The Rise of the Intentional Organisation

Across the world of work, employers are navigating a perfect storm of economic volatility, political uncertainty and rapidly evolving technology which puts intense strain on the workforce. These shifts reflect broader trends in workplace transformation and highlight the need for a clear employee experience strategy. The organisations that will thrive are not those that simply react to change the fastest, but those that set out to act with intention.

This is the central message of our World of Work Trends Report 2026, and the foundation of a concept which will become a new blueprint for people-centric leadership: the Intentional Organisation. Here we explore the defining characteristics of an Intentional Organisation and why it is a crucial strategic discipline with both commercial and strategic benefits.

What is an ‘Intentional Organisation’?

An Intentional Organisation makes deliberate choices about how it operates, leads and supports its people to achieve sustained business growth. It does not rely on legacy processes or reactive decision-making but prioritises coherent judgement over rapid response, quality over quantity and clarity over complexity. All decisions on purpose, technology, flexibility, productivity and stability are made through the lens of how to deliver performance in a way that benefits people, culture and commercial value. This aligns closely with modern people strategies and answers the question of what is a people strategy in practice – embedding employee experience in HR strategy at every level.

A strong example of intentionality in action comes from Top Employer, SAP India. When the organisation began its transformation into an AI-first business, it recognised that its purpose could not be communicated via abstract corporate messages – its leaders needed to guide change. In preparation, a system called ‘ELIXIR’ was designed in-house which equips managers with the skills to lead internal change using clear explanations and empathetic understanding. The results emphasise the power of intentionally responding to a challenge: 92% of participants completed the programme, 78% moved into new roles, and attrition among people leaders was stabilised.

In an Intentional Organisation nothing “just happens”. Every decision – from workforce planning to leadership behaviours to technology adoption – is guided by a clear understanding of why it matters and how it contributes to overall sustainable performance.

Why does acting with intention matter now in particular?

In today’s workplace, volatility is an everyday reality so a reactive approach is unsustainable. The working landscape is defined by:

1. Economic uncertainty

Organisations need to deliver more with less, managing a financial framework characterised by tighter budgets, fluctuating markets, and rising expectations for productivity. In this environment, unexamined complex processes and unfocused initiatives become costly liabilities. Intention ensures that every investment – financial or human – is purposeful and adding value.

2. Rapid technological change

AI, automation and digital transformation are reshaping roles and workflows at unprecedented speed. Without intentional design, technology adoption risks overwhelming employees with widening capability gaps.

Recruitment firm and Top Employer, JTI, addressed this issue ‘head-on’ by designing and integrating AI tools, that enhance human judgement rather than replace it. Its new tools automated diary management and reduced candidate shortlisting time while simultaneously limiting bias, creating more time for recruiters to hold meaningful conversations with candidates and hiring managers. This is a strong example of AI and talent acquisition in action, showing how to the technology can support human decision-making rather than replace it.

3. Stretched human capacity

Financial pressure and technological change have a significant human impact as employees are under pressure to navigate transitions while maintaining results. According to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index, the average workday has expanded by more than 2.5 hours since 2020 and leaders continue to request greater productivity, despite 80% of employees saying they lack the time or energy to perform. Leveraging employee engagement insights and employee experience analytics is becoming critical to understanding and managing this pressure.

These trends carry an ethical implication as well as practical – productivity gains cannot be achieved by causing burnout. Intentional Organisations recognise that people are finite resources and create environments where capacity is protected and wellbeing is embedded, so that workforces can deliver under pressure.

Why strategic design outperforms speed

While speed without direction leads to burnout and misalignment, putting ‘intention’ at the heart of every decision helps organisations to direct time, energy and skills into work that creates real business value. Top Employers represent employee experience best practices and are often cited among companies with best HR and training practices globally. In addition, they have long demonstrated that excellence in people practices is not accidental – it is the result of deliberate design, continuous improvement and a clear commitment to people. The Intentional Organisation is a natural evolution of this concept.

Download the full  World of Work Trends 2026 report to find out more about how the Intentional Organisation is defining organisational capability. 

Designing the Intentional Organisation: Five Trends That Leaders Can’t Ignore

The organisations thriving in 2026 are prioritising leading with intention over reactive decision-making. The Intentional Organisation has emerged as a new blueprint for sustainable performance: a model built on deliberate choices, coherent systems and people-centred design. At its core, this is about developing a people strategy grounded in strong people practices.

In our previous blog we defined what an Intentional Organisation is, why it’s important and the commercial benefit to businesses it can deliver. Now we will explore how they operate in practice. Drawing on insights from Certified Top Employers worldwide, the World of Work Trends Report 2026 identified five trends that define the Intentional Organisation. These reflect employee experience best practices seen across companies with best HR and training practices globally. Together, they show where HR can achieve sustained productivity, build resilience and drive higher profitability.

1. Purpose in Practice

Purpose is no longer a set of abstract statements, but a practical operating system that governs decisions and provides organisational identity. Organisations that embed purpose effectively are more likely to be recognised as an employer of choice. 96% of Top Employers said their entire business strategy aligns with the organisation’s core purpose. In an Intentional Organisation, purpose is a lived system that helps leaders navigate complexity and make trade-offs with confidence. For HR, this offers an opportunity to integrate purpose-led decisions into the day-to-day running of the organisation – from mediated leadership expectations to performance conversations.

2. AI with Intent

AI and automation are reshaping workplaces at unprecedented speed. The organisations gaining the most value are not adopting the most tools but selecting tools that augment human judgement rather than replacing it. HR is now the steward of this shift, building digital literacy and designing change journeys to ensure technology reduces complexity and adoption is paced to match capability. Crucially, employees must understand “why” new tools are being implemented – building trust rather than anxiety.

3. Structured Flexibility

Post-Covid, flexibility is no longer a straightforward employee benefit. Intentional Organisations structure flexibility by balancing individual autonomy and optimising overall performance rather than expanding by default. Flexibility works best when it is designed with clear frameworks that protect fairness, wellbeing and collaboration. This is where HR plays a critical role: designing models that strengthen workplace cultures by protecting equity and supporting individual employee growth. The trade-off is consistency over convenience and the organisations that get this right strengthen their position as an employer of choice.

4. Designing for Productivity

In an Intentional Organisation, productivity is treated as a structural challenge rather than an individual responsibility. Workflows are simplified to remove friction, roles are shaped for focus rather than overload, and technology is deployed to enable deep work rather than constant responsiveness. HR aids this shift by creating systems that protect capacity while enhancing performance – requiring organisations to do fewer things better, not more things faster. Using employee analytics also helps organisations understand what are the benefits of HR analytics in driving productivity and performance.

5. The Stability Paradox

The Stability Paradox captures a key tension shaping the workplace in 2026: employees need stability when organisations need adaptability. HR is crucial to easing the pressure of the paradox and helping to anchor people during change. As an integrator of stability and adaptability, designing change processes that reduce uncertainty and positively shape leadership behaviours help to foster a positive workplace culture. Adaptability is only possible when people feel anchored, which means that stability must take priority over speed.

What the Intentional Organisation Looks Like

These five trends, reflect a shift towards developing a people strategy rooted in long-term value, where people strategies are aligned with sustainable HR principles. The pattern is clear – the businesses seeing long-term growth and success are not defined by how quickly they move, but by their intentions. For HR, this is a moment of opportunity. The function sits at the intersection of purpose, capability, technology and culture – the exact levers required to build an Intentional Organisation. By shaping these systems with intention, HR becomes not just a partner in change, but a designer of the future.

The rise of the Intentional Organisation marks a shift in how leaders think about long-term performance, signalling a move away from reactive decisions and towards strategic design. The five World of Work Trends offer a practical blueprint for this shift – and Top Employers around the world are already showing what it looks like in action and are seeing great benefit.

Download the full  World of Work Trends 2026 report to find out more about the five trends guiding Intentional Organisations.

How Asia Pacific’s Top Employers Are Raising the Bar in 2026

By Jek Wong, HR Auditor, Top Employers Institute

If your employees had to explain your organisation’s purpose in their own words, what would they say? 

In 2026, bold statements and broad commitments will give way to a more rigorous test — one that demands purpose be felt, not just communicated. Across the world of work, the expectations placed on organisational purpose are shifting fundamentally. It is a shift our World of Work Trends 2026 identifies as one of the defining challenges for HR leaders this year. 


And in Asia Pacific, this shift carries particular weight. Here, organisations operate at the intersection of rapid economic growth, demographic transformation, digital acceleration, and complex social change. Employees are no longer satisfied with purpose framed as a slogan on a careers page or a line in an annual report. They want to see it reflected in leadership decisions, people practices, and everyday experiences at work. 

What the Data Tells Us: Purpose in Practice Across Asia Pacific Top Employers

The data among our 460 Certified Top Employers across Asia Pacific reflects exactly this: 

  • 96% communicate purpose stories — through customer impact, employee voices, and leadership messages — to bring their organisation’s mission to life 
  • 80% provide structured opportunities for employees to reflect on their own purpose and connect it to the organisation’s 
  • 54% use scorecards or similar mechanisms to track alignment and intervene early if purpose begins to slip 

This is precisely the challenge that Global Top Employer Boehringer Ingelheim chose to confront head on. Rather than relying on top-down messaging to carry their purpose, the company asked a more fundamental question:  

How do you help employees not just understand a purpose statement, but genuinely feel it as their own? 

From Statement to Experience: How Boehringer Ingelheim Brings Purpose to Life 

Boehringer Ingelheim sought to deepen employee connection to its purpose, Transforming Lives for Generations, recognising that purpose must be lived, not stated. To achieve this, the company created an experiential approach that helps employees internalise the meaning of their work beyond compensation and benefits. 

This is just a snapshot of Boehringer Ingelheim’s innovative best practice; you can find the entire practice in our HR Best Practices database, which is exclusively available to Top Employers. Get inspiration and insight into the approach, challenges and learnings experienced by certified Top Employers. Access it now via the Top Employers Programme if you are Certified or learn more about it here!       

Why the practice was needed  

Boehringer Ingelheim aimed to help employees genuinely live the company purpose, Transforming Lives for Generations. They recognised that purpose cannot be adopted through words and slogans alone. It requires intentional, sustained experiences that help employees internalise the meaning.  

How the practice was implemented  

A core element is the annual Value Through Innovation (VTI) Day, which has been rebranded to Our FOCUS Day in 2025, which is an initiative involving all colleagues regardless of their role. In 2022, the company invited an artist, Red Hong Yi, to share how she uses her purpose to send a message through her artwork.  

During the event, Boehringer Ingelheim asked their employees the following questions: what is their why? Why do they choose to work for Boehringer Ingelheim? 

Teams then created art to showcase how they exemplify the company’s purpose. The organisation facilitated an exercise to help surface personal stories and emotions. Some employees shared how Boehringer Ingelheim’s medicines helped their loved ones or pets, while others expressed pride in contributing to work that improves lives across generations. When employees see their own purpose reflected in the organisation’s, it builds a deeper level of connection that goes beyond traditional employment drivers. 


The company also links its purpose to sustainability. They monitor purpose through dashboards and leaders are held accountable for KPIs tied to the 3 pillars below:  

  • More potential  
  • More green  
  • More health  

Beyond metrics, the organisation also emphasises that purpose is also about personal impact, but also giving employees a feeling of pride in contributing to their communities, whether it be by helping 17 million patients in the region or seeing their friend’s dog live a better life thanks to the company’s products.

Although not measurable, Kelly Tay, Head of the Talent Leadership Organisation, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, stresses that this is an equally important part of the company’s purpose.  Out of these efforts, Boehringer Ingelheim has also started doing more with purpose messaging to strengthen employer branding, encouraging employees to share how they live the company purpose online.  

Results of the practice  

Integrating purpose into how the company communicates and operates has strengthened the EVP and generated strong engagement. Employees shared deeply personal and meaningful stories where one colleague highlighted that she was already transforming lives through a mentoring initiative. These responses showed how the purpose statement resonates differently with each person and can inspire a wide range of meaningful contributions.

“I remember an employee telling us that she was already transforming lives through a mentoring project. It was not something we expected, but really shows how a purpose statement can resonate with different people differently.” 

Kelly Tay, Head of Talent Leadership Organisation, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand   

What HR Leaders can learn from this 

Our World of Work Trends research reinforces the same lessons surfaced by BI’s approach 

  1. Make purpose experiential. Clarify what purpose means in practice, e.g., use simple language, define the behaviours that embed purpose through everyday actions, create intentional moments (rituals, reflection, storytelling) where employees connect their personal “why” to the organisation’s purpose.  
  1. Treat purpose as an operating system and not a campaign. Embed purpose into core systems, e.g., align purpose with strategy, leadership expectations, performance reviews and recognition. 
  1. Track progress through tangible outcomes and intervene early. Use scorecards, feedback loops, and regular reviews to see whether purpose is being lived, then course‑correct quickly when gaps appear. 
  1. Amplify impact through enablers. Co‑create with employees to ensure authenticity; equip managers with toolkits and stories to make purpose part of team routines; and extend purpose into employer branding so the candidate experience mirrors the employee experience. 

When purpose is experienced, embedded, and measured — as our research and BI’s example both show — it becomes credible, compelling and culture‑shaping. 

World of Work Trends 2026: The Intentional Organisation

Change is constant. Expectations are rising. But in 2026, speed won’t be the differentiator. Intent will.

Built on insights from almost 2,500 Certified Top Employers worldwide.

A shift leaders can’t ignore

In 2026, organisations will be judged by what they prioritise and how consistent they are in delivering it. Under sustained pressure and limited capacity, organisations can no longer rely on speed or scale alone.

This report explores five shifts redefining the world of work, highlighting how leading employers are designing organisations to operate with clarity, coherence and purpose under pressure. Not as headlines. As leadership decisions.

What’s shifting in 2026

In 2026, organisations are operating under sustained pressure and with limited capacity. In this environment, speed and reaction are no longer enough. It’s simply not possible to keep responding faster or adding more initiatives without creating fragmentation and burnout.

That’s why the shifts we’re seeing are not isolated trends. They reflect a move towards deliberate organisational design. Leading employers are making intentional choices about how work is structured, how decisions are made, and where leadership attention is focused. In short: designing for coherence, not reacting for pace.

These shifts reflect deliberate choices about what matters most. The question is: whether your organisation is designed to sustain performance as pressure continues? Discover the report.

What you’ll take away

This report provides a clear lens on what matters most in 2026, and the deliberate choices leaders must now make to sustain trust, resilience and performance.

Inside the report, you’ll explore:

  • Where to focus leadership attention
  • How to strengthen trust while accelerating change
  • What intentional design looks like in practice
  • How leading employers are shaping the year ahead

The world of work is changing. It is simply not possible to continue to respond faster. Will your organisation change by reaction or by design?

Download the full report by filling out the form below.

What’s in it for HR? Turning
AI-powered leadership into practice

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming what it means to lead – and the opportunity for today’s leaders is to seize on its adoption for commercial success. In our previous blog we explored why organisations urgently need AI-powered leadership. Now we look at what this means in practice for HR leaders. To embed AI into HR strategy represents both a great opportunity and a new responsibility – to help all leaders harness AI in ways that enhance, not erode, what makes work human.

The good news is that HR is already well placed to guide this transformation. By designing strategies and actions around the five pillars outlined in our new report on AI-powered leadership, HR can become a central enabler of this transformation – one that unites human insight with intelligent technology, to drive organisational performance. 

Those AI-powered leaders working in HR also have a unique opportunity to practice what they preach. They can redefine and set the tone for AI integration by modelling these AI-powered leadership behaviours in their own work.

From principles to practice  

Based on our global research at Top Employers Institute, our AI-powered leadership report moves beyond theory to what this looks like in practice.  

Here are three of the five pillars in our blueprint – digital confidence, human-centred design and applied empathy – and what they mean for HR leaders.  

1. Digital confidence 

Digital confidence is the foundation of AI-powered leadership. It means developing enough understanding to question, evaluate and apply AI responsibly, rather than being a technology expert.

According to our research at Top Employers, only 46% of leaders have had any form of structured training in generative AI, while just 16% of employees say their organisation support skill development in this area. 

HR’s role is to narrow that gap, by embedding AI fluency into leadership development. Practical actions by HR leaders outlined in the report include introducing short, bite-sized learning modules that fit around daily routines or facilitating peer learning through AI roundtables, where leaders share real case studies and lessons learned.  

The experience of Chiesi, a certified Top Employer, shows the value of this approach. When its Global HR Analytics and HRIS team began implementing AI tools, they focused on helping leaders listen to experts, trust their teams and apply ethical judgement before making decisions. Their success lay in fostering open collaboration and building trust between human insight and data-driven intelligence.  

2. Human-centred design 

Human-centred design ensures that AI strengthens human capability rather than eroding it. It’s about aligning technology with people’s needs to create more meaningful, engaging work.  

The data is clear: high-profitability companies are 7% more likely to use AI to enhance employee experience than their lower-performing peers. These organisations see it as a lever for autonomy, purpose and connection, driving improvements in AI and employee experience.  

Certified Top Employer, NLB Komercijalna Banka in Serbia offers a powerful example. When introducing AI, the bank placed people before technology by creating AI ambassadors and governance structures that promoted trust and collaboration. Employees were empowered to shape how AI was integrated resulting in higher engagement and innovation.  

For HR leaders, human-centred design begins with practical actions, such as employee experience mapping, role-impact analysis or co-designing workshops with frontline leaders. These activities help identify where AI enhances the flow of work – and where it risks creating disconnection. By guiding human-centred design, HR can ensure technology becomes a catalyst for growth.  

3. Applied empathy  

AI makes analysis faster and communication more efficient, but it can never replace the emotional connection that employees need to feel from their leaders. Applied empathy means using AI to strengthen understanding, not to create distance. Early actions could include piloting AI-powered coaching tools, or using GPT-based simulators to help leaders practice sensitive conversations in a safe environment. 

Several organisations are already doing this. For example, some have introduced AI-powered coaching that prompts leaders through challenging scenarios, helping them refine tone, clarity and confidence. Our new report highlights that 85% of Top Employers now encourage self-reflection in leadership development, a practice linked with higher engagement and lower voluntary turnover. 

Autostrade per l’Italia offers a practical example of how AI can deepen relational leadership. The company combined survey results with AI-supported analysis of more than 4,000 open ended employee comments. The key has been in the humanity of the follow-through, where leadership discusses and acts on the findings, which drives real change and meaning for their teams. 

In the AI era, empathy is about connection with purpose. It’s about leaders using data to deepen humanity, not diminish it and HR leaders play a key enabling role in embedding this mindset across the organisation.

HR must seize the opportunity 

The time to act is now. For HR, championing the value of AI-powered leadership is both a commercial necessity and a critical part of responsible AI in HR. And it will become the means through which stronger engagement, better decision-making and more resilient performance become possible. 

The spotlight now falls on senior HR to deliver leadership in the AI era for the benefit of current and future generations. And as AI redefines work, CHROs and CPOs can themselves model AI-powered leadership – using it to augment judgment, empathy and purpose in how they lead their organisation. 

Download the full AI-powered leadership report to access the practical roadmap. See how your HR function can turn this blueprint into action.

Why now? The urgent need
for AI-powered leadership

The era of AI-powered change is well underway, redrawing the architecture of organisations faster than leaders can adapt. This is already testing their readiness to guide their people and businesses through a period of accelerated transformation. 

In parallel, market volatility, uneven economic growth, and the redeployment of talent into AI-focused, revenue-generating roles are intensifying this pressure on leaders. All of this is redefining not only what leaders need to do to respond, but also how they need to lead in 2026. 

Although the impact of AI is clear, three-quarters (74%) of employers still find it difficult to translate AI’s potential into scaled value. For those organisations that can achieve this, the benefits are clear: our own research, based on more than 2,300 Top Employers across 125 countries, shows that high-profitability companies are 7% more likely to use AI to enhance the employee experience than their lower-performing peers.

Leaders face complex, competing pressures: to drive innovation while maintaining trust, a central challenge in developing responsible AI in HR. They also need to ensure that AI serves as a catalyst for human potential, rather than a substitute for it. This requires a radically different approach – a new leadership mindset which we call “AI-powered leadership”. 

Those HR leaders failing to redesign leadership for the AI era risk building faster systems on faltering foundations, hampering commercial potential. The challenge is to offer the organisation practical ways to turn AI into more human-centred, high-performing leadership.

Our five-pillar blueprint for AI-powered leadership

AI-powered leadership redefines how leaders think and act, using technology to strengthen human values and drive resilient, high-performing organisations. Based on our global research at Top Employers Institute, our AI-powered leadership blueprint defines five interconnected pillars that all organisations can base their leadership on to thrive in the AI era. When combined, they offer a model for uniting human insight with intelligent technology to drive organisational performance with purpose. 

1. Digital confidence 

Digital confidence is foundational to build AI skills for leaders. An AI-powered leader needs the ability to question, evaluate and integrate AI responsibly, even though they are not technology experts. The most effective leaders understand when to use AI’s analytical strength to amplify human judgment. For example, in simulated market experiments within the automotive industry, AI models outperformed humans in predictable conditions but struggled during unexpected disruptions. Human knowledge and experience provided the context that algorithms lacked. 

2. Human-centred design 

AI should enhance the human experience of work. Organisations that use AI to elevate employee experience as well as efficiency, are already outperforming their peers. Evidence around organisations implementing AI highlights a trade-off: quick wins may boost efficiency, but without deliberate design where humans take the lead, it can erode long-term engagement. This shows that when technology is designed around people’s needs, engagement and innovation can grow together. 

3. Ethical stewardship 

As AI reshapes and speeds up decisions and workflows, ethics become a defining measure of leadership quality and the backbone of responsible AI in HR. Ethical stewardship means embedding fairness, transparency, and accountability into every process, at a time when concerns around trust are widespread. For example, when leaders take responsibility for how AI is used and clearly explain the principles guiding their choices, they turn technology into a source of trust rather than the source of uncertainty. 

4. Applied empathy 

AI can analyse data and respond with great efficiency, though it cannot replicate emotional connection. Leaders who combine AI insights with emotional intelligence create workplaces where communication is open and trust is strong. Some organisations, for example, use AI-powered coaching tools such as custom GPTs to help leaders improve the quality of the difficult conversations they sometimes need to have. Our own research shows that 85% of Top Employers now encourage self-reflection in leadership development, a seven-point increase from the previous year. 

5. Systems awareness 

AI-powered leaders view their organisations as dynamic systems. They anticipate how AI will reshape not only tasks but relationships, structures, and culture. Systems awareness allows leaders to guide teams through complexity. For example, it helps them recognise that a single technological decision can have ripple effects across the entire organisation. The most effective leaders balance innovation with this system-wide context, ensuring that AI enhances both collaboration and adaptability. 

HR’s big opportunity – and responsibility

For HR leaders, AI-powered leadership represents both an opportunity and a responsibility. There is an unprecedented opportunity to embed AI in HR strategy to help organisations reimagine what leadership looks like in the AI era, by embedding the five-pillar blueprint into learning, performance, and culture. 

HR leaders have an incredible opportunity to act as the catalysts of this change, empowering senior executives and boards to harness AI in ways that truly augment human potential. Those that can seize this opportunity and embrace the responsibility of AI-powered leadership will ensure that technology strengthens, rather than replaces, human insight and judgment in their organisation. 

Download our AI-powered leadership report now to see the five pillars in action – and learn how HR can lead the transformation.

AI-powered leadership: The blueprint for uniting human insight with intelligent technology to drive organisational performance 

The next era of leadership is here, and it’s powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is redefining what it means to lead as it transforms decision-making, reshapes workforce structures, and accelerates at a pace that demands organisations adapt now.   

The challenge for leaders is no longer whether to use AI, but how to lead with it. Leaders who step up to the challenge will find success with a mindset that reinforces human values across every decision they make.   

Our latest research, AI-powered leadership: The blueprint for uniting human insight with intelligent technology to drive organisational performance, explores how HR leaders can embrace an approach that strengthens human insight by using AI.   

The blueprint for AI-powered leadership  

The report features five pillars that define successful leadership in the AI era:  

  1. Digital confidence: understanding AI’s potential and limits, guiding teams with informed clarity.  
  1. Human-centred design: using AI to elevate human capability, not replace it.  
  1. Ethical stewardship: embedding transparency and accountability into every decision.  
  1. Applied empathy: leveraging technology to strengthen human connection.   
  1. Systems awareness: anticipating complexity and change to act with consistency and clarity.  

These pillars form the foundation of AI-powered leadership, a model that transforms how leaders think, decide, and act in an age of intelligent technology.  

A call for HR leaders  

For HR leaders, there is a pivotal opportunity to bring this blueprint to life for both their leaders and themselves. They can be the catalyst that ensures this leadership approach strengthens human insight and judgment in the workplace. And in so doing, they will guide their organisation towards commercial success.   

Discover how AI-powered leadership can elevate your organisation’s performance and people. Download the full report by filling out the form below.

People Summit South Africa 2025: Shaping the Future of HR Through Collaboration

On 4 September 2025, Top Employers Institute hosted its first People Summit South Africa at Vodacom Office Park in Johannesburg. In partnership with Vodacom Group and Accenture South Africa, the summit convened more than 160 HR leaders, experts, and certified Top Employers from across the region to share insights, best practices, and bold ideas shaping the future of work.

Building on the momentum of the inaugural People Summit in Egypt, the Johannesburg edition was anchored on two timely themes: AI-Powered Leadership and Skills-Based Talent Management. The day underscored the power of partnership, with Vodacom Group and Accenture South Africa demonstrating how technology, community, and human-centered strategies can transform both workplaces and society at large.

Our latest research paper, Building a skills-first workforce, reveals how a growing number of forward-thinking companies are adopting a skills-first mindset, recognising that competencies, not degrees or job titles, drive agility, innovation and business growth. The next wave of workforce performance will be defined by how organisations embed skills-first practices into strategy and culture. Leaders who invest now in skills transparency, career mobility and integrated workforce planning will be better able to meet the needs of their business while planning for the future of talent management. Download the research paper for free today and start building a skills-first workforce: Download it here.

Setting the Stage: A Vision for HR in Africa

In his opening remarks, Nathier Jappie, Regional Manager for Africa at Top Employers Institute, emphasised the summit’s purpose: creating a platform for HR leaders to learn, collaborate, and collectively drive a better world of work. Sandra Botha, Global HR Auditor at Top Employers Institute, followed with an opening keynote exploring how organisations can align HR practices to global benchmarks while adapting to Africa’s unique market realities.

From the outset, the summit positioned itself not just as a conference, but as a catalyst for action – highlighting how certified Top Employers across the continent are leading the charge in employee experience, leadership development, and transformation.

Vodacom: Harnessing AI for People-Centric Impact

As Africa and South Africa’s #1 Top Employer for two consecutive years, Vodacom set the tone with a series of powerful contributions.

  • Welcome Address: Matimba Mbungela, CHRO of Vodacom Group, highlighted how Vodacom’s HR strategy is rooted in people-first leadership, continuous learning, and technological innovation. His message framed Vodacom not only as a telecoms leader, but as a people leader driving progress across Africa.
  • Case Study – Churn Prediction Model: Tando Mkosi, Managing Executive of Talent, Capabilities and Organisational Development, demonstrated how Vodacom leverages AI to predict and prevent employee churn. By combining predictive analytics with real-time insights, Vodacom is strengthening its ability to retain talent, boost engagement, and maintain its competitive edge as a certified Top Employer.
  • Case Study – Human-Centered IoT: Njabulo Mashigo, HR Director at Vodacom South Africa, presented a forward-looking case study on how intelligent connectivity is enabling organisations to design human-centered IoT solutions. These tools empower employees with smarter, more personalised experiences – reinforcing Vodacom’s belief that technology must serve people, not replace them.

Together, Vodacom’s contributions highlighted how AI can be ethically and effectively applied to HR, creating systems that are predictive, inclusive, and anchored in trust.

Accenture: Community, Creativity, and Social Impact

Accenture South Africa brought a unique perspective to the summit, showcasing how HR and corporate purpose can intersect to drive both business and societal impact.

  • Case Study – The Philipstown Wire Car Grand Prix: Presented by Vanessa Goonahsylin and Leandi van den Berg, this case study told the inspiring story of how a small-town pastime – children racing handmade wire cars – was transformed into a global platform for creativity and resilience.

By elevating the race to an international stage, Accenture demonstrated how storytelling, technology, and social investment can reframe community traditions into powerful symbols of inclusion and innovation. Beyond showcasing corporate creativity, the initiative supports the Philipstown Wire Car Foundation, proving that HR strategies can extend far beyond office walls into real-world impact. Accenture’s session reinforced the summit’s central message: leadership in HR requires both technological advancement and deep human connection.

The Power of Dialogue: Panel on AI-Powered Leadership

The highlight of the day was the panel discussion, “Leading with Intelligence: How HR Leaders Are Using AI to Unlock Human Potential”. Moderated by Karen Muller from Top Employers Institute, the panel convened executives from Vodacom, Accenture, Schneider Electric, Tsebo Solutions Group, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, and others.

Across four themes—Strategy & Integration, Ethics & Human-Centric Leadership, Impact & Results, and The Future of AI in HR; the discussion explored pressing questions:

  • How can AI enhance decision-making without replacing human judgment?
  • What ethical safeguards are needed to ensure fairness and trust in AI-driven HR?
  • How do organisations measure ROI on AI in talent management?
  • What lessons can global HR leaders learn from African organisations pioneering AI adoption?

The panellists agreed that while AI offers immense promise, from predictive analytics to skills-based workforce planning—it must be guided by ethical frameworks, cultural values, and an unwavering focus on human dignity. This dialogue reflected a broader truth: Africa is not simply adopting global trends but shaping them with locally grounded, globally relevant insights.

A Platform for Connection and Recognition

Beyond its formal sessions, the People Summit South Africa created an environment for meaningful networking. Over 160 attendees engaged in peer-to-peer learning, sharing case studies, and exploring opportunities for collaboration. The event closed with a prize draw to an exclusive HR Ignite session with our Client Success team and a call to action: for HR leaders to continue the conversations sparked during the summit and take practical steps toward embedding AI-powered, skills-based leadership within their organisations.

Why Collaboration Matters

The success of the Johannesburg summit underscores the power of strategic partnerships. Top Employers Institute, Vodacom, and Accenture together showcased what’s possible when global standards, corporate innovation, and local community insights converge.

  • For Top Employers Institute, the summit reinforced its role as the global authority on HR certification, benchmarking, and best practice sharing.
  • For Vodacom, it was an opportunity to demonstrate leadership not just in telecommunications, but in building inclusive, people-driven workplaces.
  • For Accenture, it highlighted how HR strategies can extend impact into communities, fostering resilience and creativity at scale.

Together, these collaborations illustrate how African HR leaders are at the forefront of building smarter, more inclusive, and more sustainable workplaces.

Looking Ahead

The 2025 People Summit South Africa marked a milestone: the first of its kind in the country, powered by collaboration with Vodacom and Accenture. As we look forward, the summit’s themes—AI-powered leadership, skills-based talent management, and human-centered innovation—will continue to shape HR conversations across Africa and beyond.

For Top Employers Institute, the summit reaffirmed its mission: to support organisations in creating better workplaces, to spotlight those achieving certification excellence, and to convene leaders who are transforming the world of work.

Relive the moments and discover the energy of the People Summit South Africa through our official photo gallery here. If you would like more information, or wish to collaborate on any future initiatives, please contact our Regional Marketing Manager, Nazia Osman on Nazia.osman@top-employers.com

Top trends in employee engagement for 2025

Employee engagement strategies are changing rapidly as organisations navigate shifting workforce expectations, hybrid models, global political changes and purpose-driven cultures. While the employee engagement definition once centred on satisfaction and productivity, today’s organisations recognise that engagement is deeply intertwined with wellbeing, belonging, and growth.

Employee engagement is, according to Gallup, ‘the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in both their work and workplace.’ It is this enthusiasm and involvement in their work that enable highly engaged employees to outperform less engaged employees in businesses that are critical to an organisation’s success. Gallup found that in 2024, 21% of employees across the globe were described as engaged, down from an all-time high of 23% in 2023. That only highlights the continued importance of prioritising and implementing practices and policies that for

In our World of Work Trends 2025 report, we found that transforming the employee experience is crucial for blue-collar workers in a way that had previously been underestimated, highlighting that employee experience is more important than ever.

In this article, we explore the top employee engagement trends shaping the future of work and how leading companies are utilising more holistic employee engagement models to drive performance and maintain employee retention.

What is employee engagement

Understanding the definition of employee engagement is essential before exploring the trends that impact this critical metric. Employee engagement is when employees feel a strong, emotional connection to their work and the company. It is more than just being happy or content in their work; employee engagement relates more to how deeply an employee feels invested in contributing to an organisation’s overall business success. It is with this deeper connection that we see an employee’s emotional commitment, cognitive focus and behavioural dedication to their workplace.

Purpose and meaning are at the core of it all

The desire to work for an organisation with a clear commitment to creating a ‘positive impact’ on the world is not new. In our 2023 World of Work Trends report, we found that employees are no longer driven solely by financial rewards, but rather by a sense of purpose. Harvard Business Corporate Learning also found that 52% of job seekers would not accept a job offer if they did not agree with a company’s values or purpose.

High employee engagement is increasingly linked to a strong sense of purpose, and organisations have taken this information to help them rebuild how they communicate their values to potential and current employees. Employees who believe their role makes a positive impact are significantly more likely to be committed and motivated. Organisations are embedding purpose into everyday work through values-driven leadership, transparent communication, and societal impact initiatives.

Aligning purpose with performance is a key differentiator in today’s employee experience and engagement strategies.

Flexibility is no longer negotiable

The last five years of work have been marked by disruption, with many organisations rethinking how they allow their people to structure their time. The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of flexibility that employees readily adopted, as evidenced by their increased employee engagement scores. When employees have more flexibility in their schedules, they tend to be more engaged.

Employees who feel they have control over when and how they work report higher employee engagement, improved wellbeing, and stronger performance. Yet, poor employee engagement often correlates with rigid scheduling and a lack of autonomy. In response, many companies are reimagining roles, workflows, and expectations to increase adaptability.

While flexibility may have seemed like a pandemic-era trend, its impact on employee wellbeing proves that it is untrue. It is no longer a perk but a necessity. Flexibility is not just about remote work; it’s about trust, choice, and designing roles around people, not just processes.

Wellbeing as a strategic pillar

The impact of wellbeing extends beyond how people feel, encompassing the number of sick days a person takes, their performance at work, burnout, and the likelihood of leaving the organisation. Wellbeing is interlinked with employee engagement in a way that should not be underestimated.

When comparing employees who are engaged but not thriving with those who are engaged and thriving, Gallup found that those who aren’t thriving report the following risks:

  • 61% had a higher likelihood of burnout often or always;
  • 48% higher probability of daily stress;
  • 66% higher likelihood of daily worry;  
  • Double the rate of daily sadness and anger.

Research like this shows that burnout, stress, and mental health challenges continue to be critical issues affecting employee engagement. Companies that integrate wellbeing into their culture, not as a separate initiative but as a strategic driver, are seeing measurable improvements in retention and performance.

Organisations that aim to enhance their employee wellbeing efforts will adopt a holistic approach by examining career wellbeing, social wellbeing, financial wellbeing, physical wellbeing, and community wellbeing. This can be achieved through the offering of mental health resources, financial health resources, and more.

Wellbeing is being redefined as a business-critical investment, and organisations that are working towards improving their offerings are looking at it holistically, from psychological safety and manageable workloads to access to mental health resources.

Skills development and career progression

Career stagnation is a leading cause of poor employee engagement. A 2022 study found that 74% of employees feel they aren’t reaching their full potential at work due to a lack of available development opportunities, indicating that organisations that do not invest in skills development for their people may be losing out.

In contrast, companies that foster continuous learning, transparent growth paths, and internal mobility report stronger loyalty and discretionary effort, leading to enhanced employee engagement scores.

Organisations that want to integrate skills development into their workplace can consider microlearning platforms, coaching cultures, and cross-functional development experiences, as these have been shown to help employees see a future within the business, rather than outside it, thereby improving their employee engagement.

Final thoughts

Employee engagement trends are in constant evolution, and for forward-thinking organisations, this evolution occurs alongside the workforce. Successful organisations are investing in people-first, data-driven and purpose-led strategies rather than relying on outdated practices and policies. These companies are focusing on what matters most – their people, and this drives them to constantly improve their policies to build a work culture that is successful and sustainable.

Building a skills-first workforce

Skills are the new currency of work. In the current climate of talent scarcity, technological disruption and shifting workforce expectations, HR teams are finding that traditional, credential-based approaches are not enough.  

Our latest research paper, Building a skills-first workforce, reveals how a growing number of forward-thinking companies are adopting a skills-first mindset, recognising that competencies, not degrees or job titles, drive agility, innovation and business growth. 

The report offers you:

  •  Insight into how Top Employers are embedding skills-first practices across the talent lifecycle. 
  • A practical roadmap for building an agile and resilient future-ready workforce. 

Our research shows that organisations embracing skills-first practices are already seeing tangible results: improved internal mobility, reduced turnover, and stronger diversity outcomes.

Why it matters 

The next wave of workforce performance will be defined by how organisations embed skills-first practices into strategy and culture. Leaders who invest now in skills transparency, career mobility and integrated workforce planning will be better able to meet the needs of their business while planning for the future of talent management. 

Sign up to download the research paper for free today and start building a skills-first workforce.

Türkiye Top Employers step forward: celebrating a stronger culture of change readiness in HR 

In a rapidly evolving world marked by digital transformation, geopolitical shifts, and an increasingly dynamic workforce, our data at Top Employers Institute reveals that Top Employers in Türkiye are making impressive strides in preparing their organisations for change. Recent year-over-year data from Top Employers’ shows meaningful improvements across several key HR practices, signalling a growing national emphasis on adaptive, forward-thinking workplace strategies. 

Measurable progress in change management 

Based on Top Employers Institute’s survey data, here are the standout areas of improvement in Turkish HR practices: 

  • Change champions (+10%) 
  • Adaptable change management methodology (+9%) 
  • Engage employees in change (+7%) 
  • Post-change follow-up (+7%) 
  • Change management as a core capability (+6%) 
  • Managers supported to mitigate negative change impact (+3%) 

These improvements are more than just numbers—they reflect a growing maturity in how Turkish organisations approach transformation. 

Why these improvements matter 

1. Build resilience through change champions. 

With a 10% boost, the use of change champions—employees who actively promote and support transformation—has been a standout area of growth. This is crucial in Turkish organisations, especially where hierarchical structures and traditional leadership models can sometimes slow adoption. A meta-analysis of 54 studies encompassing 13,914 teams reveals that hierarchy can hinder the effectiveness of teams in terms of collaboration and performance over time. Champions bridge the gap between leadership and employees, fostering trust and faster alignment with change initiatives. A McKinsey report also stated that transformations are more successful when employees take initiative and voluntarily step into roles during the change process, rather than waiting for top-down direction. 

2. Flexible change methodologies help in a dynamic working world. 

An adaptable methodology (+9%) ensures that organisations can respond to unforeseen challenges, be it economic volatility, regulatory shifts, or a global crisis like a pandemic. In a country like Türkiye, navigating both regional geopolitical tension and a young, tech-savvy workforce demands agility. Flexible change frameworks give organisations the tools to pivot effectively. Similarly, according to the Agile Türkiye 10th Agility Report, 89% of respondents stated that agile practices positively contributed to their ability to manage changing priorities. 

3. Inclusive engagement enhances morale and retention. 

Engaging employees in change (+7%) reflects a cultural shift toward participatory leadership. Involving employees in decision-making processes not only reduces resistance but also boosts morale and loyalty. On a global level, Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace Report highlights serious challenges: employee engagement in Türkiye is at just 10%, placing the country among the five lowest in its region. Additionally, with 69% of employees experiencing daily stress—the highest rate in the Middle East region—it’s no surprise that Top Employers stand out by actively improving employee engagement, which directly supports morale and retention. 

4. Sustained success through follow-up is essential. 

Post-change follow-up (+7%) indicates that organisations are no longer stopping at implementation; they are evaluating outcomes, learning from the process, and continuously improving. As noted by McKinsey & Company, an organisation’s effort continues even after implementation. Research from both Harvard Business Review and McKinsey & Company confirms that this cyclical feedback approach is crucial for sustaining a competitive advantage and operational efficiency.  

5. Strategic support for managers matters. 

Supporting managers (+3%) to mitigate adverse impacts ensures that mid-level leaders, often the most stressed during transitions, are equipped to manage their teams compassionately and effectively. As highlighted by Harvard Business Review, empowering mid-level managers with the right tools and authority enables them to lead transformation efforts more effectively and support their teams with empathy and clarity. 

6. Institutionalising change readiness helps long-term sustainability. 

Finally, defining change management as a core capability (+6%) signifies that transformation is no longer seen as a one-off project, but rather as an ongoing organisational priority. In Türkiye’s dynamic economic landscape, this shift is vital for long-term sustainability. On a global scale, the relevance of change management is further reinforced, as it continues to rank among the top five priorities for HR leaders, according to Gartner’s Top 5 HR Trends and Priorities Report. 

Conclusion – a broader reflection of Turkish growth 

These gains are especially significant considering Türkiye’s increasing push toward digitalisation, labour market reform, and EU-aligned labour practices. As organisations face talent shortages, generational shifts, and rising employee expectations, a proactive stance on change has become essential, not optional. 

By embedding change-readiness into the heart of HR strategy, our Top Employers Institute’s data shows that Turkish employers are not just keeping pace—they’re helping set the pace. And that is something worth celebrating. 

Find more strategies and trends to improve your workplace for all your employees in our World of Work Trends 2025. 

Embedding Transparency and Building Resilience

What does it take to build a resilient workforce in a time of constant change? How can organisations balance transparency with trust, or use AI while staying human-centred? And what does career growth look like in a flatter, more agile world?

These questions reflect the real tensions that HR leaders are grappling with globally. In fact, trust in HR has declined by 11 percentage points since 2022, according to the World of Work Trends 2025 report by Top Employers Institute. This signals a growing need for people practices that are transparent, inclusive, and grounded in purpose.

During her recent visit to Singapore, Nicole Pieterse, Global Head of HR and Property & Casualty at Top Employer Swiss Re, shared how the organisation is responding to these shifts—investing in trust, adaptability, and long-term sustainability to better serve both employees and business goals.

Swiss Re’s approach offers valuable, real-world learnings for HR teams seeking to future-proof their people strategies amid continued disruption.

Let’s get inspired by how Swiss Re is approaching some of the most urgent priorities facing HR today:

  • Embedding global pay transparency as a trust-building practice supported by manager capability and open dialogue.
  • Reframing career development for a flatter world—moving beyond vertical promotions to focus on skills, exposure, and agility.
  • Equipping future leaders with adaptability, ambition and emotional intelligence needed in a rapidly changing, tech-enabled environment.
  • Evolving workplace culture through distributed ownership and real-time employee listening, rather than relying on top-down cascades.
  • Introducing AI gradually and purposefully, helping employees shift from fear to empowerment through productivity gains and clear communication.

Making Pay Transparency a Global Standard

Swiss Re is ahead of the curve in responding to upcoming EU pay transparency regulations. Going beyond taking a regional compliance approach, the company is implementing full pay transparency across all major global locations. The aim is twofold: ensure fairness, and foster trust. Employees are now able to see how their pay compares to market benchmarks. This has opened the door for more honest, informed conversations about remuneration, recognition, and career progression.

To support this shift, Swiss Re developed dedicated dashboards for line managers and delivered tailored training to help them navigate complex discussions. This was essential, particularly when addressing sensitive topics such as employees reaching the top of a pay band or those starting at the lower end.

Transparency in pay, when done thoughtfully, becomes a catalyst for deeper conversations about value, growth and retention. As Nicole shared, “It’s not just about the numbers—it’s about what those numbers mean to people.”

Building Line Manager Confidence

Swiss Re recognised early on that transparency would only be meaningful if line managers were confident and skilled in discussing it. To ensure readiness, the organisation took a pragmatic approach by investing in capability-building.

Managers received not only tools, but training sessions grounded in Swiss Re’s overall pay philosophy. Designed as a holistic learning journey. managers gained deeper understanding about the link between reward and development, and how transparency can strengthen employee trust. By treating transparency as a relational practice, the company ensured it was embedded across the employee experience.

This directly addresses a broader challenge identified in the World of Work Trends 2025 report: rebuilding trust in HR and leadership through open dialogue and systems that employees feel are fair and human-centred.

Redesigning Careers for a Flatter World

With fewer layers in the organisation, traditional hierarchical career paths no longer apply. At Swiss Re, this challenge became an opportunity to reframe how growth and development are understood. Employees are now encouraged to build a “skills portfolio” through lateral moves, project-based work, and cross-functional exposure. This is supported by learning opportunities and performance conversations that focus on future potential—not just role-based performance.

Nicole pointed out that employees are still looking for the same fundamental things: growth, good leadership, and purpose. But delivering those experiences now requires more agility and personalisation.

This approach resonates with the shift described in the Trends report – meaningful development is no longer tied to a job title, but rather the accumulation of experience, learning, and capability.

A Future-Ready Leadership Approach

Swiss Re continues to prioritise leadership development, particularly in preparing talent for bigger roles amid growing complexity. The organisation uses a structured assessment framework that goes beyond performance to evaluate ambition, agility, emotional intelligence, and cultural alignment. Importantly, leadership development is tailored to different career stages and integrated into succession planning — ensuring leaders are identified and nurtured well before key roles become vacant.

In parallel, Swiss Re is exploring how AI can complement leadership. Early efforts focus on using AI to improve productivity and data-driven insights, while preserving the role of human leaders as sense-makers and culture carriers.

This hybrid approach reflects an emerging trend: the rise of AI-powered leadership, where leaders use intelligent systems to support strategy and team development — without replacing emotional intelligence and ethical judgment.

Embracing AI with Clarity and Care

Swiss Re has taken a deliberate, phased approach to introducing AI into the workplace. The first phase focused on workplace productivity—giving employees access to tools that save time and reduce manual tasks.

This lowered anxiety and built confidence, laying the foundation for more transformative AI adoption in the future.

Importantly, Swiss Re has framed AI not as a threat, but as a co-pilot. This narrative shift—supported by education and clear communication—has allowed the organisation to introduce new technologies while maintaining trust.

The World of Work Trends 2025 report reinforces this as a best practice: organisations that embrace AI as a partner rather than a disruptor are seeing improved employee engagement and internal promotion rates.

Evolving Culture through Distributed Ownership

Swiss Re has opted for cultural evolution rooted in lived experience. Since the arrival of its new Group CEO in 2024, the company has focused on enhancing what’s already working, while being clear about new expectations for speed, collaboration, and impact.

Key to this effort is the activation of “culture movers”— employees embedded across the business who act as champions of culture and practice. Combined with regular pulse surveys, this approach ensures Swiss Re can respond to local realities without losing global coherence.

Culture, as Nicole puts it, “isn’t about sameness. It’s about alignment between our stated values and how people actually experience the workplace.”

This model aligns closely with insights from the World of Work Trends 2025 report, which highlights how organisations must design cultures that are inclusive of diverse experiences and that extend beyond the organisational boundary.

Responding to Generational Shifts with Inclusive Design

With Gen Z becoming the dominant demographic in many organisations, there’s pressure to tailor workplace strategies to their expectations. But Swiss Re has taken a more inclusive view by creating policies that resonate across generations.

While Gen Z may value flexibility, purpose and sustainability, these are increasingly universal desires. Swiss Re’s approach is to meet those needs in ways that also support mid- and late-career employees.

This is a core message in the Trends report: that building sustainable workplaces requires designing for all life stages, not just the loudest demographic. By doing so, organisations build cultures of trust, equity and long-term retention.

Advice to the HR Community

Reflecting on her own journey, Nicole shared one piece of advice for HR professionals that stood out: “Stop being apologetic. Claim your space.”

HR, she emphasised, must confidently take its place at the strategic table. That means understanding the business deeply, speaking its language, and demonstrating value through data and action.

It’s a timely reminder that HR’s influence grows when it delivers both care and clarity, and when it acts as both an advocate for people and a steward of business performance.

Closing Thought

Swiss Re’s example offers a practical roadmap for any organisation aiming to align its people strategy with the realities of the modern workforce. From transparency and culture to AI and careers, the emphasis is on intentionality—designing systems that are human, fair, and future-ready.

As the world of work continues to shift, these lessons serve as a benchmark for what forward-thinking, principle-driven HR can look like in practice.