Employee experience journey mapping. A new approach to attracting talent in the tourism sector in the shadows of COVID-19

Purpose – While customer experience management has become an essential practice for service businesses, employee experience management is a less frequently used tool. This research aims to illustrate how the customer experience mapping approach can be applied as a strategic part of employee experience planning, taking into account tourism-specific HR challenges. Design – Despite the increasing attention given to employee experience in academia, there is a lack of research extending journey mapping to employees and a clear understanding and implementation of the concept in relation to hospitality employment. Methodology – The study includes step-by-step instructions for creating an Employee Experience Journey Map. The action research project is based on interviews with the manager of a 5-star hotel ( HR ) in Budapest. During the joint work with the hotel, the manager gave iterative feedback, so that the Journey Map was continuously improved and completed. Approach – The application of the Employee Experience Journey Mapping concept includes the identification of touch points and critical ‘pain points” and the development of proposed solutions. Findings – The creation of an employee journey map can help determine the steps necessary to reduce turnover intent and improve the employee experience. Originality of the research – The results of the study show that it is important to develop an employee journey based on personas. In addition, it is beneficial for the marketing and HR departments to treat employee experience planning as a joint project.