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Employee experience journey map: A complete guide + example + template

Today, we are all obsessed with the experience of the customer. However, only some seem to care about employee experience. This makes no sense whatsoever.

It is common to think that customers are the drivers of our business. And while this is true, imagine what would happen if all employees from your company decided to take a couple of days off, stay home, and watch Netflix? This would be a disaster. Yet, many companies still don't see the importance of designing a better employee experience.

• 1 What is an employee journey?
• 2 Benefits of employee journey mapping
• 3 Employee experience journey mapping
• 4 What to map?
• 5 Employee journey stages
• 6.1 Start with employee experience research
• 6.2 Produce an employee persona
• 6.3 Map the employee experience journey
• 7 What’s next?
• 8 Wrapping up

What is an employee journey?

Put simply, an employee journey is the complete experience an individual has while they're employed at an organization, starting from the day they apply for the job until the day they leave. Such a journey includes every interaction they have with the organization, whether it's having a conversation with a manager, participating in a training session, or attending a team meeting. Think of it like a story that unfolds over time, each chapter representing a different part of the work life.

For example, consider Steve, who just got a job at a technology firm. His employee journey starts with applying for a job, getting an interview invitation, and having the interview. Then he has the second interview and receives the job offer, which moves Steve to the next stage — his first day of work, where he's welcomed by his colleagues and continues as he works on projects, receives feedback, and grows his skills. 

Over the years, Steve might get promoted, switch to different roles within the company, or take part in special programs. His journey captures all these experiences right up until his retirement party or the moment he leaves the company, capturing the entire arc of his career at the firm.

Benefits of employee journey mapping

Why is it essential to know the state of your employees’ journeys and improve them? Many smart companies all over the world are using a very effective idea. They treat their employees really well, just like they do with their customers. 

They've figured out that this is super important. In this paragraph, we'll explain why this is a big deal and how it can make companies much better in today's world.

Here are a few down-to-earth points as to why you should take employee experience seriously:

• Employee engagement means customer success. Did you know engaged employees are almost 90% less likely to leave their company compared to employees who have a low level of engagement? Leave alone the fact that engaged employees are a lot more productive.
• Employees come at a great cost . And it’s not just about money. Customers do not interact with CEOs. They interact with front-desk staff, customer support, sales, you name it. Mistakes of these people may seriously damage your company’s reputation. That alone is a good reason to start thinking about designing a better employee experience.
• Word of mouth. Finally, just like a great customer product, an outstanding employee experience gets spread by word of mouth. It becomes one of the ways you attract talented people to the company.
• Enhanced onboarding and retention. By understanding the employee journey, organizations can create a more structured and engaging onboarding process. This will help new hires become productive more quickly and feel a greater sense of belonging, which can reduce turnover rates.

Now that we’re on the same page regarding the importance of designing a better experience for employees at a company, it’s time to proceed to actionable to-dos.

Read also: Case study on improving the employee journey

Employee experience journey mapping

One of the proven approaches to analyzing, understanding, and enhancing the employee experience and employee journeys is a great technique called customer journey mapping.

Not familiar with this subject? Check out our complete guide on creating a customer journey map .

The idea behind this technique is fairly simple: you take the journey people take when interacting with your business and break it down into stages. The next step is to look at each stage from different angles to get a complete picture of what the experience of this particular person may look like. In other words, a map of your employee’s journey helps you see through the eyes of your customer or, in our case, through the eyes of employees. 

There’s another similar technique called employee experience mapping. These two techniques are often used interchangeably, but it should be noted that experience mapping takes a broader view. It goes beyond chronicling the stages an employee goes through, delving into the qualitative aspects of an employee's daily life within the organization, their experience with it. This encompasses, for example, the emotional experiences of employees at various touchpoints, like participating in daily team meetings, using the company’s tools and technologies, or during interactions with leadership.

What to map?

First, it’s important to decide which part of the employee experience journey you want to start with. At this point, there are a couple of routes you may take:

• High-level mapping. Obviously, it simply would take too much time to map the entire journey, as the employee lifecycle is way too long for one map. Unless you want to start with a high-level map and dive into details later as you dig more information. The downside of a high-level approach is that you won't get a lot out of it. The formula is fewer details = fewer insights.
• Focus on a specific part of the journey. It would be a whole lot easier to start with something like onboarding. The best part about onboarding is that if you are an HR, you have just enough knowledge to take the first steps.
• Identify the most problematic stage and start with it. However, it’s not that easy to tell which part is the most problematic without running research.

Employee journey stages

As we’ve touched the employee journey stages, let’s consider some of the common ones to give you an idea of what to include in your employee experience journey map.

• Attraction. This is the beginning of the journey, where potential employees first encounter the company brand or job opening. They form initial impressions about the company culture and values, and these impressions are often influenced by the company website, social media presence, and employer reviews.
• Recruitment. The potential employee actively considers the job opening and applies for a position. This stage may encompass submitting applications, attending interviews, and communicating with the company's hiring team.
• Hiring. This is when you make the job offer, and the candidate accepts it. 
• Onboarding. The new employee starts their job, they get oriented and integrated into the organization. They learn about company policies, may undergo training for their specific role, and start building relationships with the team and managers.
• Development. This stage involves the employee's growth within the organization. It includes receiving feedback, pursuing professional development opportunities, and potentially participating in mentoring or coaching programs.
• Advancement. This is when the employee moves up within the company hierarchy through promotions or transfers. 
• Exit. This is the final stage of the employee journey when the employee leaves the organization, whether for retirement, a new job, or other reasons. The exit process can include such substages as exit interviews, knowledge transfer, and the employee's transition out of the company.

Looking for more information about employee journey stages to add to your model of journey map? Check out our deck of cheat cards to look deeper into the stages and substages of employee journeys.

Three steps in designing an employee journey map

Now, we will cover the basic steps for creating a full-fledged, true-to-love employee journey map.

Start with employee experience research

Employee research, often referred to as employee surveys or employee feedback programs, is of paramount importance for organizations across various industries. 

It involves collecting, analyzing, and acting upon feedback from employees to gain insights into their experiences, attitudes, and needs within the workplace. Here are some key reasons why employee research is important:

• It enhances employee engagement. By understanding what engages or disengages employees, organizations can take targeted actions to boost engagement.
• It supports informed decision-making. Employee research provides quantifiable insights, allowing leaders to allocate resources more effectively and prioritize initiatives that matter most to employees.
• It helps measure progress. By conducting surveys periodically, organizations can track progress over time. They can see how their efforts to address employee concerns and improve the workplace have translated into tangible results.

In other words, employee research is a strategic tool that empowers organizations to create better workplaces, improve employee satisfaction, increase productivity, and drive overall success. It aligns the interests of employees and employers, contributing to a positive organizational culture and sustainable growth. 

So, you should always start with profound research. Otherwise, what exactly are we going to put on that map? And when it comes to interviewing employees, some really nice factors contribute to great research:

• Employees are easy to get in touch with, and such research is inexpensive compared to customer research. Imagine a situation where you have to bring a bunch of customers for a focus group or an interview. Each has a different time availability and level of involvement. Plus, chances are they might want to have something in return. Whereas, employees are almost always there and ready to share their thoughts over a cup of coffee.
• You have lots of data already. If you’ve been working in the company for a while, there’s probably enough information for you to start with employee journey mapping. And you can always talk to the HR department to get this information.
• Co-creation opportunities. There is nothing better than inviting coworkers for a journey mapping workshop . And again, it’s much easier within a company than when you’re trying to bring in real customers.

In addition to employee feedback and interviews, it may also be helpful to review internal audit reports to gain a better understanding of potential areas for improvement in the employee experience journey.

Surely, there will be a conflict of interests and ethics issues, so be ready to get creative!

Before doing any kind of research, make sure you come up with a list of sources. They can be:

• Employee feedback. If you are an HR, chances are you have a lot of info on hand that can be used for employee experience mapping.
• Interviews with employees. Trust me, they have so much to say, and chances are they wanted to say it years ago.
• Interviews with managers. They observe employees and are able to give you a whole different perspective on things.
• Polls and surveys. Those can give a lot of quantitative data. And the best part is that polls can be anonymous.

Produce an employee persona

To truly empathize with employees, it’s vital to create an employee persona. It is a made-up person that is based on real employees. It should have some basic description as well as some of the details you found during the research phase: goals, motivations and frustrations, some background, and maybe even skills.

Meet Michael, our example, a young finance professional in the heart of NYC. With a year's experience under his belt, he aspired to land a job in a prestigious firm. Living with his brother's family in their cozy apartment, he found solace in their company but yearned for his own space. His daily routine includes job hunting between work, and his mind is always set on reaching the top of the corporate ladder.

You can have one, two, or multiple personas depending on your needs. To create your own persona, here's our guide with examples of how to create a persona in 7 steps .

Map the employee experience journey

Now, after the research has been done and personas have been created, it’s time to put everything on a map. The way you map an employee experience journey is the following:

• Define the stages you need for your map

If we talk about the journey part that covers a new employee onboarding, there will be stages like awareness, research, first contact, phone screening, job interview, the hiring process, the first day, the list goes on. It is very likely that some stages will have multiple substages (especially the hiring process and job interview).

• Decide on map layers or sections

These are layers of data you want to have on your map. Some of the commonly used journey map layers include employee goals, employee expectations, emotional experience, process, channels, touchpoints, and problems.

For each stage you defined, fill in the map sections with data about this stage. For example, write down the goals of the employee persona as well as their expectations or describe the process the employee persona goes through at each stage.

Feel free to add anything that can benefit you in the search for employee experience insights. If you feel like adding some quotes from real employees — it's great. Want to add a photo of the workplace for a new employee? Go ahead! 

In fact, if you're mapping employee experience in our journey mapping tool , multiple sections will help you capture all the details you might want to have in your map!

• Find flaws and come up with solutions

Once you see the whole picture, you can start looking for roadblocks that prevent employees from, for example, getting the best onboarding experience.

Once you put roadblocks on the map, you can come up with ideas and solutions. In the end, you will have a map that looks somewhat like this:

What’s next?

Once the journey map has been created, it serves as a valuable foundation for a positive employee experience. To ensure that their experience continually improves and stays aligned with the evolving needs of your company, consider the following actions:

• Collect ongoing feedback. Encourage employees to provide feedback throughout their journey. This can be done through surveys, one-on-one discussions, or anonymous feedback channels. This feedback should be used to identify pain points and areas for improvement.
• Regularly update the map. As processes and procedures change within your organization, update the map accordingly. This ensures that it remains an accurate reflection of the journey and can guide improvements effectively.
• Implement quick wins. Identify low-hanging fruit or quick wins based on the map insights. These are small, immediate changes that can significantly improve the experience without requiring extensive resources or time.
• Prioritize key touchpoints. Focus on the most critical touchpoints in the journey that have the greatest impact on the employee experience. Allocate resources and efforts to improve these areas first.
• Involve cross-functional teams. Collaborate with HR, IT, training, and other departments to address issues and implement changes. A cross-functional approach ensures a holistic perspective and comprehensive solutions.
• Set clear objectives. Define specific goals and objectives for improving the employee experience. This provides a clear direction for change initiatives and helps measure their success.
• Training and development. Invest in training and development programs for managers and mentors involved in onboarding. Equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to support the company’s employees effectively.
• Leverage technology. Use technology to streamline and automate parts of the onboarding process. This can reduce administrative burdens and create a more seamless experience for new hires.
• Monitor progress. Continuously monitor the impact of changes on the employee experience. Key performance indicators (KPIs) should be tracked and analyzed to ensure that improvements are achieving the desired outcomes.
• Employee involvement. Involve new employees in the co-creation of their onboarding journey. Seek their input and preferences to tailor the process to individual needs.
• Celebrate successes. Acknowledge and celebrate successes and improvements at different stages of your employees’ journey. Positive reinforcement can motivate teams to keep making enhancements.
• Stay compliant. Ensure that the onboarding process remains compliant with all relevant laws and regulations. Regularly review and update documentation as needed.
• Communication and transparency. Maintain open and transparent communication with employees regarding changes in the onboarding process. Provide clear explanations and expectations to manage their experience effectively.

Remember, journey mapping is not a one-time activity; it should evolve alongside your company's growth and changing needs. By actively listening to employee feedback, making data-driven decisions, and continually refining the onboarding experience, your organization can create a positive and impactful journey for new employees from day one.

Wrapping up

Mapping the employee experience is undoubtedly a challenging undertaking, one that demands a significant amount of effort, time, and resources. However, the rewards that come with creating an exceptional workplace environment and a satisfied workforce are simply too compelling to ignore.

Good news: we have a library of free templates, including employee experience map templates, which you can use for high-level mapping. Either download a PDF file and print it out or create a map in our Journey Mapping Tool, tweak it as you like, and then export it to show all the insights you came up with! 

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Thanks for the map. It’s a great template to start with for my company’s employee journey.

You’re welcome, Chris! We also have templates for remote employee journey and an employee journey mapping whitepaper with expert advice. Be sure to check those out and happy mapping!

Thank you for these employee journey mapping examples. Our problem is not so much with onboarding but with keeping people from leaving after 6-8 months. Do you have any advice on how to improve retention in the long run?

Hi Tarik, you’re welcome! We do have some employee experience examples you could use for better retention, and a detailed breakdown of common stages people go after the probation period is over: annual performance evaluation, office events, paternity leave, skill upgrading, etc.

You can find them all in our filled-out template called “End-to-end employee journey map” right here: https://uxpressia.com/templates/education-and-career

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The employee journey map: A guide to creating great EX for a multigenerational workforce

The world of work has never been more exciting — and unpredictable — than it is now. Not only have remote and hybrid setups become the new normal, but the workforce has changed, with five generations coming together to collaborate daily. As critical as diverse perspectives are to business success, this intergenerational convergence has introduced complications; only 6% of organizational leaders feel ready to manage multiple generations. (1)  

Thankfully, frameworks like the employee experience (EX) journey map can help businesses through this transition. Overall, companies that design a great EX report lower stress and burnout, and their team members are 1.4 times more likely to find purpose in their roles. (2) 

But how does mapping the EX journey work? Employee journey maps help chart and visualize the end-to-end experience of working at a company from the perspectives of its team members. The primary purpose of these maps is to highlight the employee’s point of view and uncover inefficiencies and areas for improvement. They can also provide an overview of the internal processes, as well as the roles that recruiters, hiring managers, human resources leaders, and team leads play in shaping the experience.

We’ve created a downloadable employee journey map template that HR and people leaders can use as a starting point for their own journey maps. This article also provides a step-by-step process for making the most of this free resource.

• Deloitte , 2021 ‍
• McLean & Co. , 2023 ‍

Our free employee journey map template

Our customizable template is a great place to start if you’ve never explored employee experience journey mapping. It allows you to document your company’s processes across key EX touchpoints (from recruiting and onboarding to offboarding). Then, use the notes and next steps section to start brainstorming and drafting how you’ll make improvements.

Check out the employee journey map example below to see how this can look for your organization. ‍

🤔 Get inside employees’ heads ‍ Use our template to gather team member insights at every stage and understand how their needs change throughout their tenure. 👉 Download the template

What is the employee journey?

The employee journey encompasses all the milestones, events, interactions, and impressions an individual experiences throughout their tenure with an organization. Some people leaders refer to the EX journey as key touchpoints, or “moments that matter.” Still, this perspective might be somewhat limiting, as it overlooks the fact that a positive EX journey is also about building a strong, trusting relationship between employees and organizations. 

Essentially, every moment counts , influencing how team members feel about your organization — from pre- to post-employment.

“If you’re familiar with customer journey mapping, then you may know more about employee journey mapping (EJM) than you realize. Employee journey mapping uses the same concepts and best practices of customer journey mapping to help you understand your employee experience better, provide the resources, tools, and support employees need, and align employees’ daily actions and accountabilities with the customer experience.” ‍ — Jeannie Walters , Customer Experience Speaker and CEO of Experience Investigators ‍

Why map out the employee journey?

Mapping out the employee journey means creating a visual blueprint to identify current areas for improvement and customize for different roles. What’s more, it allows you to stay in touch with changing professional priorities and career paths, which no longer look like they once did. 

‍ “Traditional career paths, where employees rise up the ranks and retire at the peak of their career, are going away,” write HR experts and analysts Emily Rose McRae, Peter Aykens, Kaelyn Lowmaster, and Jonah Shepp in their collaborative article for HBR . 

“Some employees don’t retire at all or do so after a career shift or break, including performing different or less lucrative work. For example, Pew research found that 19% of Americans aged 65 and older worked in 2023, which is nearly twice as many as 35 years ago. More employees are stepping out of the workforce mid-career, shifting across industries or embracing contingent work and other nontraditional employment models at some point in their careers.”

When you consider how quickly the professional landscape is changing, mapping out the employee experience journey should stand out as a worthwhile investment of time and effort that can contribute to significant cultural and operational outcomes, such as:

• Smoother, more thorough onboarding processes — Only 43% of employees say their onboarding included more than paperwork and a one-day orientation. Implementing an EX journey map to create a more in-depth onboarding experience can set your company apart and help your new hires feel more welcome from day one.
• Relevant career development opportunities — An effective employee journey map considers your team members’ unique professional and personal career goals. This allows you to offer better training opportunities , which, according to 83% of HR professionals, impacts employees’ decision to stay with a company.
• Improved productivity — An EX journey map can help you overcome productivity gaps with better technology, resources, processes, and communication. In doing so, you could become up to 1.8 times more productive than organizations that don’t prioritize the employee experience. ‍ ‍
• ‍ Greater recruitment success — A journey map can help you better understand what candidates are looking for throughout their tenure. That way, you can tailor your messaging to better resonate with job seekers’ highest priority goals. ‍

7 steps for creating your employee journey map

Whether you utilize our customizable employee experience journey mapping template or create your own, outlining the employee journey lets you easily spot where your EX efforts fall short; then, you can make an initial action plan within the same document. 

Let’s look at our recommended step-by-step process for strategizing, researching, documenting, and improving the employee experience within your organization. ‍

1. Get clear about your goals for mapping the employee journey

The key question that HR and people professionals need to ask themselves at this stage is, “What do we want to know about the employee journey and why?” This ensures journey mapping is a more meaningful, strategic endeavor that helps you align with your overall company goals.

If this is your first time creating a journey map, your initial goal may be to identify current paint points, gaps, and challenges so you can better support your team over the next 12 months. 

If you’ve mapped your company’s employee journey before and implemented improvements, a more specific goal might be to address communication issues and improve the feedback and review processes across all touchpoints. ‍

2. Conduct employee research

To get to the core of issues, you must first dig deeper into previous survey data, manager feedback, performance scores, and EX metrics like retention, turnover, and engagement. 

You should also talk to department heads, managers, team leads, and other employees for fresh, updated insights. In your research, be sure to understand how team members describe their current journey and ideal experience; this way, you can identify existing pain points and structure a better path. 

Here are a few questions you can ask employees:

• What expectations did you have at each stage of your professional journey? ‍
• Have we succeeded or failed in living up to those expectations? ‍
• What were your biggest frustrations during the onboarding , training, and engagement stages? ‍
• What competencies were you hoping to develop at every stage? ‍
• How did you feel about communicating with your manager and leadership team at each stage of the process?

Providing anonymous employee feedback channels is crucial if you want valuable, candid input. You can help team members feel safe sharing their thoughts with methods such as:

• Anonymous surveys — Using a platform like Leapsome means your surveys will be anonymous by default. ‍
• Suggestion boxes or forums — These allow employees to confidentially share their input and ask questions without prompting. That’s why Leapsome offers an anonymous suggestion box and Q&A board where team members can ask questions and get answers from leadership. ‍
• Focus groups — Organize an in-office or virtual meeting with team members, ask meaningful questions about their current experience, and use their answers to create an anonymous report. If possible, arrange this with a third-party research company to ensure confidentiality.

🔎 Make sure you have a tentative action plan to share with employees when asking them for feedback. This will help you overcome any survey fatigue due to previous inaction while encouraging your team to provide more and better feedback.  

3. Determine the scope & roles your journey map will cover

Use the gathered data to hone in on the most urgent issues. 

For instance, you may notice positive reports during the recruitment and onboarding stages as you review your research. However, you might uncover that teams typically show decreased engagement around the development stage. That could mean it’s time to update your career progression framework or make it a more central part of your organization’s professional growth processes.  ‍

🧩 Discover what pieces are missing from your EX strategy Use our free, editable template to record employee data, map the employee experience journey, and make your organization an even better workplace. 👉 Download the template

4. Craft your EX journey map

Now, you’ll draw on the previous three steps and combine your goals, scope, and research to update processes and construct your ideal employee experience journey. To do this, you can use our template, which covers these core areas:

• Touchpoints — where employees come into contact with managers, leaders, and other stakeholders ‍
• Processes — the ideal steps managers and employees should take at each touchpoint to give team members the best experience ‍
• Metrics and monitoring — so you can record your current EX data and quickly identify areas of weakness ‍
• Notes — where you can document feedback from employees and stakeholders ‍
• Next steps — where you’ll outline solutions

Of course, every organization has specific goals, internal structure, and culture. That’s why we’ve made our entire template editable and customizable, with ready-to-use content you can use for inspiration. For example, if your company is 100% remote , you may need more processes during onboarding that promote belonging, recognition, and team integration.

🔎 Use our template to link to a fully fleshed-out process and next steps for each stage!

5. Consult your journey map to identify improvement opportunities

Use the notes section in our template to capture what you’ve learned from team member research and outline your current iteration of the employee journey. In particular, note the initial expectations and eventual frustrations team members mentioned in their feedback and prioritize specific roles or issues that should be addressed. 

In the next steps section, summarize what actions you plan to take based on the most critical concerns. Perhaps several employees mention feeling stifled in their professional development; you could then introduce a formal learning and training budget as a next step to improve on this. ‍

6. Share your plan & implement initiatives

Once you’ve finalized your action plan for improving the employee experience, communicate your strategy with leaders and team members so you can secure additional feedback on your proposed ideas and support for your initiatives moving forward. To be as transparent as possible:

• Explain your motivation for mapping the employee journey — Reiterate why you decided to map the employee journey and improve EX from the outset. For example, your organization may have gone through a recent restructuring, and you might have noticed that engagement has been declining. ‍
• Describe your approach — Share how you mapped the staff journey based on your current EX processes and employee research. ‍
• Discuss the why behind your proposed strategy — Provide the rationale behind your action plan and link it to current business goals and objectives. ‍
• Break your strategy into steps — Be sure to offer timelines and share who will lead each initiative. ‍
• Follow up — After presenting your plan, contact leadership and stakeholders to address questions and concerns. ‍

7. Refine & iterate on your journey maps over time

Like customers, the needs of your employees can change and fluctuate — often in response to industry and economic changes. That’s why you should review and update your EX journey map every six months to a year and follow the same process each time. You can even utilize an employee experience platform to support you with this.

Remember: No matter how favorable your employee experience metrics are, there’s always more to learn and understand! 

🔎 Employee experience platforms like Leapsome can help you streamline how you gather team member data, set the right EX goals, and implement strategies for better communication, reduced stress, and more employee autonomy.

Measuring the employee journey

Reviewing your employee experience metrics regularly helps you detect and mitigate issues early before they become major challenges. Doing so also means you can illustrate your progress to upper management and the executive team over time, demonstrating the value of your EX programs. Here are a few key indicators you should consistently refer to:

• Retention and turnover rates — Low retention rates may signal that team members aren’t having a positive employee experience. However, you need to compare them against employee tenures to discern when the most turnover typically happens. For instance, you may notice that team members tend to quit after their first eighteen months, which could suggest they’re dissatisfied with a lack of training, development, and career opportunities.  ‍
• Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) — The eNPS is a valuable metric because it allows you to quickly assess engagement. It only requires employees to answer one question: “On a scale of zero to ten, how likely are you to recommend us as a place to work for your family and friends?” Your final score can range from -100 to 100, and most companies have a score between 10 and 30. While it’s not a great standalone metric because it presents you with limited data, it’s a great starting point that can help you determine when it’s time to investigate the employee experience further.  ‍
• Survey results — Take note of your highest and lowest scores on previous engagement and culture surveys and read answers to open-ended questions thoroughly. If you use Leapsome’s Surveys module, you can quickly determine which factors you need to target to drive more positive outcomes. Our sentiment analysis function also uses AI to interpret open-ended answers so you can quickly scan them before exploring further.

• Performance scores — A great employee experience often corresponds with enhanced motivation, higher engagement, and, as a result, satisfactory performance. High performance scores also speak to the effectiveness of managers and stakeholders during the onboarding, training, and development stages. ‍

How Leapsome supports employee journey mapping

As the workforce's demographic makeup changes and career paths evolve, EX journey maps can help you be more strategic about the insights you gather and improve the employee experience more efficiently. If your organization is genuinely committed to putting its people first, you need team member input to create a more personalized work experience for your team members.

Still, what do you do if you lack the time, personnel, or tech to gather the requisite insights? How do you overcome resistance from leadership without the right data and tools?

Leapsome allows you to automate the operational and analytical side of the journey mapping so you can focus on finding more innovative solutions to complex EX challenges. With Leapsome Surveys and Reviews , you can track engagement and pulse scores, retention rates, your eNPS, and employee performance scores with charts and visualizations to show how those metrics have changed over time. Then, use Goals to design EX initiatives that align with current business objectives. 

With Leapsome, you’ll gain actionable insights and drive targeted improvements across every stage of the employee experience. ‍

👣 More positive impressions and connections every step of the way Use Leapsome’s AI-powered survey summaries to actively listen, gain insights, and implement changes based on employee feedback to make the entire work experience more meaningful. 👉 Book a demo

Leapsome Team

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Employee experience journey mapping - A complete guide

Employee experience journey mapping might sound like a mouthful, but it's basically just a fancy way of saying, "Let's figure out what our employees are going through and how we can make it better."

It's like a treasure map, but instead of gold, we're searching for how to make employees happy throughout. But why??

As the entrepreneur and businessman J. Willard Marriott once said, ”Take good care of your employees, and they'll take good care of your customers, and the customers will come back.”

So sit back, relax, put on your adventure hats and grab a cup of coffee (or your preferred beverage of choice) because we are about to explore the employee experience journey, dream up ways to make it better, and discover the secrets of mapping out this process.

Table of contents:-

What is the employee journey?

What is employee journey mapping, what are the benefits of employee journey mapping, how an employee journey map can help you, employee onboarding journey map, how to leverage employee journey mapping to create value, the dos and don'ts of employee journey mapping, what are the stages of the employee journey, what is employee experience, what is an employee experience journey, four steps for mapping the employee experience, how do you create an employee experience journey map, personas for employee journey mapping, the employee journey from the employee’s perspective, employee journey mapping touchpoints, common mistakes that companies make while mapping employee journey, how culturemonkey can improve the employee experience.

Every employee goes through a unique journey in your company, from their first day of onboarding to the last day they walk out the door. But have you ever thought about what that journey looks like? And more importantly, have you thought about how you can improve it?

An employee journey can make all the difference in retaining top talent , boosting employee engagement , and improving productivity. In fact, studies have shown that companies with a strong focus on employee experience outperform their competitors by 122% . So, why aren't all companies putting more focus on the employee journey?

Employee journey mapping is a process of identifying all the touchpoints and interactions an employee has with your company, from the moment they apply for a job to their last day in the office.

A positive employee journey can lead to more engaged and productive employees . When employees feel supported and valued, they're more likely to go above and beyond in their work. And that's a win-win for everyone.

Employee journey mapping is the process of mapping out all the touchpoints an employee has with your company, from their first day of onboarding to their last day in the office.

It's a way of understanding and improving the employee experience by mapping out their interactions with the company from the moment they first hear about the organization as a potential employer to their eventual departure.

But why should you care about employee journey maps? For one, it helps you identify pain points in the employee experience that could be driving employees away. Maybe your onboarding process is too lengthy, or your employees aren't getting enough feedback or recognition for their hard work.

It helps organizations develop a comprehensive and holistic view of the employee experience, which is critical for improving employee engagement and retention.

Employee journey mapping is like a treasure map, leading you to a trove of benefits. It's a strategic tool that enhances every aspect of your organization, from employee satisfaction and productivity to attracting and retaining top talent.

With a well-crafted journey map, you're on the path to creating a workplace where everyone thrives, and success is just around the corner.

• Enhanced productivity: A well-designed Employee Journey Map helps streamline processes and remove obstacles that can hinder productivity. When employees encounter fewer roadblocks and can navigate their roles more efficiently, they become more productive. This not only benefits your employees but also positively impacts the bottom line.
• Increased retention rates: High employee turnover can be a significant drain on resources. Employee journey mapping helps create a supportive and fulfilling work environment. When employees feel well-integrated and valued, they're more likely to stay with your organization. Lower turnover rates mean cost savings in recruitment and training.
• Talent attraction: A positive Employee Experience Journey becomes a magnet for top talent. Word-of-mouth recommendations from your content employees can be a powerful recruitment tool. A great reputation for employee experience can draw in the best and brightest in the industry.
• Clearer communication: Mapping out the journey helps identify communication gaps. Effective internal communication is key to a successful organization. By understanding where the challenges lie, you can implement strategies to improve communication , ensuring everyone is on the same page.
• Enhanced employee development: Through journey mapping, you can pinpoint opportunities for skill development and growth at every stage of the employee experience . This encourages continuous learning and personal development , which can lead to higher job satisfaction and career advancement.
• Better decision-making: Employee journey maps provide valuable data and insights. With this information, you can make informed decisions about the employee experience. Whether it's resource allocation, policy changes, or organizational improvements, you have a clear path to follow.
• Strengthened company culture: Mapping the employee journey allows you to align every stage with your company's values and culture. It's an opportunity to ensure that your culture is not just a buzzword but a real, living experience for your employees.

By gaining a deeper understanding of the employee journey and identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement, organizations can increase employee engagement and retention rate , which can lead to a more productive and successful workforce.

Here are some other key reasons why you should be focusing on mapping out the employee journey in your company:

Improves employee experience:

By mapping out the employee journey, you can identify pain points and areas where improvements can be made. This helps create a more positive, supportive work environment that retains top talent.

Increases employee engagement:

When employees feel supported and valued, they're more likely to go above and beyond in their work. Mapping out the employee journey and addressing pain points can help increase employee engagement and motivation.

Boosts productivity:

A positive employee journey can lead to more engaged and productive employees. By addressing pain points and creating a more positive work environment , you can improve productivity and drive success .

Improves retention:

Retaining top talent is crucial for the success of any company. By creating a positive and supportive work environment through employee journey map, you can reduce turnover and retain top performers .

Enhances employer branding:

A positive employee journey can also enhance your employer branding. When employees feel supported and valued, they're more likely to share their positive employee experiences with others, both online and offline. This can help attract top talent and improve your company's reputation.

Provides valuable insights:

Employee journey mapping provides valuable insights into the employee experience. By understanding employees' touchpoints and interactions with your company, you can identify patterns and trends that can inform future decisions and improvements .

Fosters a culture of continuous improvement:

Employee journey mapping is an ongoing effort to identify pain points and make improvements. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement , you can create a workplace that's always striving to be better.

Expedites onboarding:

When you map the employee journey, it significantly accelerates the onboarding process. New hires can seamlessly navigate through their initial days, feeling more integrated and confident from the get-go.

Promotes inclusivity:

Employee journey mapping also fosters inclusivity . It ensures that the employee experience is uniform and supportive across various departments and roles, creating a workplace where everyone feels equally valued and respected.

Strengthens leadership development:

Your journey map can become a powerful tool for leadership development. By recognizing the stages where leadership plays a vital role, you can tailor training and support to nurture the next generation of leaders within your organization.

Enhances well-being initiatives:

A well-crafted employee journey map integrates well-being initiatives. This ensures that employees are not only professionally fulfilled but also mentally and emotionally supported, resulting in a healthier and happier workforce.

Picture this: You've just welcomed a talented recruit to your team. What's next? The employee onboarding journey map is your treasure map, guiding you through the intricate process of making them feel right at home.

So, what exactly is an employee onboarding journey map? It's like a step-by-step guide, detailing the entire onboarding process, from pre-hire to post-orientation. It's a strategic approach that ensures your new team members embark on a voyage of learning, growth, and engagement.

The journey begins with pre-boarding, where you start connecting with your new hires before their first day. Then, there's the orientation – the grand "Welcome Aboard" moment. After that, it's all about training, skill development, and team assimilation. Finally, the journey continues with regular check-ins and performance evaluations.

Creating a tailored journey map is the key to employee retention and productivity. It ensures everyone's on the same page, expectations are clear, and the road to success is well-paved.

Understanding how to make the most of employee journey mapping is essential for modern HR professionals and business leaders. In this guide, we'll explore not only the fundamental steps in leveraging this tool but also delve into additional ways to extract maximum value from it.

Here are some key ways to leverage employee journey mapping to create value!

Identify key touchpoints

The first step in leveraging the employee journey map is to identify the key touchpoints in the employee experience. This includes everything from recruitment to onboarding , training, performance review/management, and offboarding.

Collect data

Once you've identified the key touchpoints, it's time to collect data on the employee experience. This can include employee feedback , employee surveys, and data on employee turnover, productivity, and employee engagement .

Analyze the data

After collecting data, it's important to analyze it to identify pain points and areas where improvements can be made. Look for patterns and trends that can inform future decisions.

Map out the journey

Once you clearly understand the employee experience, it's time to map out the journey. This can be done using a variety of tools, such as journey maps, employee personas, and empathy maps.

Identify opportunities for improvement

With the employee journey mapped out, it's easier to identify areas where improvements can be made. Look for pain points and areas where the employee experience could be improved and prioritize the most critical ones.

Implement changes

Once you've identified areas for improvement, it's time to implement changes. This can include everything from streamlining the recruitment process to improving communication and recognition programs .

Continuously monitor and improve

Employee journey mapping is not a one-time process. It's important to continuously monitor the employee experience and make improvements as needed. This can include collecting ongoing feedback from employees, analyzing data, and making changes to improve the employee experience.

Enhance training and development

The employee journey map can highlight specific points where training and development play a crucial role. Use this information to revamp training programs, offer skill-building opportunities, and ensure that employees have the resources they need to succeed.

Facilitate cross-department collaboration

Employee journey mapping can uncover areas where different departments need to collaborate more effectively . Foster a culture of cross-departmental teamwork to eliminate silos, improve communication, and enhance the overall employee experience.

Customize employee experiences

Tailor the employee experience based on individual preferences and needs. Use data from the employee journey map to offer personalized career paths, flexible work arrangements, or unique benefits, providing employees with more customized experiences.

Implement recognition and rewards

Recognize and reward employees for their contributions at key touchpoints in the employee journey. Acknowledging their achievements can boost motivation and job satisfaction , leading to a more positive overall experience.

Employee journey mapping is a potent tool for creating a fulfilling, engaging workplace. If you follow the dos and avoid the don'ts, you're on the right path to crafting an experience that keeps your employees happy, productive, and loyal.

The Dos: Crafting a stellar employee journey map

• DO understand your employees: Before you even put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard, take the time to truly understand your employees. Gather insights through employee engagement surveys, interviews, and feedback. Recognize their needs, desires, and pain points, and ensure these insights drive your map.
• DO define clear stages: Your map should be divided into clear, distinct stages. Start with the recruitment phase and then move through onboarding, professional development, and everyday work experiences. Clearly define the key milestones in each stage.
• DO include employee input: Employee involvement is paramount. Encourage your employees to participate in the mapping process. They can provide invaluable insights into their experiences and suggest improvements that can make the journey more engaging and fulfilling.
• DO align with company culture: Each stage of the journey should be intricately woven into your company's culture and values. It's crucial that employees feel connected to your organization's mission and vision throughout their journey.
• DO keep it dynamic: Employee journey mapping isn't a one-and-done exercise. It's a living, breathing document that should evolve with time. Regularly assess the effectiveness of each stage and make adjustments based on employee feedback and changing needs.
• DO measure outcomes: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to gauge the success of your employee journey map. Are employees more engaged? Is turnover decreasing? Are you attracting top talent? Use measurable outcomes to evaluate the map's effectiveness.

The don'ts: Pitfalls to avoid

• DON'T make it too complex: Simplicity is your best friend. Avoid overcomplicating the mapping process. Keep it clear and easy to understand so that everyone in your organization can follow and benefit from it.
• DON'T neglect employee feedback: If you're not actively seeking employee input, you're missing out on a goldmine of insights. Neglecting their feedback can lead to an inaccurate representation of their experiences and needs.
• DON'T stick to the status quo: An employee journey map isn't effective if it merely replicates current processes. Don't be afraid to challenge the status quo and make necessary changes for a better employee experience.
• DON'T forget continuity: The journey shouldn't end with onboarding. It's a continuous process, and all stages should seamlessly connect. Don't isolate the onboarding process from daily work experiences; instead, ensure a smooth transition.
• DON'T set it in stone: An inflexible map can become a hindrance. Don't treat your employee journey map as a final, unchangeable document. Embrace adaptability and be open to refining and adjusting the journey as your organization grows.
• DON'T ignore data: Ignoring data is one of the gravest mistakes you can make. Employee journey mapping relies on insights and measurable outcomes. Neglecting the data you gather can lead to a skewed perception of your employees' experiences.

Here are the stages of the employee's journey, in brief:

• Application: If potential employees decide your organization is the right fit, they will typically apply for a position. This involves submitting a resume or application and potentially going through pre-employment screening and assessments.
• Interview: After submitting an application, the potential employee may be invited to interview for the position. This stage involves assessing the candidate's fit for the role and evaluating their skills and experience.
• Onboarding: If the candidate is selected for the position, they will move into the onboarding stage. This involves training and orientation to the company culture , policies, and procedures for the new employee.
• Development: Once an employee is onboarded, they will move into the development stage. This involves ongoing training and development to improve their skills and advance their career.
• Performance: The performance stage involves ongoing performance management, including setting goals, providing feedback , and evaluating performance.
• Recognition: Employees thrive on recognition , and it's important to make it a key stage in the employee journey. This includes both formal recognition programs and informal feedback and praise from managers and colleagues.
• Retention: The retention stage is where employees decide whether they want to stay with the organization or leave. During this stage, it's important to provide a positive workplace culture that values and respects employees.
• Career advancement: In the career advancement stage, employees seek opportunities for growth within the organization . This may involve taking on more responsibilities, pursuing promotions, or exploring lateral moves to develop new skills and expand their career horizons.
• Wellness and well-being: As employee well-being becomes a focal point for many organizations, a dedicated stage for wellness initiatives is crucial. This stage involves supporting employees' physical and mental health, providing resources for work-life balance, and promoting a culture of well-being.
• Separation: Finally, the separation stage involves an employee leaving the organization, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. This can involve offboarding, exit interviews , and evaluation of the employee's tenure with the company.

By understanding the stages of the employee journey, people leaders can better identify pain points and opportunities for improvement and create a positive and productive workplace culture that drives success.

Whether you're just starting or have been in the game for years, taking a strategic approach to the employee journey is key to achieving your HR goals . So, get out there and prioritise the employee journey in your organization.

So, what exactly is employee experience (EX)? In a nutshell, it's the collective impression your employees have of their time at your company. It's the sum of every interaction, from the first "You're hired!" to the farewell handshake. It's the vibe, the culture, the perks, and the way you support their growth.

Think about it. Imagine two companies side by side. One treats its employees like cherished family members, nurtures their talents, and offers a fantastic work environment. The other is all about squeezing every drop of productivity, ignoring well-being.

The first one? That's the kind of employee experience that leaves employees excited to show up each day. It fosters loyalty, sparks innovation, and boosts performance. The second one? Well, let's just say it might struggle with high turnover and disengaged employees .

Creating a positive employee experience isn't just a "nice-to-have" anymore; it's a strategic imperative. It involves understanding your team's needs, fostering a vibrant company culture, and investing in their development and well-being.

The key takeaway here is that employee experience goes way beyond the paycheck. It's about nurturing a work environment that makes people thrive, fosters their happiness, and, in return, drives your organization to greater heights.

The journey typically kicks off with the very first encounter, the recruitment phase. From there, it's a thrilling ride through onboarding, professional development, and everyday work experiences. It's the highs and lows, the laughter and challenges, all rolled into one grand story.

Creating an exceptional employee experience Journey isn't just a buzzword. It's a strategic move that can set your company apart. When your employees feel valued, engaged, and appreciated, they become your best brand advocates, boosting your reputation and attracting top talent.

Imagine your workplace as a theme park – you're the designer, and the employees are your guests. You get to create the rides, attractions, and overall ambiance. The more memorable and enjoyable the journey, the longer they'll stay on this thrilling ride with your company.

In a nutshell, the employee experience Journey is all about crafting a remarkable, fulfilling adventure for your employees. So, let's embark on this journey of creating a workplace where everyone feels like they're in the heart of an exhilarating adventure!

Mapping the employee experience is your secret recipe for a workplace where employees thrive and businesses flourish. So, get ready to set sail on this transformative journey to create an exceptional workplace experience.

Step 1: Define the stages

Begin by breaking down the employee journey into stages. Start with the recruitment and onboarding phase, move on to professional development, and finally, the ongoing work experience. Each stage has its unique challenges, goals, and opportunities to shape the employee's experience.

Step 2: Employee insights

Next, gather insights directly from your employees. Conduct surveys, interviews, and feedback sessions. Ask about their aspirations, and pain points on moments that matter to them. This not only helps you understand their perspective but also makes them feel heard and valued.

Step 3: Design the experience

With a deep understanding of each stage and employee insights, it's time to design the experience. This involves creating a clear path with defined touchpoints. For example, in the onboarding phase, ensure a warm welcome, comprehensive training, and a buddy system for support. Tailor each stage to align with your company's culture and values.

Step 4: Continuous improvement

The employee experience Journey isn't set in stone. It's a dynamic process that requires continuous improvement. Regularly assess the effectiveness of each stage, gather feedback, and make necessary adjustments. This keeps your experience fresh, relevant, and aligned with your employees' evolving needs.

Creating an employee experience journey map can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. With a little bit of planning and organization, you can create an effective employee journey map that will help you improve the overall employee experience in your organization.

Here are 5 pointers on how to create an employee experience journey map:

• Define your employee personas: To create an employee journey map, you need to understand your employees. Start by defining your employee personas. These are fictional representations of your employees based on characteristics such as their job title, department, age, gender, and experience.
• Visualize the journey: Create a visual representation once you've mapped out the employee journey. This can be a flowchart, a timeline, or any other visual that helps you understand the journey.
• Set goals: Set specific, measurable goals for improving the employee experience. This could include reducing turnover, increasing employee engagement , or improving the employee onboarding process.
• Develop a plan: Once you've identified areas for improvement and set goals, develop a plan to achieve them. This may involve making changes to processes, implementing new technologies, or providing additional training to employees.
• Test: Implement your plan and test the changes you've made to the employee experience. Collect feedback from employees to ensure that the changes are having a positive impact.

By following these 5 pointers, you can create an effective employee journey map that will help you identify areas for improvement and set goals to achieve them. Remember to continuously monitor and improve the employee experience to ensure that your organization is providing the best possible environment for its employees.

But what are the personas of employees?

Personas play a crucial role in employee journey mapping as they help create a clear picture of the employees going through different journey stages. A persona is a fictional character that represents a group of employees with similar goals, needs, and behavior patterns.

Creating personas for employee journey maps is crucial in ensuring you accurately map the employee experience.

Here are some pointers to create personas for employee journey mapping:

• Research: Start by researching your employees and gathering data on their needs, behaviors, and pain points. You can collect this data from surveys, interviews, and focus groups.
• Segment your employees: Based on the data collected, segment your employees into different groups with similar needs, behaviors, and pain points.
• Give them a name: Once you have segmented your employees, give each group a name that represents them.
• Create a backstory: Create a backstory for each persona that outlines their journey, starting from their first interaction with the company to their current stage.
• Identify their goals: Identify the goals and motivations of each persona. This will help you map out the touchpoints that can help them achieve their goals.
• Understand their pain points: Identify the pain points for each persona. This will help you map out the touchpoints that can alleviate their pain points.
• Add a face: Add a visual representation to each persona to make them feel more real.
• Use personas to create empathy: Use personas to create empathy among the team and to help them understand the needs and pain points of different employees.
• Continuously update personas: The needs and behaviors of employees change over time, so it’s important to continuously update your personas to ensure they accurately represent your employees.
• Use personas to guide decision-making: Use personas to guide decision-making throughout the employee journey mapping process. This ensures that decisions are made considering the employee’s needs and pain points.

By using personas, you can create a more accurate and empathetic employee journey map that will help you improve the overall employee experience.

Have you ever thought about the employee journey from the employee's perspective?

As people leaders, it's important for us to put ourselves in our employees' shoes and understand how they experience their journey within the company.

From the day they first apply for a job to their last day of work, every touchpoint an employee has with the organization can impact their overall experience. This includes the hiring process, onboarding, performance evaluations, and even their exit interview.

As employees, they want to feel valued, respected and appreciated for the work they do. They want to feel like they're part of a team that is working together to achieve common goals. They want to have the resources and support they need to perform their job to the best of their abilities.

However, there are also challenges that employees face, such as navigating complex processes, dealing with office politics, and managing work-life balance. These challenges can impact employee engagement , motivation, and overall employee satisfaction with their job.

By listening to our employees' feedback and concerns, we can identify areas of improvement and make changes to enhance their journey within the organization. This benefits the employees and leads to increased productivity , retention , and a better company culture overall.

"It's not the destination, it's the journey"? Well, in the world of employee experience , that journey is known as the employee journey map. And just like any journey, it's made up of various touchpoints that shape an employee's experience.

What are these touchpoints, you may ask? They're every interaction an employee has with the company, from the moment they first hear about the job opportunity to the day they leave the company. These touchpoints can be divided into three categories:

• Pre-hire touchpoints: This includes any interaction the employee has with the company before being hired, such as the application process, interviews, and pre-employment testing.
• Core touchpoints: These are the primary interactions employees have during their employment, including onboarding, training, performance reviews, and development opportunities.
• Post-employment touchpoints: Even after an employee leaves the company, there may still be interactions to consider, such as exit interviews, alumni networks, or opportunities for rehiring.
• Culture integration touchpoints: Culture integration touchpoints involve the ways employees become acclimated to the organization's culture. For example, this could include participation in company-wide events, team-building activities, or orientation sessions that emphasize the company's values and mission.
• Employee wellness program touchpoints: Employee wellness programs are a crucial touchpoint for promoting the well-being of your workforce. This includes initiatives like offering fitness classes, mental health resources, or wellness challenges that encourage a healthy lifestyle.

Some examples of specific touchpoints to consider at each stage include:

• Pre-hire: Job postings, career fairs, recruiter emails, initial phone screens, skills assessments, and reference checks.
• Core: Onboarding materials, orientation sessions, team introductions, benefits enrollment, regular check-ins with managers, skills training, and company events.
• Post-employment: Exit surveys, alumni networks, rehiring programs, referrals, and employee retention programs to keep former employees engaged and connected to the company.
• Culture integration: As part of culture integration touchpoints, you could organize regular team-building events, such as off-site retreats or virtual team-building activities, to help employees connect with their colleagues and foster a sense of camaraderie. 
• Employee wellness programs: Wellness challenges, such as step competitions or nutrition initiatives, can encourage a healthy lifestyle, allowing employees to engage with and benefit from the company's wellness program.

By considering each touchpoint in the employee journey, companies can gain valuable insight into areas where they can improve the employee experience and opportunities to retain top talent and create a more positive workplace culture .

Employee journey mapping is a powerful tool to improve the overall employee experience and to identify areas for improvement in the HR department.

However, not all companies get it right. Here are some common mistakes that companies make while mapping the employee journey:

Skipping important touchpoints

Companies often forget to include critical touchpoints in the employee journey. These touchpoints can be small but essential in shaping the employee experience. For example, companies may forget to include touchpoints such as job offer acceptance, onboarding, or the first 90 days of employment.

Not involving employees

Employee journey mapping should be a collaborative effort between HR and employees. However, companies often forget to include employees in the process. By not involving employees, companies miss out on valuable insights that can help improve the overall employee experience.

Focusing on the positives only

Employee journey mapping should include both positive and negative experiences. Companies often make the mistake of only focusing on positive experiences, such as promotions or salary increases. However, it's equally important to identify negative experiences such as difficult coworkers, lack of recognition, or inadequate training.

Not linking to business outcomes

Employee journey mapping should be linked to business outcomes, such as employee engagement , retention, and productivity. Companies often forget to measure the impact of employee journey mapping on these critical business outcomes.

Assuming one size fits all

Employee journey map should be tailored to the needs of different employee personas. Companies often make the mistake of assuming that one size fits all. However, the employee experience varies based on the job role, department, and location.

Not prioritizing improvements

Employee journey maps should not just be a one-time exercise. Companies often make the mistake of not prioritizing improvements based on the impact they will have on the overall employee experience. Identifying quick wins and prioritizing improvements based on their impact on business outcomes is essential.

Not measuring success

Employee journey maps should be measured to track progress and identify areas for improvement continually. Companies often make the mistake of not measuring success, which makes it difficult to assess the impact of the employee journey map exercise.

Overcomplicating the process

Employee journey mapping should be a clear and straightforward process. However, some companies make the mistake of overcomplicating it with excessive detail or complex tools. This can lead to confusion and make it challenging to implement improvements effectively.

Neglecting technology

In the digital age, technology can streamline the employee journey mapping process and make it more accessible. Neglecting to use digital tools or software can be a significant oversight, as it can make data collection and analysis more efficient.

Lack of consistency

Consistency is crucial in mapping the employee journey, but some companies make the mistake of varying their approach for different departments or job roles. This inconsistency can result in an unequal employee experience, leading to disparities in engagement and satisfaction.

Not addressing turnover

Some companies focus solely on the current workforce and overlook the importance of understanding the journey of employees who have left the organization. Analyzing the reasons for their departure can provide valuable insights for reducing turnover in the future.

Ignoring the remote work experience

With the rise of remote work, it's essential to include touchpoints related to the remote employee experience in your journey map. Companies that fail to do this miss the opportunity to create a holistic employee journey that considers the unique needs of remote workers.

Companies need to avoid these common mistakes to create an employee journey map that truly reflects the employee experience and drives real results for the business.

Well, well, well, folks! We’ve come to the end of our journey mapping adventure. It’s time to put those maps to use and transform the employee experience. But wait, before you go, let me summarize the highlights of our journey together.

Firstly, we learned what employee journey mapping is and how it can improve the overall employee experience. We also explored the different stages of the employee journey and how to create an employee journey map.

We didn't forget about personas and how to incorporate them into our journey maps to make the employee experience more personal and relevant.

But wait, what about the mistakes companies often make? We can't forget those. We talked about the common mistakes companies make when mapping employee journeys so that you can avoid them and create a successful journey map.

Now, here’s where CultureMonkey comes in. The platform has everything you need to create a seamless employee experience journey map. With CultureMonkey, you can collect anonymous feedback at every stage of the employee lifecycle , identify gaps in your employee experience, and take action to improve the overall employee experience.

CultureMonkey offers a wide range of features, including pulse surveys , manager effectiveness surveys , eNPS , onboarding surveys, exit surveys, employee engagement surveys , and much more. With all these tools at your fingertips, you can take control of the employee experience and transform it into something amazing.

So there you have it - a complete guide to employee experience journey mapping. So take the time to understand their journey and use that knowledge to create a workplace they love. Happy mapping!

Employee experience journey mapping FAQs

How to design an employee journey map/steps to create an employee journey map.

To design an employee journey map, you should begin by identifying the employee journey stages, including pre-hire, onboarding, development, and separation. Then, create a list of touchpoints or interactions that an employee has with the organization at each stage. Finally, gather employee feedback through surveys , interviews, and focus groups to better understand their experiences.

What is experience journey mapping?

Experience journey mapping is the process of creating a visual representation of a person's journey as they interact with a company. It involves identifying all the touchpoints and interactions a person has with a company and mapping them out to understand the experience. The goal of experience journey mapping is to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement.

Is Journey Mapping an Agile approach?

Employee Journey Mapping is not necessarily an Agile approach but can be used in Agile methodology. It involves visualizing an employee's experience with the organization and identifying touchpoints where the company can improve the employee's experience. The Agile approach focuses on iterative and collaborative work to deliver value to the end-users.

What is the difference between workflow and journey map?

A workflow is a visual representation of a specific process, while an employee journey map is a comprehensive illustration of an employee's overall experience within the organization. A workflow focuses on a specific set of tasks and their sequence, while an employee journey map tracks the employee's interactions and experiences at different touchpoints within the organization.

Employee journey examples

Employee journey examples include the different touchpoints and experiences an employee goes through while working for a company, such as the recruitment process, onboarding, training, performance reviews, and career development opportunities. Other examples can include employee benefits, work-life balance , and company culture . By mapping out these different touchpoints, companies can identify areas for improvement.

Santhosh is a Sr. Content Marketer with 2+ years of experience. He loves to travel solo (though he doesn’t label them as vacations, they are) to explore, meet people, and learn new stories.

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Employee journey mapping: How to get started (includes template)

Improve your employees' experience with our employee journey mapping guide. Includes a free template and tips for mapping touchpoints and gathering feedback.

Joris Luijke , Co-Founder & Co-CEO

An Employee Journey Map helps define and prioritize the work that needs to be done to ensure that the employee experience is top-notch. It encompasses all of the experiences of an employee, including the moments that matter , from before their first day on the job until after their last day.

This blog explains the stages of the employee journey, what exactly an employee journey map is and why it’s important, and of course, how to create your own employee journey map. I’ve created this guide with learnings from my own experience, and I’ve included tips from John Foster, who led the People Function at brands like IDEO, Hulu, and Truecar and used Employee Journey Mapping as a key component of the employee experience. 

We have just launched our Employee Journey Designer that will allow you collaborate with your team to make your own Employee Journey Map!

After reading this guide, and with Journey Designer, you’ll be set up for success when it comes to creating your own employee journey map.

Let's get started!

What is the employee journey?

The employee journey is made up of all of the moments that matter across the employee experience. 

One way to think about it is in contrast to the employee lifecycle, which is often presented in a linear way like this: 

• Development

While this tidy employee lifecycle can be a helpful tool for envisioning the employee experience, what it misses is the moments that matter. It’s built to account for and track the traditional pillars of HR. 

The employee journey, in contrast, is built to capture the moments that matter and to embrace that the employee journey is not linear. In the journey, the focus is on the individual and mapping experiences that they may encounter at any time, regardless of if they’re a new or tenured employee. 

Employees face a stream of challenges at work as they navigate their onboarding, daily work, and eventual departure. Employee Journey Mapping helps improve their overall experience.   

What is an employee journey map?

An Employee Journey Map lists many predictable experiences of an employee, from before their first day on the job until after their last day.

The Journey Map helps companies define and prioritize the work that needs to be done to ensure that the employee experience is top-notch.

Visually, an Employee Journey Map is made up of the following: 

• Category - a moment or collection of moments that make up the employee experience (e.g., onboarding)
• Moments - detailed parts of a Category that employees would recognize as a unique experience (e.g., offer accepted, pre-onboarding, the first week), usually time-bound
• Touchpoints - any direct or indirect transaction with the employee (e.g., sending a welcome letter or instructions for a new hire onboarding buddy )

Categories across the employee journey

Unlike the linearity of the employee lifecycle above, the categories of the employee journey are best thought of in a non-linear fashion - they could occur at any time and often in parallel. 

A few categories that would be beneficial to include in your employee journey that are often not present in the employee lifecycle include:

• Manager development
• Life events ( work anniversaries , parental leave)
• Holidays and observances  

An important note is that you can’t predict all of the stages of the employee journey because you can’t predict all moments in someone’s journey. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try for as much coverage as you can, or that employee journey mapping is unimportant. In fact, it’s critical. 

Why is employee journey mapping important?

Employee Journey Mapping allows you to proactively shape the employee experience and give people the support and guidance they need at the right time. The more proactive you can be, the better your performance will be as a company because people are not struggling to find basic information or understand expectations, they’re able to focus on performing their duties. 

In addition to the impact on the employee, Employee Journey Mapping helps your HR team as well. Your Human Resources or “People People” genuinely want to be there for people at the right times, but we can’t be everywhere at once. Employee Journey Mapping allows us to understand what moments could possibly happen and gives us a tool to track what's happening across the organization and then we can proactively deliver the right information.

John Foster, who led the People Function at brands like IDEO, Hulu, and Truecar and used Employee Journey Mapping as a key component of the employee experience. At IDEO, a design company with human-centered design at its core, John learned the fundamentals behind experience design.  

He explains that Journey Mapping is an essential first step, “When I start in a company - I introduce my team to the Journey Map in our first meeting.” He defines the People function around the idea that there is an employee journey and that designing and managing employee experiences is what the People function does.  

“Employee Experience goes beyond the regular services HR that generally provides. With the journey map, we outline all the touch-points when an employee interacts with the company - and how they perceive those interactions. Once the journey map is complete, it's amazing! You can take a rookie new HR hire and say, this is how things work around here. Follow the map! It's like going into the Tube in London; you can get where you need to go because there's a tube map," John adds. 

How to create your employee journey map

Creating an Employee Journey Map from scratch may feel like a big project. And it would be, if you didn’t have tools or resources to lean on. 

This is why we created a powerful (and free) online tool to make creating your map simple, collaborative, and fun! It’s the tool I wish I’d had as an HR practitioner. 

Here are the six steps to create your Employee Journey Map:

• Log in to Pyn’s Employee Journey Designer
• Select Categories in the Employee Journey Map that you’re interested in designing first
• Customize Moments by adding or removing Touchpoints
• Review each Touchpoint. For each, add Priorities and Owners
• Filter to parts of the journey that you need to work on first
• Ensure you’ve invited your teammates to work on the Map together

1. Log in to Pyn’s Employee Journey Designer

Your email address is all you need to log in to Pyn’s Employee Journey Designer for free today . 

Our free Journey Mapping tool provides you with a fast track to a usable Journey Map. It provides you with hundreds of possible Moments and Touchpoints already visualized across the Journey Map categories. 

In the past, most teams initiated their journey mapping process with an (in-person or virtual) whiteboard session, using sticky notes to jot down all the Moments that Matter in the employee journey at their company. Imagine having to keep track of hundreds of Moments and associated Touchpoints in your head!

With Pyn’s Journey Designer, you can simply customize what’s provided on the template. You can also invite other team members to co-create your ideal employee experience using your Map.

2. Select Categories in the Employee Journey Map that you’re interested in designing first

In Pyn’s Employee Journey Designer you begin with a sample map that includes eleven Categories across the employee journey like ‘Onboarding,’ ‘Manager Development,’ and ‘Exit’.

When creating your Employee Journey Map, you likely won’t focus on eleven Categories all at once. Instead, we recommend selecting those Categories where you want to start designing your employee experience first.

For example, when cybersecurity company Exabeam started their Employee Journey Mapping exercise, they initially focused on the Candidate and Onboarding journey and decided on Moments that Matter collaboratively with Talent Acquisition, People Operations, IT and Legal.

3. Customize Moments by adding or removing Touchpoints

Once you've determined the Categories you want to prioritize, you can customize the Moments that Matter within each Category—those instances that employees would distinctly recognize as significant experiences. For instance, Onboarding moments that matter may include the ‘day the job offer is accepted’, and ‘pre-onboarding’,and the ‘initial day or week’, and ‘the 90-day review’.

For each of these Moments, you have the flexibility to add or remove Touchpoints - the direct or indirect interactions required with employees to guide them through that Moment. 

For instance, on a new starter's first day, instructions are directed to the new employee, to their manager, and potentially to their assigned new hire buddy. Each of these interactions is an important Touchpoint in shaping the overall experience.

4. Review each Touchpoint and add Priorities and Owners

In order to improve the employee experience, you need to know who will be improving what parts of the journey. So, once you've identified the Touchpoints for each Moment, it's important to assign owners and establish priorities. Touchpoints requiring immediate enhancements can be labeled as 'high priority.' You have the option to designate your colleague(s) as the "owner" of specific Touchpoints, inviting them to collaborate on your Employee Journey Map.

For Touchpoints demanding more ongoing work, consider including additional details such as a comprehensive description and associated "Actions" pertaining to relevant activities linked to that Touchpoint, such as messages, checklists, tickets, etc.

For instance, a moment like 'pre-onboarding' may involve Touchpoints with both the Hiring Manager and IT. Actions tied to IT instructions might involve the creation of a JIRA ticket, while actions related to Hiring Manager instructions could include sending a Slack message with information on how to develop a new Hire 90 Day Plan.

5.  Filter to parts of the Journey that you need to work on first

Filtering allows your HR team to tailor your view based on specific properties, such as Team, Owner, Priority, and more. It’s also useful for refining what you’re sharing to different stakeholders.

For instance, if your focus is on elevating high-priority moments within the Onboarding experience, you can apply filters as follows:

• Category: Onboarding
• Priority: High
• Current State: Needs Improvement and/or We don’t have this yet

Or, for an overview of all Touchpoints owned by your Learning & Development team marked as high priority, you can utilize the following filters:

• Team: L&D

6. Ensure you’ve invited your teammates to work on the Map together

If you haven’t already, make sure to invite your team and other stakeholders to work on the Journey Map collaboratively. 

Collaborating with others on your employee journey map is important because it: 

Takes into account diverse perspectives: “The more diverse the group of stakeholders that we involve in the process of developing our map, the more diverse the group of employees the map will work for,” says DEI Consultant Natania Malin Gazek. Different team members may have unique insights into various stages of the employee journey, contributing to a more comprehensive and accurate map.

Builds cross-functional alignment: To be an effective tool, your Journey Map should be relevant across different departments and functions. Collaboration ensures alignment between teams, leading to a more unified understanding of the employee experience.

Boosts buy-in and engagement: When employees contribute to the mapping process, they are more likely to be invested in the outcomes and committed to the work needed to get there. 

Encourages knowledge sharing: Members of an HR team can sometimes work in silos. Collaboration helps to break down those barriers and encourage the sharing of knowledge and expertise. Team members can provide valuable information about specific touchpoints or stages of the employee journey that others may be less familiar with.

Improves accuracy and quality: Errors or oversights are more likely to be identified and corrected when there is a collective effort to review and validate the map. 

Start building your Employee Journey Map today

Get a head start on your Employee Journey Map and log in to Pyn's Employee Journey Designer today. You'll go through the same steps outlined in this article within the product, and be well on your way to building a better employee experience.

Joris dreamt of having Pyn as Head of People at Atlassian and Squarespace. Now dreams of getting a sleep-in on Sunday.

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How to Map Your Employee Experience (Guide + Free Template)

by Katy French

Your employer brand is influenced by many things: your culture, your values, your industry, etc. But it is your employee experience that will ultimately make or break you. Whether or not you realize it, the way you treat your employees trickles into every part of your business, from your product development to your customer service. Unhappy, unappreciated, and overworked employees aren’t interested, willing, or able to give their best to anyone. And with no incentive to stay, constant turnover makes it increasingly harder to cultivate a healthy and happy culture. 

[bctt tweet=”96% of talent professionals say employee experience is becoming more important.”]

—LinkedIn 2020 Global Talent Trends report

Thus, it’s important to ask yourself: Are you delivering the best employee experience possible? And how do you know what that looks like? Luckily, there’s a simple way to get that insight. Simply map your employee experience and you’ll get the blueprint you need to create a better journey from end to end.  

Why Your Employee Experience Matters

To cultivate a strong employer brand, you need to provide a positive, consistent, and cohesive employee experience at every touchpoint—from the first time a potential candidate encounters your brand (even if they’re not looking for a job yet), to the moment they accept the offer, to their final exit interview.

Just like a buyer journey , an employee experience map is a simplified visualization of that employee experience, helping you understand every stage of the journey. At its core, mapping your employee experience is an exercise in empathy, helping you understand what your current employee experience is like, along with key touchpoints, messaging, and insight you need to transform your experience, attract the most talented people, and keep them on board as contributors. Ultimately, it’s the secret to building a better employer brand. 

How to Map Your Employee Experience

The good news is that mapping your employee experience journey isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. Here, we’ve broken down the steps and tools you need to get through it as painlessly as possible. ( You can probably do it in less than a day if you have the right people and access to the right data.)  

Step 1: Identify Your Personas

Your workforce is not a monolith. There are a variety of different people who come to work for you for different reasons. Depending on their unique positions, they will experience your employer brand in different ways. When you go through this process, it is important to complete the mapping exercise through the lens of these different groups. 

To do this, create 3-5 personas to represent these different groups, identifying key factors, such as: 

• Job function
• Specialized skills

You’ll also want to distinguish personas by level of leadership, department, or specific subgroup within the company (e.g. Senior Front-End Software Developers). 

See our guide to creating marketing personas for relevant tips to build your employee personas. 

Step 2: Download the Employee Experience Map Template

To walk you through each phase, we’ve created a free  Employee Experience Template . Make a copy for each persona, then work through the following steps with each persona in mind. 

Step 3: Analyze Each Stage of Your Employee Experience

The employee journey mirrors the buyer journey. But in this case, people aren’t looking to buy your product; they’re looking to join your company. Still, many of their needs and considerations are the same. Here, you’ll analyze their experience at each stage of the journey, answering questions to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses throughout.  

Stage 1: Awareness

Whether they are proactively searching for a new job (an “active candidate”) or fielding a LinkedIn message from a headhunter (“passive candidate”), this is the stage where candidates are exploring their options, learning about open positions, considering the companies they might want to work for, or responding to recruiters. 

• Am I as engaged/fulfilled at my current job as I could be?
• Am I ready for a change?
• How do working experiences/growth opportunities at other companies compare to mine?
• What do I want in a job/career?
• What companies are similar to mine?
• What brands do I admire or would I like to explore?
• What else is out there? 
• Brand/product marketing
• Broadcast (TV/radio)
• Outdoor (billboards, bus stops)
• Social networks
• Job search platforms
• Direct contact
• Experiential/guerrilla
• What formats are most dynamic?
• How can you highlight your Employer Value Proposition ?
• Company profile views (on job search sites)
• Ad click-throughs
• Social followers
• Website visits

Stage 2: Consideration

At this stage, candidates are researching your brand to see if it might be the right fit for them. Beyond your industry, they are looking at what makes you unique: your values, culture, philosophy, track record, etc. 

• Is this role/department a good fit for me?
• Am I qualified for this open position?
• Am I inspired by this type of work? 
• Would I fit in at this company?
• What is the direction of the company?
• Who in my network might have insight about the company?
• What is it really like to work there?
• Website (About Page, Culture Page, Job Page)
• Job search and review sites (LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc.) 
• Application
• Confirmation email
• Phone screener
• Office visit
• Brand Heart (purpose, vision, mission, values)
• Benefits highlights (on website)
• Culture content (employee spotlights, explainers, initiatives)
• Number of applicants
• Number of qualified applicants

Stage 3: Decision 

During this stage, candidates are making the decision to join the team and go through the onboarding process. Note: What they observe and experience during this phase is especially crucial. It’s important to establish trust, consistency, and transparency from the jump—and to maintain it going forward. Otherwise, they may jump ship quickly. Your interactions at this phase, as well as the expectations you set up, will affect whether or not they can see themselves at the company long term. 

• Am I ready to leave my current position/situation?
• Does the compensation match my value, needs, and/or future needs (e.g., starting a family)?
• Can I grow with this company? 
• Do the work parameters fit around the constraints/demands of my life?
• Does this company seem honest and transparent?
• Offer letter
• Offer follow-up (negotiation, feedback, etc.)
• Orientation
• Training materials
• Team intros
• Personalized welcomes from leadership/coworkers
• New hire swag (t-shirts, water bottles, etc.)
• Personalized items (business card, note pads, etc.)
• Welcome kits (for remote hires)
• Acceptance rate
• Time to hire
• Quality hires
• Diversity of candidates

Note: Regular retrospectives help you learn from both your recruiting failures and successes. T ake a look at how many qualified candidates you took in, how many you talked to, how many you had for final interviews, how many had the correct skill level or background specified. The more insight you have, the more effective you can be.

Stage 4: Retention

It takes work to bring people into your organization, but this is where you really need to deliver on your employee experience.

[bctt tweet=”Employees with positive experiences are 52% less likely to want to leave their organizations.”]  —The Employee Experience Index

Nurturing your people is an ongoing effort, and it requires alignment from top to bottom. Cultivating a healthy culture, promoting your values, and encouraging productive communication are all key to retention. 

• How does this work environment compare to what I expected?
• Do I like and appreciate my immediate team?
• What are the basics of my role?
• What does success here look like for me?
• How can I support the direction of the company?
• Who will support me in reaching my goals?
• What skills am I able to further develop here?
• Would I recommend a friend work here?
• Do I feel a sense of belonging?
• Do I have unmet needs (growth, engagement, compensation, geographic)?
• Am I properly valued (seen, heard, compensated) by my superiors and peers?
• Performance evaluations
• Team-building
• Culture events
• Email, chat apps, intranet
• Initiatives
• Surveys and feedback
• Referral programs
• Employee engagement
• Retention and turnover (voluntary/involuntary)
• Average tenure

Stage 5: Post-Employment

The employee relationship doesn’t end once someone leaves your company. Depending on their experiences, they will remain an advocate for you (and, ideally, send you their high-quality referrals), or they will actively steer people away from you. Thus, the way you handle their exit is just as important as the way you welcome them. 

• Am I making the right choice to leave? 
• What legacy or impact did I leave?
• What skills and relationships will I bring with me?
• Can a continued relationship with this company support my career goals?
• How can I continue to support the company and the people there?
• Exit interview
• Company newsletter
• Review sites (Glassdoor)
• Alumni network
• Goodbye celebrations
• Parting gifts
• Check-ins post-exit
• Departures (voluntary/involuntary) 
• Willingness to refer 
• Alumni referrals

Note: It’s also important to consider where your employees go on their journey when they separate (e.g., freelance, travel, startups, a more challenging role). This data can be useful to identify patterns or figure out why you may be faltering with retention. 

Step 4: Turn Your Insights Into Action

Once you’ve documented your employee journey for each persona, you may notice some similar themes, both good and bad. Analyze each journey individually and as a whole to look for areas of improvement. 

• What are the strongest and weakest parts of the employee experience journey? You may be good at the decision stage but lackluster in the onboarding stage. Remember: Consistency is key.
• What content works especially well? You may be able to translate success in one area to success in another. If your job descriptions are known for their heart and personality, you may want to revise your onboarding materials to reflect the same.
• What key messages are missing? You want to answer a candidate’s questions before they even have them, but you also want to make sure you’re leading with the right messages. For example, if health and wellness are integral to your culture, how can you infuse that sentiment into your website? 
• What content can be improved upon? For example, you might want to add videos to your People page to give candidates a real behind-the-scenes look at your team. 
• Are your values consistent throughout the journey? For example, if your product is all about making communication more efficient but you wait three weeks to get back to an applicant, you aren’t following through on your brand promise. 

With these insights, you can methodically work to strengthen your employee experience and, by default, your employer brand. To do this effectively, focus on your weakest points first, then work to improve your process as a whole. 

The work doesn’t end there, though. Your employee experience is just one part of your employer brand, and there are more things you can do to strengthen it at every level of your organization. For more ideas to get started…

• Clarify your Brand Heart. Your Brand Heart  (purpose, vision, mission, values) is the true core of your employer brand. Make sure you have these elements clearly documented and shared with your employees.
• Write your Employer Value Proposition. No matter what the position, you should have a well-defined EVP that communicates your unique benefits and inspires people to learn more. Try these tips to create a more compelling EVP .
• Learn about the keys to a strong employer brand. You can’t just say who you want to be; you have to cultivate the right traits to support your brand.
• Conduct a brand audit. To get valuable feedback about how to improve your employer brand, find out what to ask your potential, current, and former employees .
• Scope your competition. If you want to stand out, you need to know who you’re competing against. Try our simple guide to do a competitive hiring analysis and figure out how to best position yourself.
• Do more culture marketing to bring your brand to life. For more helpful content ideas, find out how to highlight your culture through content .  

We realize this is a lot, of course. If you’re overwhelmed, short on resources, or need a little more strategic insight, a creative agency can help you clarify your employer brand story. Follow these tips to find the right one for you , or  hit us up . We’re always happy to chat.

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A guide for mapping your employee experience

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From the moment a candidate becomes attracted to your business, you have the opportunity to engage them in a unique and fulfilling experience. But the journey from interested candidate to fulfilled employee doesn't just happen – instead, it should be deeply considered and intentionally mapped.

Planning what your company’s employee experience (EX) looks like brings structure to each stage involved in an employee’s journey, leading to a consistent and equitable experience for each team member. 

By prioritizing a structured approach to creating an employee experience, you can develop a process that keeps you, your team, and other people leaders accountable for ensuring every employee has the best possible experience at your organization. Tracking the employee experience (through surveys and other touchpoints) confirms that the experience you're providing is fair across the organization.

In this article, we introduce our approach to mapping the employee experience and provide you with a guide for evaluating your existing employee experience and a step-by-step process for optimizing the experience for everyone involved. 

Why and how we created the employee journey mapping guide

The employee experience directly impacts your team’s performance, engagement , and well-being , and has a tremendous influence on your customer satisfaction and even profits. So to help your company streamline the employee journey mapping, we created a guide to optimize your existing EX and/or create a new approach that will work better.

In our experience working with over 5,000 diverse companies – with workforces ranging from 100 employees to 100,000, from bra makers to bread makers, from Melbourne to Milan – we've noticed there are a few things that are constant. All employees experience a typical set of stages in their journey, with specific key moments that make or break their experience. We created our guide for mapping the employee experience to help you make those key moments exceptional. By tapping into what makes your employees and company unique, you can supercharge engagement and retention at your organization.

Start mapping your employee experience

How an employee journey map can help you .

Mapping your employee experience offers multiple benefits to all parties involved in an employee’s journey, including:

• Helping HR teams effectively track an employee’s progress during their time at your company
• Enabling managers to better guide their direct reports through the employee journey
• Provide individual employees with a consistent and fair path toward success.

“With this guide, you’ll learn the common stages of your employee’s journey and prioritize the places where you could have the largest impact,” says Fresia Jackson, the Culture Amp People Scientist behind the design of this worksheet. “By putting yourself into your employees' shoes, you can see whether your values show through during key moments that matter and where you may be falling short. But since insight is nothing without action, we’ll also guide you through transforming what you learn into unique and impactful actions.”

Four steps for mapping the employee experience 

First of all, it's crucial to understand each individual stage of an employee’s journey. 

After you understand each stage, there are four steps you can take to map your employee experience:

• Moments that matter
• Organizational context
• Employee lens
• Prioritize.

Below, we discuss each stage briefly, but if you want to learn more about each stage in detail, check out the full guide to mapping the employee experience .

Step 1: Moments that matter

Within each stage, there are moments that will especially (and uniquely) matter to the employees at your organization. For example, within "Attract," a "Moment that matters" is "Receiving their office letter."

Although every stage is essential, there are specific stages that will drive particularly outsized results in your workforce. By identifying and focusing on the particular moments that matter to your people, you can help boost engagement, performance, and more.

Step 2: Organizational context

The employee journey map is incomplete without organizational context. Factors such as your company mission , vision, and values are crucial aspects of your employee experience. How your organization exhibits and lives these will directly impact an employee’s experience working with your team . As such, defining and prioritizing the key moments that demonstrate your values is crucial.

Step 3: Employee lens

In addition to the company’s ability to live its values, the employee’s lived experience also shapes how they will interact with their work. For example, are they new parents? Where are they in their career? It's important to consider how an employee’s unique (and intersectional ) identity or circumstances could impact their journey at your company. 

Step 4: Prioritize

The final step of the employee journey mapping process is to choose what stage and moment to focus on. It's a good idea to be narrow, as it will be hard to measure whether your actions are effective if multiple changes happen simultaneously.

Senior Content Marketing Manager, Culture Amp

Alica Forneret

Writer, Culture Amp

What’s next

HR’s complete guide to people analytics

The Great Regression: Employee engagement in 2024

How healthcare providers are fighting employee burnout & turnover

Build a world-class employee experience today

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Explore your coworkers’ experiences with an employee journey map

Trace colleagues’ company paths from their recruitment to their next promotion and collect valuable insights along the way.

Employee journey map template

Employee journey mapping is beneficial not only for performance management but to also gain insight into internal communications and company culture. Chart every employee’s trek to the top with this collaborative template.

This compass points toward satisfied coworkers

Check in with teammates to understand the different pathways to progress and clarify the climb ahead.

Chart the course: Visualize each employee’s journey from preboarding to onboarding.

Stay en route: Improve upon hiring and training processes based on coworker feedback.

Rate the trail: Gauge the challenges that come with each step in your onboarding process to support new hires and current team members.

Reach the summit without scrambling

Teammate staring down a fork in the road? FigJam’s employee journey maps reveal stepping stones and danger zones so everyone can reach the peak. Whether you’re innovating the onboarding process or carving out a growth opportunity, easily source feedback and support from your trusted spotters through Lil’ Notes, Emoji, and Anonymous Thoughts.

All roads lead to Community

Make inroads with an employee journey map that guides your team’s growth. Then, take a beautiful, productive detour with templates from the Community.

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What is an employee journey map?

An employee journey map follows a team member’s path at a company, from their recruitment to their offboarding. These charts cover every stage of employee life cycle and growth in the company in order to reveal where they are on their career trajectory, point out where they’re going, and shine a light on their experiences along the way. For employers, these maps can uncover trends and areas for improvement and inspire employee-centric thinking—especially when they contain feedback from team members. Employee journey maps are also beneficial for gaining insight into company culture, employee experience, and engagement.

How many steps are there in the employee journey?

While each employee experience and journey is unique, most pathways include these five major steps:

1. Recruiting

2. Onboarding

3. Development

4. Retention

5. Offboarding

As you create your map, you’ll fill in touchpoints, recommendations, and employee experiences for each of these distinct stages. FigJam’s collaborative employee onboarding journey map template makes it easy to analyze each moment of the journey and solicit insights from your fellow travelers.

What is the employee onboarding journey?

The onboarding stage of the employee journey follows your colleagues’ experiences from their hiring through the end of their training period. During this time, the employee can expect to meet their coworkers, learn company procedures, enroll in benefits, and maybe field some questions at a get-to-know-you lunch.

Suppose you were to unpack this step on an employee journey map example. In that case, you might note the expectations at this time (understand HR policies), touchpoints (one-on-one with supervisor), and the employee’s experience (big fan of the company lunch, not so keen on the thermostat setting). FigJam's employee journey mapping templates make it easy to track everything.

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Stages // require(['jquery'], function ($) { $(document).ready(function () { //removes paginator if items are less than selected items per page var paginator = $("#limiter :selected").text(); var itemsPerPage = parseInt(paginator); var itemsCount = $(".products.list.items.product-items.sli_container").children().length; if (itemsCount ? ’Stages’ here means the number of divisions or graphic elements in the slide. For example, if you want a 4 piece puzzle slide, you can search for the word ‘puzzles’ and then select 4 ‘Stages’ here. We have categorized all our content according to the number of ‘Stages’ to make it easier for you to refine the results.

Category // require(['jquery'], function ($) { $(document).ready(function () { //removes paginator if items are less than selected items per page var paginator = $("#limiter :selected").text(); var itemsperpage = parseint(paginator); var itemscount = $(".products.list.items.product-items.sli_container").children().length; if (itemscount.

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