{"id":8284,"date":"2020-11-21T16:41:51","date_gmt":"2020-11-21T16:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sage-people-scraping-gb.local\/?p=1251"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:01:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:01:50","slug":"what-is-a-people-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-a-people-company\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a People Company? 5 things you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is a People Company? 5 things you need to know\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\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<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2020-11-21T16:41:51+00:00\">21 November, 2020<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"What is a People Company? 5 things you need to know\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-a-people-company\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/jessicafuhl\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/10\/Jess-fuhl.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" height=\"40\" width=\"40\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Jessica Leyshon<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Are your people your most valuable asset?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many business leaders would say yes to this \u2013 but when it comes to the crunch, do they truly put the success of their people at the top of the list for company success, over everything else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If so, and their workforce also believe this to be true, then that\u2019s a People Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People Companies have woken up to the fact that HR is changing. The global skills crisis has led to the war for talent. Employee engagement levels have plummeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, as a result, productivity is at an all-time low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People Companies know that to win in the war for talent, they need to not just be prepared, but get ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#gate-a37fa7ea-ea38-4c63-a74f-1f061404a164\">Request a free, live demo of Sage People and discover how it can help your organisation attract the best people, retain your key talent and increase productivity<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-people-companies-explained\">1. People Companies explained<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Put simply, a People Company is an organisation where people are the most valuable asset, and where company success is dependent on their workforce being successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The leaders of People Companies know that nurturing their people is critical to growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They let their employees know how valued and important they are to success \u2013 in actions as well as in words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is reflected in how their employees feel about the company, and the output of their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In reality, however, it can often be more complicated than this to recognise a People Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ask most leaders \u2018Are you a People Company,\u2019 and they would likely say yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, our latest research surveying over 500 HR leaders, found that 55% of senior executives think their company is people oriented \u2013 with only 29% of employees agreeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-people-companies-are-forward-thinking-companies\">2. People Companies are forward-thinking companies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just as Personnel evolved to become HR in the 1980s, so HR is now changing to become a people function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forward-thinking HR leaders are getting ahead by automating processes to free up their teams to focus on people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As consumers, employers can do almost anything online. They expect the same at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People Companies make it easy for them to do things such as book holiday and manage their teams. They use scalable, responsive, flexible people systems that give great <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/employee-experiences-responsibility-hr\/\">employee experiences<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our recent research, \u2018Becoming a People Company\u2019, supports this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It found that fast-growth companies are performing better than others on this; typically, 80% have embraced HR automation versus 53% in lower growth businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The emergence of Chief People Officers is also typically found in forward-thinking fast-growth companies such as the likes of Google, Skyscanner, Huddle and Just Eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Automating existing HR processes and different job titles is not enough, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be a People Company, HR leaders need to design engaging experiences for their employees to excel throughout their employment journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#gate-2c600a19-f15c-4231-9360-8413bf0d2240\">Download your free report, The changing face of HR, and discover why &#8216;HR&#8217; is changing to &#8216;People&#8217;<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-people-companies-design-great-workforce-experiences-from-before-day-one\">3. People Companies design great workforce experiences from before day one<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Gone are the days when companies could simply post a vacancy to a job board and wait for the applicants to come rolling in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, all businesses must communicate the benefits of their brand and reputation as an employer to attract the best people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People Companies apply consumer marketing techniques to market themselves successfully to candidates; we call this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/people-marketing-explained-employer-branding\/\">People Marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that\u2019s just the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People Companies grow candidate relationships and deliver great experiences throughout the entire recruitment process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They go beyond free lunches, great workspaces and unlimited holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-people-companies-don-t-make-decisions-based-on-gut-feel-and-spreadsheets\">4. People Companies don\u2019t make decisions based on gut feel and spreadsheets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In a People Company, leaders get insight on what drives their workforce through People analytics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Organisations can use people data to develop stronger and predictive insights about its people and motivations. These insights can then be used to make more informed evidence-based people decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, the data can be used for predictive purposes, so managers can start to understand and make decisions based on people behavior and motivations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-being-a-people-company-isn-t-a-nice-to-have-it-s-vital-to-success\">5. Being a People Company isn\u2019t a \u2018nice to have\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s vital to success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Companies that make evidence-based people decisions, design great workforce experiences and are forward-thinking in their approach to their workforce don\u2019t do this because it\u2019s a good thing to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They know it\u2019s because being a People Company is vital to the success of their business and growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And they know that it\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Sage People live demo<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Want to attract the best people, retain your key talent and increase productivity? Request a free, live demo of Sage People and discover how it can help you achieve your goals.<\/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\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-a37fa7ea-ea38-4c63-a74f-1f061404a164\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Request a free demo<\/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<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"999\" height=\"666\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/z.5E3A0481_All-Uses.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/z.5E3A0481_All-Uses.jpg 999w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>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\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe 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<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover what a People Company is, what an organisation&#8217;s most valuable asset is, and what this means for the workforce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1118,"featured_media":3782,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[45,49,41,159],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[69,71],"imagine_tag":[163,92,217,96],"coauthors":[397],"class_list":["post-8284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-employee-engagement","tag-employee-retention","tag-hr-process","tag-midsized-business","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Jessica Leyshon","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/02\/GettyImages-486979469_super.jpg","imagine_tags":{"163":"Employee benefits","92":"HR and Payroll","217":"HR processes","96":"Medium 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