The role of a workplace experience manager defined
Workplace strategy
3 min read

Workplace Experience Manager: The Role, Defined

Monopoly stifles innovation. Competition and choice accelerate it.

80% of offices will be sticking with hybrid work policies in the future, enshrining competition, choice and innovation into the workplace.

An office that stays competitive, innovative and worthy of choice requires talents and skill sets that are relatively new.

That’s why a quick LinkedIn search reveals that the number of job titles and postings for one particular role are on the rise.

In this post, we’ll look at what a workplace experience manager does and why this role is quickly becoming a must-have.

What is a workplace experience manager and what do they do?

A workplace experience manager makes sure that each employee has a comfortable and productive experience in the office.

However, the role has become exponentially more important in the hybrid world, where the convenience of remote work is in constant competition with what the office has to offer.

A day in the life of a workplace experience manager is incredibly broad and varied.

Core responsibilities include:

  • Workplace design
  • Researching and vetting workplace technology
  • Being an ambassador for workplace culture
  • Employee wellbeing
  • Internal communications
  • Onboarding new employees
  • Event management
  • Building relationships with local businesses
  • Attracting talent and retaining employees
  • Cross-collaborating with different departments and stakeholders

Let’s take a closer look at what a workplace experience manager does and why the role has become such a must-have over the last few years.

A workplace experience manager develops and implements a workplace strategy.

There are multiple stakeholders with the opportunity to positively disrupt the way we work, with a workplace experience manager is just one of them.

The most effective way to make this happen is through a workplace strategy.

A workplace strategy aligns the work environment with work habits and preferences. It improves performance while reducing costs and carbon emissions.

On-demand webinar: Workplace Strategy in 2024

In other words, it’s a plan for how an organization should work.

It’s not solely their responsibility, but workplace experience managers are critical for creating and rolling out an effective workplace strategy. That’s because they’re on the front lines with employees and can give insight into work patterns and preferences that other stakeholders can’t.

HR, Real Estate, IT, Operations and Facilities Management teams are all involved too, but often it’s not their number one priority.

A workplace experience manager acts as a facilitator and between all of these stakeholders, making sure that workplace experience doesn’t get pushed down the priorities list.

A workplace experience manager finds ways to build social connection in the office.

The most innovative organizations know that it’s not about just getting employees back in the office at any cost.

Rather, it’s about getting the right people in at the right times and for the right reasons, with connection being one of those reasons.

Building social connection is so paramount to the workplace experience’s manager’s role because:

  • Social connection powers better performance both in and out of the office
  • We’re in the midst of a workplace loneliness crisis that’s worse for our health that 15 cigarettes a day and costing the US economy $154 billion per year

You can’t force people to bond and form friendships in the workplace, no matter how many mandates or free pizza lunches you slap in place.

That’s why a workplace experience manager can find the best, least-cringey ways to provide opportunities for people to connect with each other. They see and hear what people like and dislike about the office on a level that other workplace leaders cannot.

A workplace experience manager finds ways to improve the workplace experience for everyone.

Three things determine an employee’s workplace experience – workplace design, technology and culture.

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A workplace experience manager’s role combines researching, vetting, overseeing and project managing all three of these components.

And they’ve got their work cut out for them.

Nearly half of employees in a recent survey reported that their current work environment hinders their productivity.

A third believe their employers aren’t providing technology that helps them do their jobs well.

And a whopping 64% don’t feel their organization has a strong company culture.


The role responsibilities we’ve covered here are the main ones, but there’s many more that could fall under a workplace experience manager’s umbrella.

And no two workplaces are the same, organizations need a consistent framework to make sure they’re improving workplace experience while keeping costs and carbon emissions low.

That’s where a workplace strategy comes in.

Check out this on-demand webinar for the framework you need to develop a successful one.

On-demand webinar download: Workplace Strategy in 2024: A How-to Guide
Author

Jackie Towers

Last updated January 26, 2024