Today’s job seekers have become more critical of prospective employers and what they offer. Hence, organizations must rethink the employee experience to attract and retain employees.
Human-centric workplaces are a practical solution to common retention challenges. These environments revolve around employees and addressing their needs, such as career development and wellness. When employers lead with a human-centric approach, workers can become more productive and confident in their organizations and thrive in a positive environment.
But how can businesses build a human-centric workplace? Last November 17, 2022, the Sprout HR Experts webinar series tackled this question in a new episode. We invited Emman A. Salazar, Vice President of Human Resources at S&R Membership Shopping, and Atty. Lester Ople, Sprout’s HR Evangelist, for a lively and informative discussion.
Retaining Employees Through a Human-Centric Workplace
During the webinar’s first half, Emman discussed how designing a human-centric workplace can encourage retention. He started the session by conducting a mini-poll among the participants, then shared the challenges modern workplaces face. In today’s world of work, businesses have been tackling multiple issues and trends, including:
- The COVID-19 pandemic
- The competition (or war) for talent
- Implementing work-life integration programs
- Accelerating digital transformation
Furthermore, Emman highlighted the shift in HR’s priorities through the years. HR professionals first focused on their primary responsibilities, such as administrative tasks and payroll management. But as the working landscape changed, they became business partners and, eventually, took the initiative to ensure a thriving business with people at the core of their efforts.
Besides the topics above, Emman shared HR’s observations from the pandemic. These lessons included the need to care for each other and that trust between leaders and employees is vital. He even discussed touchpoints in the employee lifecycle and implementing employee-centric policies for better engagement.
HR Policies & How They Can Help Companies Prioritize People
While Emman’s talk showed participants how to build a human-centric workplace, Atty. Lester’s discussion focused on the link between HR policies and designing this environment.
Sprout’s HR Digital Maturity Model (HR-DMM) was a key topic in Atty. Lester’s talk. Participants got a quick refresher on this framework and learned its role in creating human-centric workplaces.
Moreover, Atty. Lester presented five design thinking principles that HR teams should follow when drafting policies for human-centric workplaces. Among these guideposts, he discussed the following:
- Empathize - As Atty. Lester says, “There’s a human at the other end of the window pane.”
- Prototype - HR departments must try, build, and test their policies.
- Test - Testing helps HR teams identify modes of failure.
Start Developing a Human-Centric Workplace
We capped off this episode with a fireside chat like the previous HR Experts webinars. Emman and Atty. Lester gave insightful answers to great questions from the participants.
Want to dig deeper into our speakers’ discussions? We got you. Check out the full replay here. And for more details about Sprout and our upcoming events, visit our homepage or Events page today. You can also get actionable insights on HR practices and functions from our blog.