In 2020, like many HR leaders worldwide, Jeff Ostermann, the Chief people officer at SweetWater, had ambitious plans to revolutionise his company’s HR Strategy. However, the COVID-19 pandemic threw his plans off course, and he was left wondering. Faced with an unexpected crisis, Jeff soon realised that most ‘innovative’ HR strategies aren’t about creating something new but rather about revisiting what had already worked. For this reason, he shifted his focus to nurturing a culture of empathy, employee connection, and well-being, some key elements for SweetWater’s success. This example illustrates a broader truth: Sometimes, thinking outside the box means returning to the things that have been proven to work in the past.
As HR leaders are pressured to develop novel approaches, the push for “innovation” often overlooks time-tested methods that have consistently driven employee satisfaction and productivity. This phenomenon is particularly apparent in post-pandemic HR strategies. According to a 2023 survey by Gartner, 73% of HR leaders have embraced hybrid work models and employee well-being programs that were already proven effective before COVID-19. Still, they enhanced their ability to meet the new realities of the workforce. The rise of hybrid models, for example, is less a radical departure from the norm and more a refinement of existing flexible work structures that were growing even before the pandemic.
What’s even more revealing is how well these “old” strategies continue to deliver. A study by Gallup in 2022 found that companies prioritising employee well-being and flexibility saw a 23% increase in employee retention. Furthermore, organisations that returned to tried-and-tested communication and feedback channels saw a 19% improvement in employee engagement. This shows that sometimes, innovation in HR is not about inventing something entirely new but revisiting and refining strategies that consistently foster a productive workplace.
Take Southwest Airlines as another example to demonstrate this. The company is known for its customer-centric approach and strong internal culture, and it has always prioritised employee engagement and empowerment. At the time of the pandemic, Southwest Airlines didn’t waste its time coming up with new and complex strategies. On the contrary, they doubled down on their existing strategies and foundation principles, leading to stronger morale and operational resilience. According to a report by CNBC, Southwest’s 2023 employee satisfaction levels were 18% higher than the industry average, proving that simplicity often triumphs over complex and carefully crafted innovative strategies.
While outside-the-box thinking is crucial for addressing novel challenges, HR leaders should not forget that the solutions to modern problems often lie in the strategies that have always worked. Sometimes, innovation is about rediscovering the basics, which is perfectly fine if it works.
