What makes a People Practice truly effective?

• It is aligned with the HR Strategy. A great people practice is put in place for good reason. It effectively supports the strategy and overarching business vision. Vision-Strategy-Practice alignment can make or break employee experience. Getting this aspect right is super important.
• It is tailored. Fit-For-Purpose people practices are never generic. They are tailored to the culture and business context of the organization. They take into account the needs, wants and goals of the workforce. They are part of the culture and speak to “the way things are done around here”.
• It is measurable. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Any people practice should come along with its respective key performance indicators. These key performance indicators need to build up to the HR strategy’s objectives. For example, if one of your HR Strategy goals is around improving employee retention rates, then your Employee Experience Practice should ensure that the team, tools and processes in place are aligned with capturing the metric.
• Holistic and Pragmatic. An effective people practice takes a holistic approach to human capital management, acknowledging interrelations with both internal and external environments. Understanding how one People Practice impacts another and take a data-driven approach to tactical decision making is an art in itself.