HR is taking a more human-centered approach in 2018

Dive Brief:

HR leaders are adopting more human-centered approaches to resolve culture, recruitment and retention issues, according to a new report from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Globoforce. The report polled 738 HR leaders.
The "2018 SHRM/Globoforce Employee Recognition Report" found that 89% of HR executives feel that recognition programs are improving the employee experience. Employees are almost two times as likely to say their company is a good place to work when they are very or somewhat satisfied with how life events (i.e. marriage, childbirth and home-buying) are celebrated in the workplace, the report said.
Nearly half (47%) of respondents cited employee turnover and retention as their top challenge; it's the third year in a row that this response has topped the list. Recruitment was second, followed by managing corporate culture. The report also shows that HR leaders give value-based recognition programs high ratings and that peer feedback and more frequent reviews foster employee growth and development.

Dive Insight:

Humanizing the workplace shouldn't be a mystery; workers value empathy in employers. In its second annual Workplace Empathy Monitor, Businessolver found that 85% of U.S. employees believe that businesses highly underrate empathy, and less than half think their employers are empathetic.

Recent controversies haven't exactly inspired public confidence in the workplace as an institution, however. The string of sexual harassment allegations that went public in recent months placed a spotlight on employers who ignored misconduct complaints, or who attempted to minimize potential damage via nondisclosure and arbitration agreements. Failure to follow up on complaints risks dehumanizing victims and enabling a poor work environment.

HR's efforts need to go beyond compliance efforts. The survey results indicate that more than organizational culture matters when keeping employees engaged and positive about their jobs. And it's not just about office cupcakes and decked-out lunch rooms; a healthy culture is one in which company values match the reality of day-to-day experience at work.

Also, it's not enough to sit on your laurels. HR should be proactive in analyzing — via surveys, focus groups and other methods — how employee perception of culture is changing.