Planning for the months ahead can feel daunting when you already have dozens of different daily tasks. But in order to drive business success, people leaders must embrace practices that propel their organization forward — and let go of those that don’t.Wondering what that looks like in action? Lattice’s Resources for Humans community recently gathered to share best practices for guiding high performance in 2023.
1. Focus on what you can control, not what you can’t.
For Penny McNerney, VP of HR at QC Terme Spas and Resorts, USA, this year is all about gaining mental clarity and putting things into perspective. “I need to stop stressing about things that are not in my control,” she said. “I think this pertains to work life and personal life.”“The last couple of years have been really hard with the economy and everything going on in the world,” added Resources for Humans Ambassador Lindsey James. “There are a lot of things we’re watching that are hard to watch, but ultimately out of our control.”Rather than being overwhelmed by news headlines, narrow your scope to focus on what’s right in front of you. You may not be able to change poor market conditions, but you can shape people processes that encourage engagement, growth, and resilience during tough times. Acknowledging this reality can inspire powerful business payoffs.
2. Do away with performative people processes.
For Dana Hayes, director of people and culture at the Detroit Justice Center, 2023 is the time to trade performative people processes for ones that deliver true impact. Traditional performance reviews don’t serve her organization — so she’s decided to invest in new solutions.“I want to stop performance reviews,” she explained. “At the past few companies I’ve been at, performance reviews aren’t data-driven or really used for development.” Moving forward, she’s committed to replacing ineffective processes with ones that continuously support employees.Rather than sticking with the status quo, companies should recognize when people processes aren’t working for them and invest in better solutions — whether that’s more meaningful one-on-ones, data-driven benchmarking, individualized development plans, or other powerful tools that are designed to guide growth.To create a thriving culture, people leaders need to widen the scope beyond annual performance reviews and reframe employee development as an everyday commitment.“Performance reviews become moot if the day-to-day things are broken — if a company isn’t set up to continuously evaluate whether all employees have what they need to do their jobs and have good one-on-ones on a regular basis with their manager,” explained James. “It's hard to really evaluate performance when neither side is getting everything they need. Things get confusing if you don't have day-to-day processes in place.”
3. Have better compensation conversations.
For Meghan Simmons, director of People operations at Tracer, rethinking compensation conversations is a top priority this year. Looking ahead, she’d like to increase pay transparency and clearly communicate benefits by getting more people involved in total rewards discussions. “I like the idea of having another employee advocate for and explain a benefit, so it's not always coming from our HR team,” she said.By clearly communicating benefits packages, companies can boost satisfaction and retention. Even if employees often consider salary their principal reward, sharing a more holistic view — including benefits, equity, and other perks — can give them a better sense of total compensation. “Sometimes, showing an employee everything the company is paying for per employee is a good thing,” James said.Remember: Effort is a two-way street. Employees are more likely to invest in your business (be it through higher performance, greater loyalty, or increased engagement) when they see how much you’re investing in them. Clearly communicating benefits only stands to better your business outcomes.—For more HR insights, join Resources for Humans, our 19,000+ person Slack community of people leaders. There, you’ll find helpful ideas, resources, and best practices designed to drive business success.
