https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/How-CHROs-can-prevent-employee-experience-challenges
Employee experience is a crucial part of any company’s operations, but some challenges can get in the way. Chief HR officers (CHROs) should learn about some of the most common barriers to a positive employee experience so they can prevent the challenges from occurring.
Hiring can be a time-consuming investment for HR and hiring managers: The average time to fill a position is about 63 days, according to the "2026 Hiring Benchmarks Report" by Employ Inc. Organizations want to see a return on the expense of hiring, and replacing workers can lead to a loss in productivity. Delivering a good employee experience is critical for retaining employees.
Here are some common challenges that can interfere with a company delivering a positive employee experience.
Companies should establish a good employee experience from the start, and a negative onboarding experience can derail that effort. CHROs are responsible for creating a successful onboarding process and ensuring that HR staff follow it.
If a CHRO's company is not already doing it, the CHRO might want to consider instituting a program in which a new hire is assigned to a peer. The senior co-worker can help the new hire get settled and build relationships with colleagues, which can improve the new employee's experience.
CHROs should also instruct managers to tell new hires who to reach out to if the new hire has questions.
Difficult managers are often the primary cause of a negative employee experience. Forty-seven percent of surveyed employees said they left a job that they otherwise enjoyed because of problems with their manager, according to a 2025 report by BambooHR. Managers who give unclear directions, micromanage, take credit for their subordinates' work or create a toxic environment can negatively affect employee retention.
CHROs should instruct HR business partners or other leaders to closely monitor managers' leadership styles and quickly address any negative behaviors. Attention should also be paid to employee exit interviews, and HR should investigate any concerns raised by departing employees about their manager's behavior.
Many jobs come with particularly busy periods, but employees will become burned out if an unrealistic workload becomes the norm. Some factors that can lead to burnout include understaffing and expecting employees to be available by email or text outside of normal business hours.
One way CHROs can alleviate employee burnout is by mandating training for managers about realistic deadlines and fair workloads. CHROs should also review head count if understaffing becomes a perennial problem and establish policies to promote work-life balance, including encouraging employees to take paid time off and instructing managers to avoid texting or emailing their teams outside of normal work hours.
Sending out surveys to gauge employee engagement and soliciting employee feedback during town halls or department meetings make employees feel like their concerns are being heard. However, employee experience can be negatively affected if the company fails to address workers' concerns after the surveys or meetings.
Addressing every employee concern is not always possible, and if changes in a certain area cannot happen, the CHRO and other leaders should be candid with employees about why. Communicating about a lack of change will deliver a more positive employee experience than if leaders listen to concerns during a meeting and fail to respond.
Lynda Spiegel is a freelance writer and former global HR executive for financial services, telecommunications and SaaS companies.
02 Jun 2026