In  workplace, employee experience  is no longer just the responsibility of HR; it’s a collaborative effort that includes people managers, IT, leadership, and even employees themselves.

As EX evolves, understanding who “owns” it is crucial to developing strategies that improve day-to-day HR operations and create a more engaged and satisfied workforce.

The SAP SuccessFactors HR Research team conducted the “What’s n(EX)t for EX” study and shared insights on the evolution of EX as a concept, who the owners are, how it is measured, and how AI might play a role in its future.

In the past, HR was the sole area responsible for employee experience and engagement in most organizations. This has evolved into a new ownership model endorsed by HR leaders, with four additional stakeholder groups that must coordinate their efforts to drive EX effectively: managers, IT, leadership, and employees themselves.

Role of HR in EX: Manage Process and Listen to Employees

From recruitment and onboarding to performance management and benefits, HR has always been seen as the primary owner of EX. But to truly enhance EX and demonstrate measurable results, HR must put particular focus on its responsibility for conducting employee listening. Only by listening to employees — either actively, through surveys and town halls, or passively, through social sentiment and monitoring tickets — can organizations understand the impact of their EX strategy and track towards their strategic goals.

As HR measures, reports, and acts on employee listening results, they should make sure to bring employees along: enable them with better information and encourage them to take a more active role. Otherwise, they might become fatigued by endless surveys that yield no results.

With solutions like the SAP employee experience management solutions by Qualtrics, HR gains access to AI-powered insights and action planning that help identify essential EX factors and enhancing EX factors. Essential factors are the “table-stakes” requirements that heavily impact employee experience and include fair pay, psychological safety, and adequate tools. Organizations should aim for 100% satisfaction in these factors. Enhancing factors are “nice-to-haves,” like flexible work arrangements, career development, and meaning and purpose. Focusing on a select group of enhancing factors can provide a unique value proposition for employees and candidates within an organization.

Role of Managers in EX:  Shape Day-to-Day Experience

Managers play a critical role in shaping the day-to-day experiences of their teams. Our research shows that managerial factors such as clear communication, support, and competence directly impact key essential EX factors like team relationships and psychological safety. Yet, many managers still face challenges in both resourcing and training that keep them from improving EX.

To bridge this gap, the SAP SuccessFactors HCM suite provides personalized insights through manager dashboards that track team sentiment and help organizations identify and develop top managerial talent. By equipping managers with the right resources, organizations create a culture of positive experiences and address the most impactful EX factors.

With SAP SuccessFactors Learning, organizations can offer managers resources for enablement and continuous development, tailored to their individual learning preferences and needs. To help managers empower their teams in upskilling and reskilling, AI-driven recommendations from the talent intelligence hub assist employees in discovering new growth opportunities, preparing them for future roles while helping those managers stay informed about internal mobility possibilities. This supports employees’ development and enables managers to find specific opportunities for their direct reports, creating a dynamic, growth-oriented environment that drives individual and organizational success.

Role of Leadership in EX: Set the Vision

Leadership sets the vision of what employee experience should look like at an organization. Alongside HR, leadership establishes the strategic goals and outcomes that the company expects from its EX strategy. Company leaders should be aware of employee listening results and communicate to the workforce regularly about how their feedback is being considered. In doing so, leadership establishes the importance of EX and encourages trust and transparency.

Role of IT in EX: Manage Technology and Harness the Power of AI

IT is responsible for the tools and technology that make up much of an employee’s working experience. As AI technology advances, it has come to play a more significant role in that experience. AI is helping organizations create a dynamic, inclusive, and future-ready workforce. SAP Business AI in HR helps improve employee and candidate experiences by optimizing interactions and delivering highly personalized experiences and career development plans. By integrating AI-driven HR solutions, organizations can improve essential and enhancing EX factors, from seamless onboarding to customized learning paths.

Improving the Experience of Every Employee: N(EX)t Steps

To truly transform EX, organizations must encourage a holistic approach with cross-functional collaboration, leveraging HR tech solutions that empower all stakeholders — HR, managers, IT, leadership, employees — to take ownership of the employee experience.

Now that you have more clarity on different departments’ roles in improving day-to-day operations, you can leverage this first-ever interactive strategic workbook to learn more about the essential and enhancing EX factors with hands-on exercises and expert insights based on research from the SAP SuccessFactors HR Research team.