Multiple industry case.

Design your employee experience

In response to increasing concerns over rising resignations and job-hopping trends both locally and internationally, an executive education provider approached me to develop and teach a program on “designing the employee experience”. This programme was tailored for professionals across various organisations, incorporating customised service design tools and interactive workshops. The programme comprised four half-day, in-person sessions spread over six months, allowing participants time to apply their learning to real-world development cases within their organisations. Additionally, I provided three one-hour online coaching sessions for teams to support their progress. Eight participants from diverse sectors, including government and industry, joined the programme.

Programme Design

4 half-day design workshops

The programme started with an introductory session to define and explore the concept of employee experience, grounded in practical cases and theories. Participants identified specific areas within their organisations that required development and established the scope of their focus.

Over the course of four half-day workshops, participants advanced through the key phases of the design process: framing the problem, generating solution ideas, testing prototypes, and reflecting on lessons learned. The first workshop concentrated on understanding and framing the challenge, while the second and third workshops focused on ideation and prototyping, incorporating diverse tools and methods to find and refine solutions. The final workshop emphasised iterating on the developed solutions and planning for broader application of design in their organisations.

3 online coaching sessions

Between workshops, participants engaged in three one-hour online coaching sessions. These sessions supported them in framing their development projects, refining their approaches, and addressing challenges as they applied design thinking in their work contexts.

Deliverables

8

prototyped and tested solution directions, one per participant, targeting specific organisational challenges affecting employee experience.

deep

knowledge of tools and methods and confidence to apply design thinking to broader organisational contexts.

all

program materials (slides, templates, etc.) free to use

More outcomes

Hidden needs uncovered

Some participants focused on foreign newcomers as “extreme users” – those disproportionately impacted by specific issues and recalling them in vivid detail. This focus revealed needs that could benefit all employees.

Challenges reframed

Participants realised their initial issues were often symptoms of deeper problems. For instance, one shifted from creating an information platform to designing a training programme to establish new norms.

Ideation tools explored

Participants valued experimenting with diverse ideation methods, from associative to systematic techniques, to find the best fit for their teams. Exploring multiple tools boosted their confidence in adapting them for organisational use.

Testimonials

“I appreciated Floris’ active participation in the group works and discussions, challenging the groups.”

“Clear introductions to the tools and many examples related to HR matters.”

93%

program satisfaction rating

98%

trainer satisfaction rating

Paraphrased to preserve anonymity and increase legibility