{"id":4401,"date":"2018-05-14T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-05-14T08:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=4401"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:38:15","slug":"people-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/people-company\/","title":{"rendered":"How becoming a People Company will make a good business great"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeople & Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow becoming a People Company will make a good business great\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tPaul Burrin<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Is your business a People Company and how much do you value your employees? Do you put people first in your organisation, over everything else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some businesses might like to think so. In fact, 55% of senior executives thought that they were a \u201cPeople Company\u201d when we asked them. In other words, a company that puts their people first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, staggeringly, only 29% of employees agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a People Company?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Companies that put people first get ahead. When hiring people<\/a>, they attract the best, and as a result, their business flourishes because they invest in their biggest opportunity for growth \u2013 their people. We call companies that do this \u201cPeople Companies\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re organisations that know their people are the most valuable asset and company success is dependent on their workforce being successful. They get that nurturing their people is critical to growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They let their employees know how valued and important they are to success \u2013 in actions as well as in words \u2013 and this is reflected in how their employees feel about the company and their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role played by HR teams<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

HR teams are leading this change. It\u2019s why we\u2019re seeing the emergence of chief people officers in place of HR directors in progressive companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also not the first time HR has transformed. Personnel evolved to become HR in the 1980s. Today, HR is changing to become a people function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you or your employees don\u2019t see yourself as a People Company, though, it can be hard to know where to begin. So, here\u2019s our five tips to get started to become a company that truly puts people first, based on our latest research from more than 500 HR and People leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Make sure you get regular feedback from your employees \u2013 then act on it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Want to know how your employees can feel that their company puts them first? Ask them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out what\u2019s important to them at work and the types of things they\u2019d like to see you do as an employer. You might be surprised at what they say. Furthermore, the simple fact of asking your workforce what drives them will show you value their input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a few ways you can do this \u2013 from employee forums, to encouraging line managers to regularly ask their employees. Pulse surveys are also a great option, as they allow you to get quicker feedback and take remedial action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, companies have conducted annual engagement surveys to monitor their employees\u2019 engagement and commitment to the company. However, results from these surveys rarely lead to insights or actions, and employees can view these as a tick-box business commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, you need to take a much more holistic view to engaging people as part of their business strategy. Getting regular and continuous feedback is a great way to start, and demonstrate to your employees that you value their options and how they feel about their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important thing, though, is not collecting feedback \u2013 but listening and acting on it. For example, can you get feedback from new joiners and act on it in time for when the next new joiner starts? Make sure you demonstrate you\u2019re listening by communicating what and how you\u2019re changing \u2013 and the rationale if some things are not able to be changed right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Use data to make HR and people decisions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Understanding what the data is telling you about your workforce is another way to know how you can design experiences at work that make your people feel valued and truly put them first in your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a People Company \u2013 one that puts people first \u2013 leaders get insight on what drives their workforce through what we call People Science. This means applying data-driven approaches to understanding your workforce and how you both manage and engage them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People Science<\/a> is more than just people analytics. In practice, it means not just mining data and reporting it but analysing it and gaining actionable insights to test hypotheses and identify solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People Companies use insights in this way to design workforce experiences that engage employees, market themselves to candidates, and understand employees\u2019 behaviour and motivations. This also adds further credibility and commercial justification to people decisions in their company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not sure where to begin with People Science? There are five vital steps to take to improve workforce visibility \u2013 follow the link and start to understand where you are on your People Science journey, and what\u2019s next for your organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Unleash the power of your brand: apply external marketing techniques internally<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a competitive job market, offering a steady position for a good salary is no longer sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to work so much harder not only to attract talent but retain it too. Making sure your people feel they are valued and put first is essential for this. That\u2019s why it\u2019s crucial that HR leaders adopt the same principles that their marketing colleagues do. This is something we call \u201cPeople Marketing\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same way marketing teams will stay on top of product reviews in places such as app stores, have a look at online review sites: what are people saying about your brand and how can you engage with them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notify your employees of any new policies, benefits and work practices, and let them give feedback to you. Listen to them, consider good ideas, implement them and promote the ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also think about your tone of voice and how this reflects your values. You must be genuine, credible, distinctive and attractive if you want existing and potential employees to listen and buy into your employer brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also not good enough to simply pay lip service to how you value your employees and your workplace culture \u2013 staff and potential candidates need to see the proof of this too. Can they see clear career progression within your organisation and evidence of employees being promoted internally? Are your staff advocates of your company on social media?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, just as customer case studies and reviews speak volumes in marketing, the power of employee advocates can\u2019t be underestimated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, think about how you market yourself to potential customers, and adopt some of the same practices in your talent acquisition and engagement programmes to develop an authentic employer brand your people can buy into and benefit from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Say goodbye to the annual review <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Are the days of the annual performance reviews numbered? It\u2019s been a hot topic in the HR sector over the past year or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies that put their people first know the importance of continuous conversations. They provide regular feedback throughout the year, are able to make performance improvements in a more agile and incremental way, and use approaches such as peer-led shout outs to reward performance. This enables a faster, more nimble way to feedback to employees that colleagues and the business benefit from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just feedback that\u2019s important, though \u2013 recognition is vital to making sure your people feel valued for the work that they do. Create recognition programmes inclusive, don\u2019t skimp on spending and make sure you have a range of ways to reward and recognise employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some may like a company-wide shout out, whereas others may be slightly mortified at the prospect and prefer a more discrete way of being recognised, such as a personal email from a senior member of the leadership team. Be flexible and consider what works best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try fostering a culture of recognition and appreciation. It could be the most cost-effective way to maintain a happy and engaged workforce where your people feel valued. Simply by recognising and acknowledging your employees for their work, you can generate a strong emotional commitment to your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Offer flexible working to your employees<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Today, thanks to mobile technology, employees are \u201calways on\u201d and can often work longer hours, and \u2013 at times \u2013 weekends too. The traditional model of being in the office from 9 to 5 has changed; companies that demonstrate that they value their employees\u2019 work-life balance and recognise that everyone has different ways of working will held in high regard by workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents shouldn\u2019t have to miss the school run just to be seen to be in the office, when they may be working long evenings too. Commuters don\u2019t need to spend three hours travelling to and from work each day, when they could spend that time working from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give employees the autonomy to work when and where is best for them<\/a>. They\u2019ll feel empowered and will be more productive in the output of their work as a result. Put in place an approach that works best for your people and you\u2019ll be putting them before unnecessary processes and traditional ways of working, which are now out of date. You\u2019ll reap the rewards in terms of engagement and productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put your people at the heart of everything<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Companies that put people first and truly value their workforce deliver great experiences throughout the entire employment journey. They go beyond free lunches, great workspaces and unlimited holidays. They know their people and what drives them \u2013 and they use this information to create an employer journey that constantly continues to energise their workforce and get the best from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What steps is your business taking to become a People Company and offer value to your employees? Let us know in the comments below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Becoming a people company: The way to unlock fast track growth<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Want to know how to put your people first in your business? Download our research to discover common traits of People Companies and turn your business into a People Company.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload the report<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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