Feature
Even when the economy is shaky and employment trends soften, employee experience matters. Whatever the business landscape, employers must attract and retain talent who deliver high-quality work on time while safeguarding quality.
Every employee has their own unique mix of preferences and priorities that shapes their view of the workplace. Even well-paid workers can be lured away by packages that more closely match their needs and wants.
Understanding What Motivates Workers
Take remote work as an example: Nearly two thirds of U.S. workers — 64% — like the idea of remote work, according to Bankrate. More than one third either don't like the idea or feel neutral. That's a sizeable chunk of employees, and their preferences can't be ignored.
When companies acknowledge and address these differences, employees respond. “Talent globally are looking for workplaces that align with their personal values, aspirations and circumstances,” according to a Randstad Workmonitor 2025 study.
“When a manager really listens in and develops a more meaningful relationship with their employee, they can then know what buttons to push to activate that person’s engagement and help them grow,” Angela Cheng-Cimini, chief human resources officer at Harvard Business Publishing, told Harvard Business Impact. “It’s all about care.”
The best workers are motivated by more than salary. While pay and benefits always matter, studies including Randstad’s show employees often prioritize intangible factors like work-life balance or learning and development. Chances are, perception of these workplace features varies from one employee to the other.
Employee Expectations Meet Consumer Expectations
All of this aligns with the idea that consumers and employees have a lot in common.
Consumers expect personalized service, and employees now expect the same at work. Fifty-three percent of shoppers prefer retailers that customize their approach, Medallia reports, and 61% notice when support is tailored. When Netflix surfaces custom recommendations, workers expect AI-driven personalization from their employers, too.
Some employees prefer in-person mentorship to digital learning, for example. Others want more handholding when it comes to retirement planning. Still others respond more quickly to email than to texts. Satisfying all of those demands is complicated, to say the least.
Technology — especially AI, machine learning and analytics — now powers personalized HR. Platforms such as SAP SuccessFactors, Workday and UKG track engagement data, performance metrics and feedback, then suggest training, internal mobility opportunities or well-being resources for each employee.
Not surprisingly, more HR tech vendors market tools for personalized HR operations. Workday surfaces tailored career and learning paths, SAP SuccessFactors delivers content based on role history and UKG adapts scheduling.
Employers must proceed carefully. Personalization requires tracking behaviors, queries and other workplace actions. Too much monitoring can erode trust and can create a gap between the company and the workers it’s trying to engage. Excessive data collection raises privacy, compliance and security risks if mishandled.
Giving Employees What They Want
The best solutions combine personalization and timeliness.
Personalized Feedback
Technology enables always-on coaching and continuous goal alignment. GE, for example, replaced rigid annual reviews with ongoing, tailored check-ins. The annual performance review “simply doesn’t work for the company or its younger workforce anymore,” GE HR executives told Quartz.
Customized Benefits
Employees want benefits that match their life stage. For example, financial wellness advice for retirees should differ from tips for recent graduates. “Organizations need to have a stronger real-time pulse on their diverse and global workforces and provide personalized and holistic support in the moment,” BrightPlan research advised.
Professional Growth
Professional growth is another area where personalization can improve engagement. Thirty-four percent of employees who consider quitting are motivated by more training, according to Adecco. Unilever’s FLEX program matches workers to part-time projects, unlocking new opportunities and helping managers spot hidden talent.
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Broad trends in financial wellness, growth and benefits reflect individual expectations. Instead of one-size-fits-all policies, employers should leverage modern HR tech to meet personal needs — and keep top talent engaged.
Editor's Note: Read other tips for personalized approaches in the workplace:
- Is GenAI the Answer to Hyper-Personalization in EX? 4 Considerations — Generative AI has the potential to finally deliver on personalized employee experience. But before you jump in, review these four pointers.
- The Personalized Employee Experience Paradox — Personalization can help close the gap between EX and employee expectations. But going too far will cause all new problems. Here's how to find the balance.
- Microsoft's New Patent Seeks to Personalize AI Interactions — At the heart of Microsoft's patent is the AI assistant's capability to adapt interactions based on the user's specific context.
