The Employee Experience in HR Marketing: A Catalyst for Managerial Innovation

Abstract

In a context marked by digital transformation, changing employee needs and a fierce war for talent, companies face many challenges in attracting and retaining the best talent. A good HR marketing strategy is therefore the obvious solution to this problem. To achieve this, companies need to respond to the growing expectations of the new generation of employees, namely clarity of objectives, personal development and work-life balance. These elements are essential for a positive experience at work.

The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of a positive employee experience on the attractiveness and retention of employees in an environment overwhelmed by digital transformation.  The study is based on a literature review exploring academic works and case studies of companies that have integrated a people-centered approach and digital into their HR strategy. To this end, it relies in particular on the Social Exchange Theory and the Self-Determination Theory, which provide a conceptual framework for the analysis of the relationships between these variables.

Our findings show that a positive employee experience strengthens the employer brand, improves talent attractiveness and promotes talent engagement. While the majority of research agrees on the benefits of digital for improving business processes in general and HR marketing in particular, few studies link it to the concept of employee experience. The contribution of our study is to cross-reference these two increasingly emerging concepts.

Classification JEL: O15

Paper type: Theoretical Research