Companies Need to Become More Human-Centered — Richa Gupta
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report indicates that while employee engagement and wellbeing had been rising for nearly a decade prior to the pandemic they have since become stagnant. In addition, stress among workers has once again reached an all-time high. As a result, “Employee wellbeing is the new workplace imperative.” Not long ago, I wrote an article for Recruiter.com addressing the need for — and benefits of — companies putting people at the center of their attention. Here are some of my findings and conclusions:
“People want their organization to see them as people, not just employees. They want appreciation, flexibility, benefits, and incentives personalized to their specific lifestyle.”
“Remote work environments bring more autonomy to the employee. It fosters extreme flexibility, changing how companies invest in people-first programs and initiatives. We know that employees crave freedom at work — placing more importance on flexibility than compensation — so how companies meet that need will determine how well they can engage, retain and recruit talent.”
“Companies that value and appreciate their professionals see a direct impact on commitment and productivity. 85% of companies that spend one percent of their budget on employee recognition see a positive effect on engagement, making it grow by almost 60%.”
“CHROs or Chief People Officers are the enablers, the supporters, and the ambassadors for the people. Like a CFO would think about cash flow or debt-to-equity ratio as their primary KPIs, a CHRO thinks about people as the human element necessary to business success. The CHRO is focused on keeping the “human” in human resources. However, in the face of this historic talent shortage and “The Great Resignation,” it’s critical that all members of the C-suite are aligned on these same priorities. As with any effort, a people-first culture must start at the top.”
“Generating company-wide engagement goes even further than that. Too often, engagement efforts are lost in translation in the middle layers of a company. Managers — the most frequent touchpoints for employees — must be aligned entirely with how core values and the EVP are translated daily.”
“An excellent place to begin on a journey out of ‘culture crisis’ is to document the main aspirations. … Is the company lacking empathy? Is it known for working its people to the bone? Does it have a toxic culture that fosters exclusivity and discrimination?”
“Whatever the source of the critical issues may be, listening to the need and then documenting the desired solution will allow everyone to get on the same page sooner than later.”
“Many savvy companies are rethinking and rewriting their approach to a human-centered organization in the wake of this workplace upheaval. These organizations are coming to recognize several things. To stay competitive, they must meet employees’ needs (a call for more flexibility, freedom, growth opportunities, a sense of belonging and appreciation, value, and inclusivity at all levels).”
To read the full article on Recruiter.com click here
About Richa Gupta: For the last two decades, Richa has helped organizations create and unlock their Talent practices, build strong global companies with a purpose and high-performing teams, curate workplaces for talent to thrive, and develop strong and empathetic leadership muscle. As Chief Human Resource Officer at Globalization Partners, she is leading all facets of their global workforce, while playing a key strategic role in scaling the company and culture to meet the surging demands of remote work across the globe.
