{"id":29094,"date":"2025-03-10T14:02:24","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T14:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/?p=29094"},"modified":"2025-04-24T19:27:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:27:00","slug":"hrs-1-overlooked-metric-and-the-elephant-in-the-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/blog\/hrs-1-overlooked-metric-and-the-elephant-in-the-room\/","title":{"rendered":"HR\u2019s #1 Overlooked Metric and the Elephant in the Room"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What the FTE? <\/em>is a podcast by Certn where we explore the tough questions surrounding the future of work, risk management, and employee experience. Whether you\u2019re an HR leader, a TA newbie, or simply curious about the changing nature of work, this podcast provides you with practical insights to help you secure your seat at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week Certn\u2019s CEO, Andrew McLeod, interviews Susy Martins<\/a>, an executive coach and people operations leader with over 20 years of experience. As the Founder & CEO of Advise2Rise, Susy serves as a strategic people partner to executives. In this role, she curates services and delivers on core strategic HR projects. She also helps drive alignment and peak performance for rapid scale-up and strategic rightsizing for high-growth businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I discussed last week in my conversation on AI in HR<\/a> with Steve Cadigan, AI is no longer a distant future, it\u2019s here, transforming the way HR leaders attract talent, build strategies, and drive organizational success. Beyond AI, the real game-changer is how HR leaders adapt, connect, and innovate in this new environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week on the podcast, I caught up with Susy Martins, an executive coach and people operations leader with over 20 years of experience. As the Founder & CEO of Advise2Rise, Susy serves as a strategic people partner to executives. In this role, she curates services and delivers on core strategic HR projects. She also helps drive alignment and peak performance for rapid scale-up and strategic rightsizing for high-growth businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our conversation, Susy emphasizes the power of connection and adaptability in HR strategy. She shares her experience working with companies at every stage, from startups to Fortune 500s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our conversation really struck a chord; the more connected employees feel, the more engaged they are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, the conversation has revolved around productivity, efficiency, and talent retention. Though, Susy and I reflect on the fact that in today\u2019s world of remote and hybrid teams, global expansion, and shifting employee expectations, the organizations that win are the ones that master connection at scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, let\u2019s address the elephant in the room: engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Culture Wars: The Global Talent Trap No One Talks About<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As I\u2019ve learned leading Certn through several acquisitions, expanding into new markets isn\u2019t as simple as hiring a team and expecting them to operate like HQ. One-size-fits-all doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural differences go way deeper than holiday traditions and time zones. They shape how people work, make decisions, and communicate, and if leaders don\u2019t get this, they end up with teams that are misaligned, disengaged, and totally frustrated. Here\u2019s an interesting article by the United Language Group<\/a> about high context and low context cultures, which is used to highlight differences in verbal and nonverbal communication. For example, low-context cultures expect communication to be explicitly stated so that there\u2019s no risk of confusion, and if a message isn\u2019t clear enough, it slows down the process of communication. This is just one example. There\u2019s so much more I could say on this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn global roles, you have to understand that work culture isn\u2019t universal,\u201d Susy says. North American companies emphasize collaboration and brainstorming, while many Asian and European cultures prioritize direct leadership and execution. If your global team isn\u2019t clicking, ask yourself whether you\u2019re leading for<\/em> them, or just expecting<\/em> them to work like you do. Ignoring culture isn\u2019t just an oversight, it\u2019s a hiring and retention nightmare waiting to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Susy<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

HR\u2019s Next Challenge: Engagement for a New Era<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“We measure engagement all day long, but I think we should be talking about connection. How connected do you feel to the organization?”<\/em> \u2013 Susy Martins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While employee engagement continues to lead HR’s priorities for the fourth consecutive year in Lattice\u2019s State of People Strategy Report<\/a>, many teams still face significant barriers to improving it. These challenges are exacerbated by widespread reports of HR teams feeling overwhelmed and understaffed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employee engagement is essential for an organization to retain and motivate its workforce. We hear this all the time: When employees feel connected to their work, productivity, innovation, and commitment to company goals rise. A dedicated workforce also supports a positive work culture, encouraging collaboration and proactive problem solving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Gallup research, companies with high employee engagement experience 18% more productivity<\/a> and 23% more profitability than those with low engagement. Gallup<\/a> also reports, employee engagement in the US fell to its lowest level in a decade in 2024, with only 31% of employees engaged. This matches the figure last seen in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admittedly, we\u2019ve seen this at Certn. When we launched a weekly 30-minute engagement call, team sentiment improved overnight. When we paused it, engagement declined. It wasn\u2019t about the format or flashy production, it was about employees feeling connected to the mission, to leadership, and to each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I alluded to up top, the future of work isn\u2019t just about AI, automation, or hybrid models, it\u2019s about connection. If HR leaders focus on helping employees feel aligned with a shared purpose, retention and productivity will follow. Feeling seen and valued is important, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Susy puts it, recognition has to be intentional. People are sprinting to meet goals, but if they never feel seen or valued, it leads to burnout. So the question is: How are you fostering connection in your organization today? How connected do employees feel to the company, their team, and their work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizational Network Mapping<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Research shows that employees today are, on average, connected to only three people in their organization. That\u2019s a crisis. Susy suggests organizational network mapping\u2014a process that visually tracks who employees interact with\u2014to reveal gaps in connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To prioritize connection, Susy recommends that HR leaders focus on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Clear, Frequent Communication <\/strong>\u2013 Employees want to know what\u2019s going on. Leaders need to provide regular \u201cstate of the union\u201d updates. As I mentioned from personal experience, a simple weekly check-in covering company wins, challenges, and what\u2019s ahead can do wonders for alignment and morale.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Building Meaningful Relationships<\/strong> \u2013 Remote work can make casual workplace friendships more challenging. The average employee today is only connected to three colleagues. If we want engagement to improve, we need to create space for genuine relationships, whether through in-person meetups, mentorship programs, or intentional networking within teams.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Recognition That Feels Personal<\/strong> \u2013 It\u2019s no longer just about salary bumps and bonuses. What employees value most is appreciation that resonates. Some might prefer a cash reward, while others would choose an all-expenses-paid trip to an industry conference or an executive health checkup. Recognizing top performers in meaningful ways drives loyalty. Instead of just offering cash bonuses, I\u2019m experimenting with experiential rewards like global assignments, AI conferences, and executive coaching. Susy has seen elite teams choose development opportunities over cash, because the long-term ROI is greater.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    TL;DR When employees feel seen, valued, and connected, they perform at their highest level<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The #1 HR Metric No One Is Measuring: Connection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve talked about this with a number of HR leaders now, HR\u2019s AI-powered future isn\u2019t about replacing<\/em> humans. It\u2019s about making HR more <\/em>human. AI? It\u2019s a tool, not a strategy. The real game-changer? Connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    HR leaders who get this aren\u2019t just tracking headcount and turnover, they\u2019re measuring real engagement. How connected do employees feel to their teams? To leadership? To the work they do every day? If people don\u2019t feel seen, valued, and heard, no amount of AI magic will save retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Susy says it best: \u201cHR leaders who build deep, meaningful connections, and rethink success beyond the usual metrics, will be the ones shaping the future of work.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, the question isn\u2019t how you\u2019re using AI, it\u2019s how you\u2019re making work more human. And if you\u2019re not measuring connection yet, it\u2019s time to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tune into the full podcast: https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/podcast\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    On this week’s episode of Certn’s What the FTE? podcast, executive coach and people operations leader, Susy Martins, digs into employee engagement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":29100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,285],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-candidate-experience","category-what-the-fte"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29094"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29108,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29094\/revisions\/29108"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.staging.certn.co\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}