19th May 2025
People-Centric HR: Key to Workplace Culture and Business Success
A people-centric HR approach is essential for fostering a strong workplace culture and driving long-term business success. By redefining HR roles, prioritizing the human experience, investing in technology, and clearly communicating changes, organizations can better attract, develop, and retain talent while aligning HR strategy with company goals and employee needs.
This article was written by Jeff Schmitz and published by Forbes.
My favorite description of company culture is “how we get things done around here.” It boils down to how we treat each other as employees and how we treat our partners and customers. If it is the human resources (HR) team’s job to establish the environment to attract, develop and retain people, and it’s a company’s culture that drives employee passion, then the HR team must be the steward of culture.
In a 2024 Deloitte-led survey, a majority of the reasons Gen-Zers and Millennials chose their current organization were related to what I call the “human experience.” Though compensation was still a factor in their decision, it didn’t top the list. In fact, it was third behind “good work/life balance” and “learning and development opportunities.”
This proves that HR leaders must help build a culture that understands and provides the desired human experience.
Balancing Strategy With Service
In the last few years, I felt it was important for our company’s HR practitioners to double down on the advocacy, enablement, execution and models of our people-first culture. A commitment to the employee experience became our North Star, and we asked ourselves, “What do we need to be great at in HR to drive the long-term business success of Zebra Technologies?”
A big part of our initial transformation was rethinking the HR business partner role within our department. Because we serve as a bridge between leadership and employees, team members’ responsibilities revolved around advising or executing all HR-related matters from hiring and benefits to development and employee relations.
So we decided to transform this role by building several independent functions: talent strategy partners, people partners and people service members. Our talent strategy partners work with executive leaders to foster long-term strategies to advance the business priorities, including attraction, development and retention. People Partners directly support employees and leaders in their respective regions or site locations. They provide specialized guidance and deliver services based on programs and offerings, local talent, policies and regulatory requirements.
We also created a People Service Center to better accommodate transactional tasks. These team members leverage IT service management tools to offer employees direct, self-service access to information and resources. They also connect employees with the right people for support requests.
Takeaways For Your HR Transformation
One thing I’ve noticed is that when you combine a function or role’s urgent tactical responsibilities with its long-term strategic responsibilities, people will almost always choose to work on the tactical issues. With more defined roles, HR practitioners can create a cohesive, supportive employee experience that tailors interactions and services to individual and regional needs.
If you’re ready to transform your HR department so it centers employees’ experience, here are some important strategies.
• Evaluate your team’s current function. Is it too focused on short-term matters, rather than the talent needs of your long-term business strategy? When serving employees, does your team’s structure create silos or enable cross-functional collaboration? Are the roles set up to focus on the employee experience or operational efficiencies?
• Pinpoint necessary adjustments. Based on your evaluations, how can you effectively balance HR’s transactional tasks with its strategic initiatives? You may need to restructure your team or reengineer existing processes. Don’t be afraid to separate these responsibilities, as long as you define clear ownership for improved collaboration and cross-functional communication. Consider setting up a project management office to allow for each to be adequately addressed.
Read this article in full here: People-Centric HR Is Crucial For A Successful Workplace Culture.
