Skip to content

Creating an Intentional Employee Experience Strategy: How to Understand Your People and Build a Workplace They Love

 

In most organisations, employee experience happens by accident. A few well-meaning ideas, a couple of HR initiatives, the occasional staff survey... and that’s about it.

But the companies with truly engaged, motivated, loyal teams? They aren’t winging it.
They’re intentionally designing employee experiences the same way they design customer journeys, products, and long-term strategies.

A thoughtful employee experience strategy isn’t about expensive perks or fancy offices. It’s about understanding the real needs of your people and shaping every touchpoint of their work life, from onboarding to daily interactions, from communication to workplace comfort; in a deliberate, meaningful, and human way.

This guide walks you through how to do exactly that.

Intentional Employee Experience Strategy

1. Start With One Question: How Do Our Employees Actually Experience Work?

Most companies assume they know. But if you ask employees, their answers might surprise you.

Start by exploring:

  • What helps them do their best work?

  • What frustrates them?

  • What slows them down?

  • What motivates them?

  • What makes them feel valued (or undervalued)?

This is your baseline, and the heart of an intentional employee experience strategy.

Gather insights from multiple sources:

  • Anonymous surveys

  • One-on-one interviews

  • Stay interviews (not just exit interviews)

  • Informal conversations

  • Feedback from managers

  • Observations around the office

The patterns you uncover will shape everything that comes next.

2. Map the Employee Journey From Start to Finish

Employees don’t experience work in one big chunk, they experience it through moments.

Your goal is to understand (and optimise) each one.

Key stages to map:

  1. Attraction (brand reputation, job ads, reviews)

  2. Recruitment

  3. Onboarding

  4. First 90 days

  5. Development & growth

  6. Recognition & rewards

  7. Daily work & culture

  8. Wellbeing & support

  9. Promotions or role changes

  10. Exit experience

For each stage, ask:

  • What is the employee thinking and feeling?

  • What is working well?

  • What usually goes wrong?

  • What could deliver a deeper sense of connection, purpose, or momentum?

This journey map becomes the blueprint for your strategy.

3. Identify Key Needs: People First, Not Perks First

An intentional employee experience strategy is based on needs, not assumptions.

Across industries, employees usually express needs in five categories:

1. Clarity

Clear expectations, consistent communication, transparent leadership.

2. Capability

Training, tools, and resources that support their role.

3. Community

A sense of belonging, positive team culture, psychological safety.

4. Comfort

A workspace that is clean, safe, functional, and inspiring.

5. Contribution

The feeling that their work has meaning and impact.

When you understand these needs, the solutions become obvious, and far more effective.

4. Build a Strategy With Intentionality, Not "Good Intentions"

Great workplaces don’t happen by accident. Here’s how to design yours with purpose:

✔ Start with your company values. Your strategy should reflect who you are, not who you think you “should” be.

✔ Prioritise the biggest impact areas. Employee experience is broad, focus on high-value moments first.

✔ Involve employees in the design. Co-create solutions rather than imposing them. People support what they help build.

✔ Balance culture with practicality. Warm culture + efficient structure = a workplace that works.

✔ Make decisions using employee data. Use real insights rather than guesswork. Intentionality means every initiative has a reason, and a measurable outcome.

5. Strengthen Communication: The Foundation of Employee Experience

You can redesign the office, invest in leadership training, or launch new benefits; but if your communication is unclear or inconsistent, employee experience will crumble.

Build communication that is:

  • Transparent

  • Predictable

  • Two-way

  • Respectful

  • Actionable

Consider improving:

  • Manager-to-team updates

  • Leadership communication

  • Internal newsletters

  • Slack or Teams etiquette

  • Feedback loops

  • Decision transparency

Employees feel part of something bigger when communication is strong.

6. Elevate Onboarding (Your Most Important Experience Moment)

If you improve only one stage of the employee journey, improve onboarding.

Research shows that high-quality onboarding:

  • Boosts retention

  • Increases performance

  • Accelerates confidence

  • Strengthens culture

A strategic onboarding experience includes:

  • A clear 30/60/90-day plan

  • A welcome kit or personalised touch

  • Time with leaders

  • Job-specific training

  • Introductions to key collaborators

  • A “buddy” or mentor

  • Early wins to build momentum

The goal is simple: Make employees feel prepared, supported, and excited; not overwhelmed and lost.

 

7. Design Your Workplace Environment With Purpose

Employee experience isn’t just digital or cultural, it’s physical.

Your office environment influences mood, focus, productivity, and wellbeing. When designing your space:

Consider:

  • Lighting

  • Noise levels

  • Cleanliness

  • Ergonomics

  • Layout

  • Plants and aesthetics

  • Breakout areas

  • Temperature comfort

  • Hygiene and air quality

A well-designed workspace tells employees: "We thought about you."

8. Create a Culture of Growth (Not Random Training)

Employees today want more than a job, they want growth.

But “growth” doesn’t just mean promotions. Consider:

✔ Skill development: Formal training, shadowing, e-learning, workshops.

✔ Stretch opportunities: Special projects, cross-functional assignments.

✔ Career pathways: Clarity around what advancement looks like.

✔ Coaching and feedback: Regular check-ins, not yearly performance reviews.

Growth is one of the strongest predictors of retention, and one of the most overlooked elements of employee experience.

9. Recognition: Small Moments, Big Impact

An intentional employee experience strategy includes meaningful recognition, not just at annual presentations, but consistently throughout the year.

Mix up your recognition style:

  • One-on-one appreciation

  • Peer shoutouts

  • Team celebrations

  • Recognition platforms

  • Surprise treats or gestures

  • “Thank you” messages from leadership

People remember how you make them feel, not how many perks you offer.

10. Prioritise Wellbeing (Not Just Wellness Programs)

Corporate wellness programs are great, but wellbeing is deeper than free yoga or fruit bowls.

Employees need support in the areas that matter most:

  • Mental health

  • Flexibility

  • Workload balance

  • Psychological safety

  • Respect and inclusion

  • Physical workspace comfort

  • Access to help when needed

A wellbeing-first approach signals that your company cares about its people, not just their output.

11. Track the Employee Experience Continuously

Your strategy is not a one-time project, it’s a cycle.

Use ongoing feedback to guide improvements:

  • Quarterly pulse surveys

  • Monthly manager check-ins

  • Annual engagement surveys

  • Anonymous suggestion channels

  • Regularly updated people metrics

An intentional strategy evolves as your workforce evolves.

12. Don't Overlook the Role of Workplace Environment Upkeep

Here’s the part many organisations forget: The employee experience is heavily shaped by the day-to-day environment.

A clean, well-maintained, hygienic workspace influences morale, comfort, and professionalism more than most companies realise.

This is where choosing a reliable commercial cleaning provider becomes essential; not just for cleanliness, but for employee wellbeing.

A great example is Cleancorp (that's us!), an Australian commercial cleaning company trusted by thousands of businesses. Their professional teams help create a consistently clean, healthy office environment, a key part of any intentional employee experience strategy.

When your workspace looks and feels cared for, your employees feel cared for too.

Thinking about switching cleaning providers

13. Bring Everything Together: Build Your Employee Experience Roadmap

Now that you’ve done the groundwork, it’s time to create your roadmap.

Include:

  • Key priorities

  • Short-term wins

  • Long-term initiatives

  • Success metrics

  • Responsibilities

  • Timeline

  • Communication plan

Think of this as your North Star; the guide that ensures intentionality stays at the heart of how you treat your people.

Final Thoughts on Intentional Experience Strategy

An intentional employee experience strategy isn’t about gimmicks, perks, or trying to be the “coolest” workplace. It’s about genuinely understanding your people and designing every touchpoint of their work life (physical, cultural, emotional, and professional) with purpose.

When you listen deeply, design thoughtfully, and act consistently, you create not just a workplace, but a community. And that’s what keeps people committed, motivated, and proud of where they work.

Even small improvements like clearer communication, cleaner environments, more supportive managers, and better onboarding can transform the way your employees experience work.

Start intentionally today, and watch your culture, retention, and performance thrive.