candidates – and retaining them? Step into the employee’s shoes and meet their needs and expectations during the whole journey – from the job posting to the final day at work.
The Employee Journey – What Does It Mean?
Let’s start from the beginning – what do we really mean when we say employee journey? Well, something like this: maybe you have encountered the term customer journey? Nowadays, more organizations are mapping and evaluating the customer journey, to be able to view themselves from the perspective of the customer. The purpose is to gain an understanding of what generates positive experiences in the different stages of the buying process, but also, just as important, to understand what contributes to customer loyalty in the long run. The same model can be used to create an understanding of the employees’ needs and experiences during their journey with the employer – the employee journey.
In short, the employee journey is a term that covers everything surrounding the employees before, during, and after their employment – from the first contact to the final workday.
Which Stages Make Up the Employee Journey?
The exact terms and structure vary, but in many models, it is common to divide the employee journey into five stages:
- Attract. All activities aimed at increasing awareness about your employer brand (also known as employer branding).
- Recruit. The process that starts with the decision of recruiting or replacing a resource, and that (hopefully) ends with you hiring the candidate best suited for your requirements.
- Introduce (a.k.a. preboarding/onboarding). The process that focuses on providing the employee with the necessary tools to be able to operate in their new role and become part of the company culture and the team.
- Develop and retain. This stage begins when the new employee is confident and secure in their role. What does the employee need to grow and develop within your company over time?
- Exit (also knon as offboarding). The process of the employee leaving – whether it’s the employee’s or the employer’s decision.
Why Is the Employee Journey Especially Important Right Now?
The employee journey has become an increasingly important priority for HR. It is no longer just about giving new employees a good start or checking in on job satisfaction during annual reviews. In 2026, HR teams and managers need to understand the entire experience: how people are attracted, onboarded, developed, engaged and, ultimately, how they leave the organisation.
One important reason is that the world of work is changing rapidly. Gartner studies show that AI and HR technology, leadership development and change management are currently key priorities for many HR departments. At the same time, research indicates that employers need to improve the way they create working practices and a culture that enable people to adapt and grow alongside the organisation.
Where are the friction points today? Perhaps it takes too long for new employees to settle into their roles. Maybe dissatisfaction is not identified until someone has already decided to leave. Or perhaps employees are unsure about the development opportunities available to them. By following the employee journey step by step, it becomes easier to identify these signals at an early stage. Feedback and HR data can provide a clearer picture of what is working and where targeted action is needed, from onboarding and leadership to skills development and the work environment.
Taking a holistic approach to the employee journey can lead to benefits such as:
- increased engagement and improved well-being
- a stronger feedback culture
- reduced employee turnover
- higher productivity
- better skills development
- a stronger employer brand
- improved customer experiences and increased profitability
How to Boost Employee Engagement – 6 Tips
A Successful Employee Journey – 6 Tips for Managers and HR
Clearly, employers can benefit greatly from addressing the employee journey with a holistic approach. But as a manager or HR manager, which strategies and tools can you use to handle the challenges from start to finish? Join us to find out more!
1. Communicate your Why
On a market where the candidates have more freedom of choice than ever, it is crucial to stand out to attract the right talent. Offering good wages, (the right) job benefits, and secure terms of employment is, of course, important – but not enough. Job seekers today expect that you as an employer offer them a higher purpose and the possibility to make a difference. Why do you go to work every day? What is your vision, and where does your motivation come from? In other words: communicating not only what you do, but also why you do it, is a key component to stand out as an attractive employer that will both attract the talent and keep it.
2. Give a Professional Welcome
First impressions last! A warm welcome and a professional introduction sets the tone for the entire employee journey. For example, did you know that a structured onboarding process increases the chances of employee retention for three years or more with 69 %? Or that it can increase the productivity of the new employee with as much as 50 %?
Probably, we don’t have to remind you about the importance of having office space, computer, user accounts, keys, equipment, and maybe a welcome-to-work flower on the desk ready. However, there are a few additional things that you as an employer should consider:
- Maintain communication during the time between signed deal and the first day of employment – important in order to catch possible questions and cultivate the motivation of the employee.
- Schedule the first days of employment so that the new employee knows what will happen.
- Inform the other employees beforehand about an incoming co-worker and invite the new employee to social activities. Lastly, ask for feedback from the employee. How has the employee experienced their first time with your company? This way you will know how to improve your onboarding for next time.
3. Offer a Variety of Arenas for Feedback
How are things going, and how are you? Is there anything else you need to do a good job? What is your workload experience? Work environment? Cooperation with colleagues?As a manager you need to check in with your employees to ensure that they are OK – over, and over, and over.
Regularly conducting staff appraisals, follow-ups, and goal conversations, but also offering anonymous employee surveys, is important to assure that your employees are thriving and reaching their full potential – throughout the whole employee journey. This will also help you catch signals of illness, work environment problems, and other areas for improvement, to be able to resolve potential problems in time.
4. Monitor the Competencies – and Offer the Right Possibilities for Development
Offering different ways to grow and develop is an important component of success – both to attract new candidates and to motivate and retain current staff. In a rapidly changing world, it is crucial to have the right competencies in place to guarantee the success and competitiveness of the company.
Our Best Tips for Successful Competency Management:
- As we mentioned earlier: maintain an open dialogue with your employees. Stay curious and find out what it is that they like most (and least) about their current tasks. What skills do they want to develop? Which employee education are they interested in? Are there any new work tasks or roles within the organization that they would like to take on?
- Do a competency inventory where you document which competencies every employee has. Review and update the competence profiles regularly, for example along with your staff appraisals.
- Connect the competency inventory to the long-term goals and visions of the company. Which competencies are critical to secure your continuous success, and how can any vulnerabilities be reduced?
5. Benefit From Your Data
By extracting and compiling different types of data about the employees, for example through a dashboard for key figures, you can access detailed numbers concerning sick leave and employee retention, how these numbers differ between departments, and their development over time. By analysing why these figures look like they do, you will have the right conditions for taking accurate measures exactly when and where they are needed. Working data-driven is, in other words, an important factor for success during all stages of the employee journey.
6. Manage Exits Professionally
First impressions last, yes, but so do last impressions! A neat offboarding process once you go separate ways is key. By mindfully managing the final days and ensuring a positive experience for the employees, the odds of them becoming a good ambassador who speaks positively about you as an employer increase. The return of equipment and termination of mobile subscriptions are, of course, important steps, but don’t forget to set aside enough time for knowledge transfer to possible replacements.
Last, but not least, also remember to conduct an exit interview with the employee who is leaving – a good way to receive valuable feedback that will help you grow as employers.
Time to Work Smarter with the Employee Journey?
Do you work with HR or as a personnel manager? Do you want to digitalize and streamline the employee journey management? Flex HRM Employee is an HR-system that offers you a complete and user-friendly toolbox for every moment, from the hiring process to the exit process. Full control over onboarding and offboarding, employee dialogue, competence management, and important HR related key figures – everything in one place. Do you want to know more about the advantages? Don't hesitate to contact us!!
