Moments That Matter: Moments That Shape Employee Experience

Employee Experience (EX) currently ranks among the most critical priorities in modern HR. However, a high-quality EX isn’t created simply by adding benefits or tweaking internal processes. In reality, EX is forged in specific moments that have a profound emotional impact on employees. These are known as Moments That Matter.

According to Gartner research (2024), 56% of HR departments are actively focusing on identifying and managing Moments That Matter, as these instances ultimately determine how an employee perceives the company, their manager, the team, and their own value within the organization.

Where Did the Concept of “Moments That Matter” Come From?

The roots of the concept lie in Customer Experience (CX). Jan Carlzon, former CEO of Scandinavian Airlines, defined “Moments of Truth” back in 1987 as brief interactions that fundamentally shape the perception of a brand.

After 2010, this concept transitioned into HR thanks to thought leaders like Jacob Morgan, reports from Deloitte Human Capital Trends, and Josh Bersin, who began describing EX as a series of critical events along the employee journey.

Between 2023 and 2025, organizations such as APQC, Gartner, and Stewart Leadership formalized this approach. The consensus is clear: Moments That Matter are the critical inflection points that can either elevate or destroy the entire employee experience.

What Exactly Are “Moments That Matter”?

“Moments That Matter” are emotionally significant events in the employee experience that have a strong impact on:

• Trust
• Psychological safety
• Engagement
• Motivation
• Performance
• The decision to stay or leave

These are not routine daily interactions. They are moments that employees remember as powerful experiences. Moments That Matter are typically associated with transitions, expectations, change, uncertainty, and emotionally charged situations.

Why Are Moments That Matter So Important?

An employee’s emotional experience has a direct correlation with loyalty and psychological well-being.

• They build or destroy trust: Trust is not built through processes, but through how a company behaves during critical times.
• They influence retention: People often leave due to highly negative, recurring moments. Conversely, they stay largely because of the positive ones.
• They impact performance: Support during key moments dramatically accelerates adaptation and time-to-productivity.
• They shape the employee narrative: When people talk to colleagues, friends, or interviewers elsewhere, they recount these specific experiences. This directly affects your employer branding.

Positive and Negative Examples from Practice

Positive Examples:

• Example 1: First day at a new job. The employee arrives, and everything is ready. A welcome ritual awaits them, the team is supportive, the manager shows active interest, and initial tasks are clear.
  Result: A sense of certainty, safety, and belonging.
• Example 2: Making a mistake. The manager stays calm, investigates what happened, focuses on a solution, and supports the employee in learning from the error to prevent recurrence.
  Result: Trust increases, and a solid relationship is built.

Negative Examples:

• Example 1: Communicating change. The company announces a reorganization chaotically, without details, and without managers present to answer questions.
  Result: Panic, speculation, and the departure of top talent.
• Example 2: Poorly handled offboarding. An employee learns about their termination via a short message on Teams or Slack.
  Result: Strong negative emotions (anger, tears), immediate loss of trust, and unwillingness to cooperate further. Negative brand reputation follows.

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Critical Moments That Matter (Organization, Crisis, Change)

According to APQC and Stewart Leadership, some of the most powerful Moments That Matter include:

• Restructuring and reorganization
• Leadership changes
• Layoffs
• Workplace incidents
• Health or safety threats
• Crises (floods, fires, evacuations, cyberattacks, etc.)

It is in these situations that a company’s true character is revealed—how it communicates, how it provides support, and how it collaborates.

How to Handle Sensitive Moments Well

We recommend thorough preparation for these scenarios. One effective method is creating checklists to ensure nothing important is overlooked. Simultaneously, prepare a solid communication strategy and various scenarios for potential situations (especially for crises like organizational changes or health threats). Here are three examples:

Onboarding Checklist

• Laptop, access rights, and agenda are ready.
• The manager has blocked out time and isn’t stuck in a meeting marathon.
• The team knows the newcomer is arriving and shows interest.
• A “buddy” is assigned to guide the new hire.
• First tasks are clearly defined.
• Regular 1:1 meetings are scheduled.

Resolving a Mistake

• Calm the situation.
• Describe factually what happened.
• Offer support, not blame.
• Collaborate on writing down improvements to prevent recurrence.
• Set a clear follow-up.

Communication During Reorganization

• Detailed preparation.
• Clear communication internally first (if layoffs are involved, communicate with affected employees first).
• Explain why it is happening—context is key.
• Define a clear role for managers in the communication process.
• Create space for questions and open discussion.
• Follow up after a short period.

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How to Start Working with Moments That Matter

1. Map the Employee Journey: From recruitment to offboarding. Identify what works and what doesn’t, then set a clear plan and priorities for what to address and when.
2. Identify Emotionally Peak Moments: Use pulse surveys, interviews, and retrospectives to find out which moments employees found significant, and consider how to handle them more effectively in the future.
3. Assign Ownership: This isn’t just on HR’s shoulders; it is also the task of team managers who communicate with their people daily and know them best. The manager should be the pillar of support and the person employees trust the most.
4. Set Standards and Checklists: Establish clear expectations and processes for every “high-stakes” situation. Prepare rules and role definitions for crisis communication (e.g., in case of a fire, what should employees do and who should they contact).
5. Measure and Iterate: The more data you have, the better your decisions will be—you will know what is working and where bottlenecks exist.

How to Measure Moments That Matter?

Quantitative:

• Onboarding surveys
• Pulse surveys after key milestones
• Retention rates after 3/6/12 months
• Absence rates
• Performance and OKRs following changes

Qualitative:

• 1:1 interviews
• Exit interviews
• Focus groups
• Team retrospectives

Conclusion: Moments That Matter Decide Everything

Employees don’t remember internal guidelines. They remember moments:

• How they felt.
• How their manager treated them.
• How the company communicated.
• Who stood by them.
• Who remained silent.

Well-managed moments can create a culture of trust, psychological safety, loyalty, and engagement. Poorly managed ones can destroy years of work in minutes. Companies that understand and consciously manage Moments That Matter gain a massive competitive advantage.