Doubling down on employee experience

It’s time for leaders to double down on the idea that the employee experience (EX) is now the key driver of the customer experience (CX). According to PwC, companies that invest in and deliver superior experiences to both consumers and employees are able to charge a premium of as much as 16pc for their products and services. So how do leaders design EX to better align with CX? 1) Identify where the biggest gaps exist. 2) Find creative ways to directly connect employees and customers regardless of whether “customer service” is in their job description. 3) Integrate customer and employee journey maps to identify and diagnose customer problems. A map that correlates and calibrates the journeys of customers with the journeys of employees helps identify employee pain points that negatively impact the customer as well. 4) Integrate KPIs from both areas into a single view with a dynamic report instead of using separate datasets.

(Adapted from “Engaged Employees Create Better Customer Experiences,” by Denise Lee Yohn, published by the Harvard Business Review)

India’s AI jobpocalpse

If the sort of technology underpinning ChatGPT displaces software engineers, no single country would be impacted more than India, home to over 5m coders. Not long ago, India’s outsourcing firms were so hungry for talent that they didn’t even mind if an engineer’s background was in chemicals or mining. Training people through in-house coding drills was routine. Fresh-faced recruits are still highly valued in the sector, which builds software systems for global customers like Wall Street banks, Silicon Valley tech titans and the world’s largest airlines and retailers. India’s (and Asia’s) largest outsourcer has made 46,000 campus offers this year. These days, generative artificial intelligence and ChatGPT start and dominate every client conversation. The question isn’t whether AI will take over existing jobs, it’s how fast the new technology will catalyse new jobs and opportunities even as it displaces old roles.

(Adapted from “India’s 5 Million Coders Will Reckon With an AI Jobpocalypse,” by Saritha Rai, published on April 17, 2023, by Bloomberg)

Saudi Arabia’s gaming strategy

As part of its strategy to diversify its economy away from oil, Saudi Arabia, through its Public Investment Fund, wants to become a big player in the $184bn global gaming market.After focusing initially on the esports industry, which has been struggling, the fund’s subsidiary, Savvy Gaming Group, is now looking to develop, publish and acquire top-tier games and support a gaming industry in Riyadh. “We are now more of an esports company than a games company,” said Savvy CEO Brian Ward. The government is betting $38 billion on the country’s potential to become the next hub for the video-game industry. There are approximately 21 million gamers in the country, according to analysts at Niko Partners. That’s about 58pc of the population, compared with the US’s 66pc. By 2026, the games market in the Middle East and North Africa is expected to grow by 56pc to $2.79bn.

(Adapted from “Saudi Arabia Is Investing $38 Billion To Become A Video-Game Hub,” by Cecilia D’Anastasio, published on April 3, 2023, by Bloomberg)

Laid off on a work visa

In the US, work visa holders have 60 days to find a new employer to sponsor them after being laid off. Factors like hiring freezes, a large number of highly qualified candidates entering the job market, visa sponsorship limitations, and the added layer of cultural and language barriers, can make the job search difficult. While some people can buy more time by changing their visa category, for most, the best option is to find an employer who will sponsor them on their current visa. If you’re a young professional on a visa who has recently been laid off, what can you do? 1) LinkedIn is still one of the best platforms to get connected with people and find new opportunities. 2) Drop a direct message or email people in your network. Given their targeted nature, direct messages have a higher likelihood of getting a positive response than sharing an open post on LinkedIn.

(Adapted from “What To Do If You’re Laid Off On A Work Visa,” by Olga Kingsbury, published by HBR Ascend)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, April 25th, 2023