For the C-suite, investing in EX isn’t about perks or engagement scores; it’s about reducing risk, accelerating adoption, and improving operational performance.
The stakes are high:
- Gallup estimates disengagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion annually, while highly engaged teams deliver 18% higher productivity and 81% lower absenteeism.
- IBM research shows organizations that prioritize EX are significantly more likely to achieve transformation goals and innovation targets.
- McKinsey reports that fewer than 30% of digital transformations succeed, and most capture less than one-third of expected value—often due to lack of employee engagement.
So how are some of the world’s leading organizations using EX to bring strategic value?
British Airways: EX as an operational resilience tool
When a major power outage hit Heathrow, British Airways faced a high-stakes challenge: grounded flights, frustrated customers, and thousands of employees needing answers – fast. BA also anchored its internal comms strategy around a unifying narrative (“Our Star”), aligning 90% of its workforce behind shared goals.
Their digital workplace has become the single source of truth, delivering real-time updates, FAQs, and frontline guidance across multiple channels.
Lesson for leaders
Operational resilience isn’t just about systems; it’s about people. A well-governed EX platform ensures employees have the right information at the right time, reducing downtime and reputational risk.
Action
Build crisis communication workflows into your EX strategy. Test them. Make sure your intranet can pivot from ‘business as usual’ to ‘command center’ in minutes.
Estée Lauder Companies: Governance as a growth enabler
Estée Lauder Companies runs a distributed publishing model, enabling “freedom within the framework” for 150+ content owners across 30,000 employees. Without governance, that could mean chaos. Instead, they’ve built a framework that includes naming conventions, content lifecycle reviews, and clear roles tied to performance goals.
The result? Faster publishing, brand consistency, and compliance confidence.
Lesson for leaders
Governance isn’t bureaucracy – it’s a productivity multiplier. It reduces rework, accelerates time-to-market for campaigns, and ensures compliance.
Action
Define governance early. Document processes, align roles to PDPs, and leverage automation (like content review cycles) to keep information fresh and accurate.
Johnson & Johnson: Personalization drives adoption
J&J’s ‘Home’ platform serves 150,000+ employees with AI-powered search, personalized dashboards, and integrated task views. As a result, colleagues get the news and tasks that are most relevant to them – and can take faster action.
J&J have seen CSAT scores jump by 10 points, and adoption of enterprise tools has accelerated. These are both critical parts of realizing ROI on tech investments.
Lesson for leaders
Personalization isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s how you get ROI from digital transformation. Employees adopt tools faster when experiences feel relevant.
Action
Use audience segmentation and AI-driven recommendations to tailor content and tasks. Measure adoption and iterate constantly.
Optimum: Using the employee voice as a transformation catalyst
Optimum’s ‘Make Ideas Happen’ program invited 10,000 employees to co-create solutions during a major transformation. Backed by leadership training in psychological safety, it boosted engagement and surfaced actionable ideas that improved customer experience and operational efficiency.
Lesson for leaders
Transformation fails without employee buy-in. Giving employees a voice accelerates cultural alignment and reduces resistance.
Action
Pair ideation programs with leadership sponsorship and enablement, to create a safe space for innovation at all levels of the business.
The bottom line
Unite 2025 proved that EX is very much a boardroom conversation. From cost avoidance through lower attrition, risk mitigation through better compliance, or operational efficiency through productivity gains and reduced rework – the gains are measurable.
The question isn’t whether you can afford to prioritize EX – it’s whether you can afford not to.
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