HR executives from Stryker, AbbVie, Cisco, and Teleperformance joined a Fortune roundtable to discuss strategies that build high-performance workplace cultures.
For companies on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For鈩� Europe, culture is a key performance indicator for the business.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really simple,鈥� says Sam Oliver, vice president, people and communities for EMEA at Cisco. 鈥淗ow we feel drives how we think; how we think drives how we behave; and how we behave drives how we perform. So, if we want to drive great business performance, we鈥檝e got to come back to [the question]: How are people doing?鈥�
Cisco, No. 5 on the 100 Best list in Europe, is one of four global companies that shared their experience as part of a Fortune roundtable. Leaders from Cisco, Stryker (No. 6), AbbVie (No. 2), and Teleperformance (No. 12) joined 逸遊娛樂城庐 for a virtual conversation led by Orianna Rosa Royle, associate editor at Fortune.
The topic: What experiences create workplace cultures that drive business performance?
Learn strategies from other great workplaces at the For All Summit鈩� April 8-10 in Las Vegas!
Do employees have different needs around the world?
For leaders with big global workforces, the main drivers of great employee experience don鈥檛 change.
鈥淲hen you join a company, you expect to have one culture that will be the same across the globe,鈥� says Thomas Petit, vice president, business HR international therapeutics at AbbVie.
When you focus on human needs, you find overwhelming similarities around the world, says Alan Winters, chief people officer and deputy chief compliance officer at Teleperformance Group.
鈥淲e all react the same way,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e all want the same thing 鈥� we may express it slightly differently.鈥�
Those needs boil down to three key elements: a leader who respects them, a sense of teamwork across the organization, and meaningful work that makes an impact.
鈥淭hose three elements have always been the key ingredients to a great place to work,鈥� says Tony Bond, chief impact officer at 逸遊娛樂城. What has changed is what people expect from their leaders.
鈥淲hat defines a leader in today鈥檚 world is somewhat different than what defined a leader 10 years ago,鈥� Bond says. Where leaders were once aloof role models who had all the answers, now employees are looking for coaching and support.
鈥淟eadership has changed,鈥� agrees Sabine Krummel-Mihajlovic, vice president of HR for Europe at Stryker. 鈥淓mpathy is more the focus these days 鈥� also creating psychological safety.鈥�
How global workplaces focus on psychological safety
All four companies agree that psychological safety is a crucial aspect of great workplace culture looking to an increasingly volatile future.
鈥淚n an environment where we know that the pace of change and the level of ambiguity in work and the world is only going to increase, how do we evolve our workplace?鈥� Oliver asks.
At Cisco, it means ensuring every employee follows a simple routine that builds a relationship with their direct manager.
鈥淓very single week, every leader will sit down with every person virtually or in person and say, 鈥榃hat was good about last week? What did you love? What did you not love?鈥欌�� Oliver says. Those conversations seem simple, but over time are crucial building blocks for trust.
While annual employee engagement surveys can provide important data, great workplaces do much more to ensure every voice is heard.
鈥淲e ask questions every day, week, and month,鈥� says Winters about Teleperformance and its employee listening programs. Only when employees feel psychologically safe will you get open and genuine information about their experience at work.
How do you build psychological safety? 鈥淥ver time,鈥� says Krummel-Mihajlovic, 鈥渂y actively listening and being accountable.鈥�
Are global employers committed to DEIB?
While only half of employees at typical workplaces in Europe say their company鈥檚 decisions benefit the environment or society, it鈥檚 a different story at companies on the 100 Best list in Europe, where DEIB is an integral part of the talent strategy.
鈥淭here [will be] a war for talent in the future,鈥� says Krummel-Mihajlovic. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 provide those opportunities for belonging 鈥� I think we will fail.鈥�
Winters points to questions he gets from frontline staff and managers about DEI strategy, employee resource groups, or community engagement as evidence that these programs matter deeply to employees.
鈥淔or most people in the job market today, it is important,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f you pull away from that, you鈥檙e going to end up not getting the best talent for the roles that you have open.鈥�
How global leaders are adapting to AI
When thinking about the future, all the companies on the panel are focused on AI.
Only one in four employees at a typical workplace in Europe say their company is making meaningful investments in their ability to use AI. That鈥檚 a big missed opportunity, according to these leaders.
鈥淲hat we鈥檝e found is that as people start to play with AI and get comfortable with it, some of that fear around 鈥榃hat is this going to do for me?鈥� goes away,鈥� Oliver says. To that end, Cisco鈥檚 entire HR team is undergoing AI training and learning to understand how the technology might improve their work 鈥� not replace it.
Winters offers a word of caution, however.
鈥淢y fear is that companies will be implementing AI for the sake of implementing AI,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 technology out there now that could automate the performance management review process ... Is that really the human experience you want when you鈥檙e delivering coaching and performance management and goal setting?鈥�
鈥淭he best companies are first looking how do we augment the role and the jobs that people have with the technology as opposed to replacing people,鈥� Bond says. By focusing on creating opportunities for people, companies and employees win, with workers developing new AI skills that create more value for the business.
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