Humanized Employee Experience - HEX

Welcome back to The Digital User when I started this website it was with the intention and goal to explore, inform, and educate on the Digital Employee Experience, what it meant and to show how it can improve the experience of the employee in the workplace to the benefit of companies. 

One of the goals was to help demystify and explain the various definitions used and explore the tools used within the DEX space.

As I explored this I was introduced to the concept of humanizing IT which I have mentioned in previous articles, this took me on a different journey than I expected, the more I explored and traveled down this journey, the more I realized that the Digital Employee Experience is only part of the transformation I can see coming to the user's experience and the interaction employees have with the services that they consume within their roles.

In this article I explore a new concept or at least discuss it in a way that I have not seen before, I have seen it talked about in the form of Humanizing IT and the introduction of human-centric Design, as the combination of Customer Experience and User Experience or in some cases the fight between Customer Experience and User Experience. 

I have taken a lot from the Humanizing IT to help put  into my words a possible new concept called Humanized Employee Experience, or in short HEX. This article explores this in more detail and outlines the HEX Sphere and its six pillars.

I hope people will read and share their thoughts and opinions, and I am curious if anyone else has seen or heard of the Humanized Employee Experience being used in conversation before.

I hope others who are also passionate and looking to the future of innovation in this space will reach out to me and join me on my journey.

Companies large or small have Employees, Customers, and Users, all of these perform different functions and roles within the companies.

in my thoughts companies have two types of customers. The traditional definition of a customer is "an individual or organization that purchases goods or services from a business." This definition mainly pertains to an external customer, who is the end-user or client receiving the final product or service.

However, within a business, there are also internal customers. These are employees or departments within the organization that utilize the goods, services, or support provided by other parts of the company. By doing so, they contribute to the overall process of delivering value to the external customer. Internal customers play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of business activities, ultimately enhancing the satisfaction and experience of external customers. Recognizing and addressing the needs of both internal and external customers is essential for maintaining cohesive and efficient business operations.  

The users are the employees or departments within the organization that deliver goods, services, or support to internal customers. This, in turn, facilitates the delivery of goods, services, or support to external customers. Therefore, employees can be categorized as both internal customers and users, playing a crucial role in the overall process. 

I have been delving into this topic extensively, and one of my key sources has been Katrina Macdermid of HIT Global, who provides training on the concept of Humanizing IT and transforming the Service Desk into the Employee Help Desk. 

Another valuable resource is "The DEX Show"  which offers insightful conversations that have significantly shaped my views and connected me with like-minded individuals. 

Additionally, Simon Townsend and Jon Leighton, have been instrumental in refining my understanding through thought-provoking questions and engaging late-night discussions. 

The image depicts the relationships within a fictional company called Digital X, focusing on the interactions among Employees, Customers, and Users, with the goods and services and services they deliver. 

Before we delve deeper into the concept of an Employee Help Desk, let's first take a brief look at the history of the help desk and its evolution into the service desk with the development of the ITIL framework.

In the early 1980s, the help desk emerged as a support system primarily focused on resolving common issues such as password resets, access permissions, asset tracking, and user fix-and-repair services. As businesses grew and technology advanced, the need for a more structured approach to IT service management became evident.

By the late 1980s, the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) framework was developed. ITIL is a set of best practices for IT service management designed to align IT services with business needs. Its goal is to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and customer satisfaction. This shift marked the transition from the basic help desk to the more comprehensive service desk, which not only addressed immediate technical issues but also aimed to optimize overall IT service delivery in support of business objectives.

The first image below illustrates the interactions and communication paths between different departments of a company, highlighting the complexity and confusion this can create for employees. To improve the employee experience, tools have been developed over the past few years to monitor and quantify the user experience using a "Digital Experience Score" (DEX Score). These DEX tools have primarily focused on aspects of the company delivered by IT services.

In contrast, the second image presents a simpler approach for employees, where they connect with a single point of contact: the Employee Help Desk. This approach extends the Digital Employee Experience beyond IT services to include Human Resources (HR) and introduces a new concept of a Humanized Employee Experience (HEX), streamlining communications and interactions through the Employee Help Desk.

Before we delve into the concept of Humanized Employee Experience (HEX), it's crucial to establish a clear understanding of Digital Employee Experience, commonly abbreviated as DEX.  But establishing the that clear understanding is not easy as you can see from the many different definitions of what the DEX is. 

This term encompasses all digital interactions that employees have with their workplace technology, from communication tools and software applications to automated systems and help desks. An effective DEX strategy can significantly enhance employee satisfaction, productivity, and overall engagement by streamlining these interactions and making them more intuitive.

To fully grasp the scope and impact of DEX, let’s consider several definitions provided by leading industry experts and vendors. These perspectives highlight the diverse approaches and priorities in optimizing digital environments within the workplace.

The definitions discussed primarily concentrate on how users interact with the Digital Workplace, which is driven by technology and data analytics. Understanding this is crucial for enhancing the "Digital Employee Experience." Additionally, these definitions touch upon employee sentiment, an initial step towards fostering employee engagement, though they do not yet incorporate empathy.

Gartner highlights several tools, such as "self-healing automation," "self-service portals," and "chatbots," that aid IT leaders in enhancing the digital experience for employees and allow them to shift their focus from managing technology to adding more value to the business. These tools suggest a move towards a more Humanized Employee Experience.

ControlUp, with insights from Simon Townsend, has provided a DEX (Digital Employee Experience) maturity model. I’ve noticed similar models used at other companies, although I’m uncertain if I can share those examples. This model emphasizes progressively deepening our understanding of how technology performs for customers, users, and employees. It aims to leverage this understanding to enhance the technology for the user's benefit. 

Andrew Hewitt of Forrester has described the third stage of a maturity model as "Extending Beyond IT." While I'm keen on discussing this further with Andrew himself, for now, I'm intrigued to delve into how this concept of extending beyond IT could elevate the Digital Employee Experience into what I call  the "Humanized  Employee Experience.

As I pondered how to achieve this, I recognized the importance of first defining the essence of humanity. This led me to inquire with ChatGPT about the key characteristics necessary to embody humanity, and the response was illuminating.

When considering modern IT and Employee Experience, it's common to prioritize qualities like Communication, Adaptability, and Resilience. However, the essence of human experience, whether positive or negative, is deeply rooted in our emotions, which are profoundly influenced by Empathy, Language, Communication, and Morality.

Expanding beyond the confines of "Digital Employee Experience" to embrace a more human-centric approach involves transforming interactions at the Service Desk. 

By shifting the terminology from "Service Desk" to "Employee Help Desk," we inherently convey empathy and foster a mindset conducive to Helpful and Empathetic interactions.
With this ethos in mind, we can embark on reimagining the traditional Service Desk into an Employee Help Desk. This entails carefully selecting tools, designing processes, and implementing training programs, all with a central focus on cultivating empathy as the driving force.

During a brainstorming session, the concept of "HEX SPHERE" emerged as a potential framework. This framework envisions a layered approach where services, processes, and technology intersect to deliver a truly humanized IT experience.