Table 3 Coding examples of interview materials.
From: Employee experience: conceptualization, scale development, and validation
Axial coding | Categorization | Open coding | Representative material |
|---|---|---|---|
Work-related | Work arrangement | Vacation/Leave | “Our company’s vacation system is absolutely perfect. Besides the regular vacations, there are also special welfare vacations, like employee birthday leave. It makes me feel that the company is very humane.” “It would be even better if we could have some more flexible vacation days, allowing us to choose our time off more freely.” “Our company offers paid annual vacation every year. Last year, I used my annual vacation to travel to Yunnan, which was a great relaxation. I hope we can have such a good vacation arrangement again this year.” |
Overtime policy | “I really hope the company can cut down on the overtime. Honestly, it’s not just about the money. I just want a bit more personal time.” “Overtime should be more humane, you know? Like, if we’re working late, it’d be nice if the company could cover our taxi fares or maybe provide some late-night snacks. It’s these little things that make us feel cared for by the company.” | ||
… | … | ||
Job content and nature | Job fit | “I feel that my job doesn’t match my skills well, and some tasks are quite challenging for me.” “I used to work in administration for a while, but I didn’t really like it. After being transferred to my current position, I feel much more at ease with my work.” | |
… | … | … | |
Interpersonal harmony | Care and affective connection | Humanistic care | “Once when I was sick, my supervisor made a special arrangement for someone to check on me and even sent me some comfort items. It made me feel very warm inside.” “The company often organizes caring activities, such as celebrating employees’ birthdays. These small details make me feel that the company is very humane.” |
… | … | ||
Dynamic interpersonal relationships | Age composition | “Our company has a diverse age structure, with experienced senior employees and energetic young people. We learn from each other, and the atmosphere is very good, making me feel that work is very interesting.” “Senior employees have experience, and young people have creativity, which can spark a lot of ideas.” “Communicating with people of different ages allows me to learn a lot.” | |
Colleague relationships | “The relationship with my colleagues is very important to me, after all, I work with them every day. A good relationship also enhances work efficiency.” “The colleagues get along very well. Sometimes when we’re tired from work, we chat and share some interesting stories, which feels very relaxing.” | ||
… | … | … | |
Organizational management | Management system and process | Rules and regulations | “Our company’s attendance system is particularly strict, and it feels inhumane to deduct money for even one minute of lateness.” “Regulations should keep pace with the times. Some old rules are no longer suitable for the current work environment. For example, the old rule that you can’t use mobile phones at work, but now many jobs require the use of mobile phones.” |
Workflow/Procedure | “The administrative procedures are too complicated. Just to reimburse some expenses, I have to fill out a stack of forms and get several people to sign them. It’s a huge waste of time. Once, I needed to reimburse 800 CNY and it took me several days to get it done.” “I think the administrative procedures could be optimized further. We’re in the information age now; couldn’t we make more use of electronic processes?” | ||
… | … | ||
Corporate culture and values | Humanistic management | “I believe that humanistic management is one of the key factors in enhancing employee satisfaction and loyalty.” “I think there is room for improvement in the company’s humanistic management. For example, the company could organize more team-building activities to strengthen the cohesion among employees. Nowadays, everyone is so busy with work that there are few opportunities for communication. I hope there could be more activities like this.” | |
… | … | ||
Professional development | Growth resources and support | Training system | “The last sales skills training organized by the company was really useful. I learned a lot of new methods, and my performance has also improved.” “The training system should be more aligned with our work needs. For those of us in design, we need more creative inspiration. But the training organized by the company last year was all about software usage, which wasn’t very helpful for our actual work.” |
… | … | ||
Career paths and opportunities | Career planning | “The company offers career planning guidance. Last year, I talked with a career planner who developed a career plan for me based on my interests and abilities. Following this plan, I’ve learned many new skills this year and feel that I’m getting closer to my goals.” “Career planning should be more personalized. Everyone has different interests and abilities, so it’s not suitable to use a one-size-fits-all template for planning.” | |
… | … | ||
Remuneration package | Salary and performance | Reasonable salary | “I think the company’s salary is pretty fair, about the same as others in our industry. When I started, my salary wasn’t that high, but it’s been slowly going up. Now, it pretty much covers what I need.” “We work really hard in our department, but the salary increases haven’t been that big. I’m hoping we can get a raise that matches the intensity of our work and what’s happening in the market.” |
… | … | ||
Benefits and security | Benefit subsidies | “Although the holiday benefits aren’t much, every time I receive a gift from the company, it feels quite warm.” “The company’s welfare subsidies are pretty good. There’s a meal allowance, transportation subsidy, and holiday benefits. I save a lot of money on lunch every day, and I also receive gifts on holidays. It feels like the company is very considerate.” | |
… | … |
