Traditionally, employee experience (EX) — everything an employee sees, hears and feels throughout their journey with a company — has been viewed primarily as a function of human resources (HR). But the scope of EX is changing.
As skills gaps widen and employee expectations continue to evolve, EX is becoming a key factor in how organizations hire and retain top talent. And because an employee’s experience is shaped by working across teams in the organization, EX should be co-owned by the entities that are critical to their success.
There are three main roles that have an outsized influence on EX:
- Human resources (HR): Responsible for hiring, onboarding, employee pulse surveys, events, awards and recognitions and performance management
- Learning and development (L&D): Responsible for onboarding, development and growth in the organization
- The employee’s supervisor: Responsible for one-on-ones, feedback and recognition on day-to-day work and guidance toward goals
When these three roles collaborate effectively, they provide a consistently valuable experience for the employee. Let’s dive deeper into the role of L&D in EX and strategies for learning leaders.
The Shift: EX as a Talent Strategy
Reports from the World Economic Forum (WEF) and LinkedIn underscore a growing urgency. According to WEF’s 2025 Future of Jobs Report, 63% of employers identify skills gaps as the primary barrier to business transformation with over half of the workforce needing to be either upskilled or reskilled to stay relevant. Simultaneously, LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report 2025 reveals that career growth is the No. 1 motivator for employees, yet only 36% of companies actively invest in structured development and marry learning with career growth.
According to LinkedIn’s report, organizations that do align learning efforts with career growth have seen positive business results, measured by internal mobility rate and new skills developed, and report being more than 10% more confident in their ability to attract and retain top talent.
Converging Expectations
Organizations are working hard to stay relevant and keep up with emerging opportunities. To make that happen, they rely on employees who are ready to learn, evolve, and contribute to that progress. At the same time, employees today are looking for purposeful organizations, supporting and helping them in their careers by providing opportunities, recognition and a safe environment to try and fail as well. The key takeaway: Learning and growth are shared goals for both employees and employers, and L&D is essential to aligning the two.
| Employee Expectations | Employer Expectations | |
| 1 | Provide sufficient learning opportunities to stay relevant | Talent that proactively upskills and support business growth |
| 2 | Recognize learning efforts and offer internal growth paths | Reduced turn-over and improved retention |
| 3 | Provide psychologically safe environment for experimentation and innovation | Mentor and support others, bring in fresh talents through employee referrals |
Benefits of Investing in EX
According to Jacob Morgan, author of “The Employee Experience Advantage,” only 13% of organizations are doing an amazing job of creating a valuable EX and reaping a return on investment (ROI). In his book, Morgan details how organizations that invest in EX:
- Experience more productivity, happier employees and better talent pipeline
- Rank and appear on lists of the most innovative organizations and the best places to work
- Have four times more profit per employee
- Have three times higher revenue per employee
- Have a turnover rate 40% less than peer organizations
- Significantly outperform all major stock indices
Although most companies now recognize EX as a critical competitive advantage, many still struggle with providing a consistent experience. Let’s look at what L&D leaders can do to support EX and, ultimately, help their organizations attract and retain talent.
L&D’s Role in EX
While each function has specific touch points with the employee, L&D stays connected with employees throughout their journey. From onboarding, development and growth and succession planning, L&D can drive a consistent, growth-oriented experience, collaborating with other functions and leaders as needed. When empowered strategically, L&D can play a critical role that can transform EX into a purpose-driven journey.
8 L&D Strategies for Impacting Employee Experience
1. Build a learning culture from day one.
Onboarding is more than an orientation. It is the first opportunity to shape an employee’s mindset around growth and staying relevant in the organization.
L&D can:
- Introduce learning platforms and practice labs.
- Encourage self-directed learning.
- Share success stories of internal mobility and growth.
- Set a direction for employees by sharing in-demand skills in the organization.
2. Foster mentorship and peer learning.
Today’s learners value connection as much as content.
L&D can:
- Match new hires with experienced mentors.
- Create peer-learning communities using collaboration tools like Slack or Teams.
- Promote cross-functional learning for networking.
Remember, mentorship is a two-way street. It not only helps the junior employees, it also helps the mentors by providing a sense of purpose and exposing them to different perspectives.
3. Upskill supervisors.
Supervisors need support to handle people effectively and provide a psychologically safe environment for employees to thrive.
L&D can:
- Design and curate learning programs on people management and psychological safety with concepts, real-world case studies and role-plays for supervisors.
- Create and share a job aid with frequently faced real-world challenges and solutions.
4. Spot and support high potential employees (HIPOs).
L&D is well-placed to identify emerging talent through learning engagement data, curiosity and willingness to mentor.
L&D can:
- Recommend HIPOs for tailored development plans.
- Create personalized learning journeys.
- Prepare talent pipelines for succession.
5. Integrate learning into performance reviews.
Learning data can become a powerful lens for evaluating potential and readiness for the next role.
L&D can:
- Collaborate with HR business partners and business leaders to share recommendations for career growth.
- Use skill proficiency and application data to recommend promotions.
- Showcase learning progress as a key performance indicator.
6. Create avenues for learning in the flow of work.
Employees today prefer learning the can access on-demand, when they need it for their roles.
L&D can:
- Create avenues to learning in the flow of work by initiating activities and events on a regular basis.
- Create relevant microlearning and nano-learning modules that the employees can refer to on the go.
7. Develop and support leaders.
Even seasoned leaders need help developing new ways of problem solving and building confidence around emerging complexities.
L&D can:
- Address the skills gaps at this level by connecting with leaders, understanding their challenges and creating a business case to secure budget for development.
- Create hyper-personalized learning pathways that suit individual leadership styles.
- Provide one-on-one coaching for leaders to reflect and learn how to navigate challenges.
8. Celebrate learning.
Create a strong learning culture by celebrating learning.
L&D can:
- Share the profiles and experiences of active learners in internal social media platforms to create visibility and encourage other employees to join the bandwagon.
- Publish and celebrate active learners on an ongoing basis with rewards and recognition with visibility to senior leadership.
Metrics That Matter: Measuring EX
Suggested business metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of EX strategy are:
- The frequency of employee role changes or promotions within the organization
- Retention rates of employees actively engaged in learning versus those who are not
- Participation in informal and formal knowledge-sharing programs
- Improvement in 360-degree leadership feedback scores after learning interventions
- Improvement in employee satisfaction survey scores after the new working model
Conclusion: A Strategic Call to Action
EX is no longer just HR’s job — it’s a business imperative. L&D can play an important role in shaping EX by employing the various strategies suggested in this article and address the top three expectations of employees and employers. With effective implementation, L&D can help develop a workforce that is high-performing, resilient, engaged and future-ready. It is time for senior leaders to empower L&D with the budget, visibility and influence needed to lead EX initiatives from the front.
