Nobody trusts HR. It’s up to companies to fix it

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition that employee well-being is no longer just an HR initiative, but one that requires the full commitment and ownership of leaders at every level, including the C-suite. This shift in perspective acknowledges that the sources of employee engagement and well-being—such as workloads, supportive leadership, flexibility, and job security—lie within the business itself, not HR.

The problem, however, is that for decades, companies have largely handed responsibility for employee experience to HR, which has resulted in the ineffective implementation of well-being programs. Responsibility must extend far beyond HR, with accountability and authority resting at the highest levels of the organization. One of the main challenges in achieving employee well-being lies in the dual mandate faced by HR: advocating for employees while simultaneously carrying out layoffs and job eliminations—decisions made by senior leadership.

This creates a disconnect of trust, as employees may not fully trust HR to represent their interests when those interests collide with business decisions. To address this issue, employee well-being should be managed similarly to other important business objectives. This means that someone at the top needs to own it, managers must be accountable for it, and employees should have a continuous way to provide feedback, with true consequences when line managers fail to respond.

While the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) is often the logical choice for this role, creating a separate Chief Well-Being Officer could also work, provided the position has direct access to and support from the CEO and executive team. In 2022, Ernst & Young was one of the first companies to create the Chief Well-Being Officer position, which focuses on the physical, emotional, financial, and social well-being of employees, extending beyond programs and resources to culture and the broader work environment.

However, it is crucial that this leader has both the responsibility and authority to make a real impact. Additionally, to ensure that employee feedback is heard and acted upon, companies should move away from broad annual engagement surveys and instead implement shorter, more frequent pulse surveys. Technology can facilitate this by allowing for targeted questions that provide leaders with immediate insight into employees' experiences.

However, the organization must be prepared to respond to the feedback, as otherwise, the survey becomes just another annoyance. Lastly, managers must be held accountable for addressing the feedback received from their teams, sharing what was learned, and discussing what can reasonably be changed, whether the feedback is positive or negative.