Why Most Firms Get Employee Experience Wrong (And Why You Need External Expertise)
You care about your people. You've invested in perks, benefits, and initiatives. But your best talent is still leaving.
The problem? You're too close to see what's really broken.
At elevatehx, we're the external experts who help you see the blind spots, hear the truth your people won't tell you directly, and design solutions that actually work.
The Problem: Why Internal Efforts Fail
Ignoring employee experience isn't neutral - it's expensive.
The numbers:
Gallup's 2024 research: Disengaged employees cost the global economy $8.9 trillion in lost productivity
Work Institute's 2024 Retention Report: 75% of employee turnover is preventable - but only if you understand the root causes
Oxford University's 2024 study: Companies with poor employee experience see 50% higher turnover, 30% lower productivity, and 25% worse client satisfaction
What it looks like in practice:
A 100-person professional services firm losing 20 people a year at £40k replacement cost each = £800k annual loss
A tech company with disengaged engineers shipping buggy code, missing deadlines, and losing clients = millions in lost revenue
A media outlet where burned-out journalists produce lower-quality content and damage the brand = irreparable reputational harm
You can't afford to guess. You need expertise.
Why Internal Efforts Fail
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The mistake: Leadership assumes they know what employees want. Free lunches, flexible Fridays, wellness apps - initiatives rolled out without actually asking people what matters to them.
The reality:Gallup's 2024 State of the Global Workplace found that 70% of employee engagement initiatives fail because they're based on assumptions, not evidence.
What we see: A law firm spent £50k on a new breakout space that nobody uses. Why? Because their people wanted clearer career progression and better workload management - not bean bags.
Why external expertise matters: We listen without bias. Employees tell us the truth because we're not their boss, not HR, and not tied to internal politics.
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The mistake: You run a survey or hold a town hall, and the same confident voices dominate. Meanwhile, your quieter employees, often the ones closest to leaving - say nothing.
The reality:Harvard Business Review's 2024 research shows that 65% of employees don't speak up honestly in internal forums due to fear of repercussions or futility.
What we see: A financial services firm thought morale was fine because senior staff were positive. Confidential interviews revealed that junior and mid-level employees felt ignored, overworked, and ready to leave.
Why external expertise matters: Confidential, independent conversations create psychological safety. People tell us what they won't tell you.
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The mistake: High turnover? Hire faster. Low engagement? Add more perks. Burnout? Offer mindfulness apps.
The reality:Deloitte's 2024 Human Capital Trends Report found that 80% of organisations focus on surface-level fixes instead of addressing systemic issues in culture, leadership, or workload.
What we see: A tech company offered unlimited holiday to combat burnout. Nobody took it - because the culture punished taking time off. The real issue? Unrealistic sprint planning and poor management.
Why external expertise matters: We map the entire employee journey and identify the friction points you're missing. We fix the system, not just the symptoms.
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The mistake: Leadership believes the culture is great. Employees disagree. The gap widens, trust erodes, and talent walks.
The reality:PwC's 2024 Global Workforce Hopes & Fears Survey revealed that 54% of employees say leadership is out of touch with their day-to-day experience.
What we see: A professional services firm's Managing Partners were shocked to learn that employees felt micromanaged, undervalued, and unclear on progression - none of which had been raised in performance reviews.
Why external expertise matters: We bridge the gap. We help leadership see what employees experience, and we help employees understand leadership's constraints. Sustainable change requires both sides to move.
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The mistake: "Google has nap pods, so we should too." "That consultancy offers unlimited holiday - let's do the same."
The reality: McKinsey's 2024 Organization Blog warns that cookie-cutter employee experience strategies fail 9 times out of 10 because every organisation's culture, workforce, and challenges are unique.
What we see: A media company copied a tech startup's "radical transparency" approach. It backfired spectacularly - because their editorial culture required confidentiality and trust, not open Slack channels for everything.
Why external expertise matters: We don't bring a playbook. We co-create solutions tailored to your culture, your people, and your commercial realities.
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The mistake: "HR will handle it." But your HR team is already stretched thin with compliance, recruitment, and day-to-day firefighting. Employee experience strategy falls to the bottom of the list.
The reality: CIPD's 2024 HR Outlook Report found that 78% of HR teams say they lack the time, budget, or expertise to design and implement meaningful employee experience improvements.
What we see: An accounting firm's HR Director knew engagement was a problem but had no capacity to diagnose it properly, map the journey, or build a roadmap. Meanwhile, turnover climbed and recruitment costs soared.
Why external expertise matters: We bring dedicated focus, proven methodology, and speed. 30 days from discovery to actionable roadmap - no distractions, no competing priorities.
What You Get with elevatehx
Our 5-Day Sprint Delivers:
✅ Employee experience diagnostic report – What's working, what's broken, and why
✅ Visual employee journey map – Every touchpoint from hire to exit
✅ Prioritised action roadmap – Quick wins and strategic initiatives with ROI analysis
✅ Leadership summary presentation – Clear, data-backed recommendations for decision-makers
✅ Co-creation workshop insights – Solutions designed with your people, not imposed on them
The Bottom Line
You can't fix what you can't see. And you can't see it clearly when you're inside the system.
External expertise isn't a luxury—it's a necessity if you want to:
✅ Understand what's really driving turnover
✅ Hear the truth your people won't tell you directly
✅ Design solutions that work for your culture, not someone else's
✅ Move fast without getting bogged down in internal politics
✅ Deliver measurable ROI on employee experience investment
The firms that win are the ones that ask for help before it's too late.
FAQs
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You can try - but HR is stretched thin, lacks independence, and employees often won't be fully honest with them. External expertise brings objectivity, speed, and psychological safety.
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The opposite. Employees are more honest with us because we're independent, confidential, and not tied to internal politics or performance reviews.
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We specialise in professional services, financial services, media, and tech. We've worked inside organisations like yours and understand the unique pressures and culture.
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Good. That means we've uncovered the truth. Our job is to show you reality, not tell you what you want to hear. Sustainable change starts with honesty.
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No. We prioritise quick wins and strategic initiatives. You control the pace and what gets implemented. The roadmap is yours to own.
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You own the roadmap and implement it internally. We're available for ad-hoc support if needed, but there's no ongoing retainer or dependency.