In organizations where employees are seen as people rather than resources, workers are 3.8 times more likely to be high performing, according to Dec. 7 survey results from Gartner.
The findings come as other surveys reveal that “human resources” may be an outdated term — though a rebrand could serve as an opportunity to shine a light on the strategic force of the department.
In its research, Gartner proposed a “human-centric” approach to work, which includes flexibility, strong collaboration and empathy-based management. This model surpassed “flexible-hybrid” models and location-based models, Gartner said.
“Location-centric work designs are often rigid, which amplifies fatigue, degrades performance and drives employees away,” Brent Cassell, vice president in the Gartner HR practice, said in a blog post announcing the findings. “Leading organizations are designing workflows, work rituals and workplaces around holistic human needs — physical, cognitive, emotional — rather than forcing individuals to conform to legacy practices.”
To create a human-centric workplace, workers need autonomy but also accountability for their work: Workers that can choose when they work are 2.3 times more likely to achieve higher performance than employees who can’t, Gartner said. Notably, employees with more autonomy also had lower fatigue, which leads to sustained performance over time.
Additionally, strategic HR departments can improve engagement by allowing employees to provide input on a company’s work design.
“Leadership teams who view the post-pandemic work world as an opportunity to redesign how they operate can move their organization to a higher level of performance and stand a chance to win the competition for talent,” Cassell said.
