While huge shakeups in the workplace can definitely lead to positive change, it sometimes only takes one new initiative to create a workplace that lets its employees thrive. Zhenjing et al. have found that a positive workplace environment has the potential to improve employee commitment, performance, and pursuit of achievement, so positive changes at work mustn’t be taken lightly. 

Shift From Effort to Outcomes Elevates Performance

The single most impactful change has been shifting from measuring effort to measuring outcomes, and making that shift explicit. When people are evaluated on results rather than hours, visibility, or busyness, they gain autonomy and clarity at the same time. That creates trust, reduces burnout, and encourages better decision-making. To support this, expectations and priorities have to be clearly defined so people know what success looks like. When teams understand the goal and are trusted to choose how to get there, performance improves and people feel ownership over their work. Thriving comes from alignment and trust, not micromanagement.

Albert Richer, Founder WhatAreTheBest.com

Albert Richer, Founder & Editor, WhatAreTheBest.com comparison data

——————————————-

Empower Capable Leaders and Encourage Idea Exchange

The single most impactful change was building a team of capable leaders in their respective areas and empowering them at every level. We made active listening and idea sharing a norm, which unlocked faster problem solving and ethical decisions. As a result, people felt trusted and could do their best work.

Lucie Voves, CEO & Founder, Church Hill Classics

——————————————-

Upskill Managers to Drive Clarity and Ownership

Investing in manager upskilling and communications has made the biggest difference. It gave every team a leader who was clear on expectations and could draw a line of sight from daily work to company goals, which sharpened focus and accountability. With that clarity, people felt ownership and delivered their best work.

Jacquelyn Lloyd, HR Consultant, Jacquelyn Lloyd Consulting

——————————————-

Premium Break Room Boosts Morale and Performance

Investing in a top-of-the-line break room is one of the most effective difference-makers in creating a thriving workplace; it seems trivial at first, but when my team members can take a break from the grueling work it is to be in a medical malpractice firm in Miami and have a place to feel relaxed and cared for. It’s important. Ever since we got the espresso machine and all the other kitchen supplies with a nice lounge area to unwind, our quarterly assessments have improved in all areas. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.

Jorge L. Flores, Partner, Law Offices Of Jorge L. Flores, P.A.

——————————————-

Clear Ownership and Expectations Accelerate Team Performance

What worked best was giving people clear ownership paired with clear expectations. When roles, decision rights, and success measures are explicit, teams feel trusted and empowered, not micromanaged. This reduces friction, speeds up decisions, and lets people focus on doing great work instead of guessing at what matters. That clarity creates confidence and accountability and a work environment where people can actually thrive.

Rafael Sarim Oezdemir, Head of Growth, EZContacts

——————————————-

Async Work Lifts Happiness, Revenue, and Retention

Deciding to go async. We’ve already been working remotely for years and it simply made no sense to work 9-5 according to one or more time zones. We just let everyone do their best work at a pace that suits them best. This made everyone much happier about working as they had the freedom to deliver the results at a pace that makes sense for them. Not only is everyone happier, but revenue is also up and we didn’t have any employee turnover this year.

Daniel Kroytor, CEO, TailoredPay

——————————————-

Replace Activity Metrics With Trust and Autonomy

The most significant change our team saw was switching from measuring activity to trust.

Initially, like many other organizations in growth mode, at Legacy Online School we focused almost exclusively on outputs, response times and other productivity measures that could be seen. The most important lesson learned, however, was that the way to help individuals reach their full potential is not through micromanagement, but through giving them the ability to control their own actions based on being trusted. As a result, we rearranged our organizational structure in an effort to create greater ownership for employees rather than constantly overseeing them.

Specifically, this included clarifying what successful outcomes looked like for each person, creating an environment where people felt empowered to accomplish those outcomes, and creating a culture where flexibility in scheduling was an acceptable norm, as opposed to something that needed to be concealed or hidden from colleagues. This created an environment where teachers, as well as their support networks and management, were able to plan their work around their own personal needs and the requirements of their roles, rather than strictly adhering to a set timeframe. Consequently, employees were better able to maintain focus, support one another more strongly, and reduce levels of stress/burnout.

You can back this change up with data from Gallup. Gallup found that teams that have high levels of trust and high levels of autonomy experience significantly greater levels of engagement and significantly lower levels of turnover. We have also seen this internally. When people feel a sense of ownership over what they are doing, they do not need to have someone pushing them. They come to work each day with intention. 

Additionally, we have changed the ways we conduct our check-in meetings with our employees. In the past, meetings consisted largely of status updates; however, our meetings now allow for and facilitate discussions around what is working, what is not working, and why it is not working, among other topics.

Vasilii Kiselev, CEO & Co-Founder, Legacy Online School

——————————————-

Flexible Work and Trust Elevate Productivity and Morale

Our implementation of flexible work arrangements has been one of the most impactful initiatives for us at LINQ Kitchen. We realized that each employee had different needs when it came to balancing their professional and personal life. We transitioned from a traditional work model to a hybrid model, so our employees can create schedules that best fit their productive hours. The flexibility we have provided our team has allowed them to manage their time more effectively, maximizing productivity and improving job satisfaction.

To ensure this new way of working was successful for all employees, we fostered a culture of trust and open communication. These two elements have helped to promote regular check-ins and open lines of communication between management and employees. Through these methods, employees can provide feedback on their current work-life balance and any additional support they may need. With an emphasis on supporting our employees’ well-being and productivity, we have created an atmosphere conducive to creative ideas and teamwork. As a direct result of our new flexible work arrangement, our employees feel more connected to their work, have increased morale, and are more innovative in their roles. Our new flexible work arrangement demonstrates our dedication to developing an environment where both performance and employee well-being and contributions are valued.

Josh Qian, COO and Co-Founder, LINQ Kitchen formerly BestOnlineCabinets

——————————————-

Day-One Mentorship Accelerates Remote Integration and Culture

Instituting a day-one mentorship program for remote hires made the biggest difference. Pairing each new colleague with a mentor to introduce projects, facilitate casual group calls, and explain daily operations turned onboarding into meaningful cultural integration.

Sahil Gandhi, CEO & Co-Founder, Blushush Agency

——————————————-

Measure Outcomes and Ownership, Not Hours or Presence

The biggest adjustment we made was to measure outcomes and ownership instead of hours and presence.

Everything changes when people are trusted to own outcomes rather than defend time spent: accountability becomes intrinsic rather than enforced, motivation rises, and pointless meetings vanish. To prevent autonomy from becoming ambiguous, we combined this with explicit priorities and documented expectations.

In addition to improved performance, the outcome included reduced stress and improved retention. When they are treated like responsible adults with a genuine interest in what they are creating, people flourish.

Trond Nyland, CEO & Owner, Penro.co.uk AS

——————————————-

Fund Outcome-Oriented Teams, Not Feature Backlogs

The most significant inflection point was moving from tasking engineers to funding independent, outcome-oriented teams. Instead of tasking engineers with a backlog of features to build, we gave one engineer and one product lead a clear business goal, “cut new user onboarding friction by 15%,” and got out of their way.

This structure facilitates true ownership and mastery. Giving a team the choice of *how* to solve a problem makes them more emotionally engaged, creative, and accountable. Being healthy isn’t about ping pong tables; it’s about directly seeing the implications of your skillset on the business. Letting engineers operate at that level of control and trust is the greatest weapon we’ve got for retention and engagement.

Amit Agrawal, Founder & COO, Developers.dev

About Our Contributor

Lindsey Flagg is a professional content creator with a passion for writing, music, and making the world a better place. She holds a B.A. in Communication from Purdue University and has over 12 years of experience in digital communications. In her free time, she enjoys language learning, reading, and discovering new music.

About Humane HR Perspectives

Our round-up series “Humane HR Perspectives” examines the fundamentals of humanising human resources (HR) from the perspectives of top authorities within and relevant to the industry. Q&A sessions with founders, CEOs, HR professionals, business leaders, and other significant players who are influencing the direction of HR are included in every edition.

Throughout the employee life cycle, we address a wide range of subjects in this series, including recruitment and selection, onboarding, training and development, performance management, employee engagement, pay and benefits, and more. We also go over important topics like compliance, change management in the workplace, morale and welfare, workplace communications, and diversity and inclusion.

The “Humane HR Perspectives” series offers insightful advice and practical examples to help develop a more encouraging, productive, and successful workplace—whether you’re an HR professional, a business leader, or just someone who is enthusiastic about creating a great work environment. Join us as we explore the approaches, difficulties, and triumphs that characterise HR humanisation and acquire unique access to the knowledge and experiences of individuals spearheading the movement.

Let Us Know What You Think

We’d love to read your thoughts! Join the conversation and share your insights with us.

• What key takeaways resonated with you the most?
• How do you see this topic impacting your business or organisation?
• What additional insights or experiences would you like to share?