Despite heavy investment in new technologies, productivity remains stagnant and workloads are mounting. How can HR build systems that sustain performance without burning people out?

In 2021, Oregon faced one of the largest wildfires in recorded US history, scorching over 800,000 acres of land and destroying hundreds of buildings. 

Firefighting crews on the ground were contending with shifting winds, low visibility and unpredictable flare-ups, and many were forced to adapt their tactics in real time.

“The most normal human reaction in a moment like that is sheer panic,” says Justin Angsuwat, Chief People Officer at Culture Amp.

“But the fire crew wasn’t panicked. And that’s because they had four non-negotiables. They had lookouts, they had communication, they had escape routes and they had safety zones. They didn’t move unless they had all four of those things.”

After weeks of effort, firefighters eventually contained the wildfires, allowing evacuated communities to begin the long process of recovery.

“This incredibly brave fire crew made it out because in moments of chaos, in moments of uncertainty when everything shifted around them, they fell back on their systems, they fell back on their training and they fell back on their team,” says Angsuwat.

For many employees, today’s world of work can feel like its own firestorm – a relentless onslaught of change, uncertainty and rising expectations. Meanwhile, stagnant productivity levels mean HR is under more pressure than ever to drive performance in an environment where almost everyone is exhausted. 

But what HR can learn from the Oregon firefighters, says Angsuwat, is that when the smoke is thick, survival isn’t about individual heroics or pushing people harder. It’s about having systems in place that people can fall back on when things get tough.

The challenge for HR is to identify what those systems look like in practice. Below, Angsuwat unpacks what Culture Amp’s latest research tells us about the performance barriers employees are currently facing, and the systems that can help overcome them.

The productivity paradox

Today’s leaders are facing a paradox, says Angsuwat: organisations are investing heavily in AI and new platforms to boost efficiency, yet employees feel busier than ever.

According to the research, just 65 per cent of employees currently feel that their workload is reasonable for their role, with managers most likely to be struggling (see full breakdown by role below).

What’s more, despite the transformative technologies that have entered workplaces over recent years, Australia’s productivity has barely shifted. 

In fact, the ABS reports that output per hour worked has fallen by around one per cent in the past year, and has been trending downward for two and a half years. 

In many businesses, the prevailing strategy to increase productivity in recent years has been encouraging the workforce to “do more with less”, says Angsuwat. But figures like these show that this approach has failed to deliver the uplift leaders were hoping for.

“Success, or even survival in this moment, is less about trying to squeeze that a little bit more out or introducing a new app,” he says. “It’s about rethinking what performance looks like in this model.”

But what might a more sustainable model of performance actually look like?

A performance strategy tailored for turbulence

Culture Amp’s research points to three practices that correlate most strongly with success in turbulent times:

1. Create rhythm and reset focus

Elite athletes understand the power of ritual, says Angsuwat. A tennis player will often bounce the ball, take a breath and calibrate before each serve, creating small pauses to reset amid pressure. 

He suggests we need similar rituals at work. In practice, this might mean establishing a predictable weekly rhythm of reflection, short pauses between tasks or taking a few minutes at the start of each day to prioritise the most important tasks.

“What predicts performance at the individual level is creating rhythm and focus,” he says. 

For instance, at Culture Amp, members of Angsuwat’s leadership team are prompted each week to share their reflections on the highlights and lowlights of the [previous] week, as well as their personal energy and focus levels, with the rest of the team.

“We’ve done this for nearly two years, and it’s become a steady rhythm,” he says. “It keeps us connected to where people’s heads are at, and it gives everyone a moment to pause and reset their focus before the week takes off.”

Rituals shouldn’t stop with individuals. Teams also need consistent practices that foster cohesion. For instance, Culture Amp’s research shows employees who have regular, quality one-on-ones with their managers are 30 per cent more likely to be high performers.

2. Accountability and recognition

Another predictor of high performance identified by Culture Amp’s research is a strong feedback loop – one that balances holding people to account with recognising their contributions.

When Culture Amp conducted a study comparing some of North America’s fastest-growing companies against a control group, it found that high-growth companies were more accountable and more effective at rewarding employees (see chart below). 

“That balance between accountability and recognition matters,” says Angsuwat. “When recognition is strong, people feel valued. When accountability is strong, people see fairness. That’s what these companies do differently. And as a result, they have greater confidence in their leaders from within the company.”

When teams understand the standards they are working to and trust that their efforts will be noticed, it’s easier for them to sustain high performance even under pressure, he adds.

3. Belonging and connection 

A common theme emerging from Culture Amp’s analysis of the fastest-growing companies was belonging.

“Belonging isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s directly connected to revenue growth for these companies,” says Angsuwat.

Belonging comes from a sense of connection, he says – both to a team and the organisation as a whole.

“The team is the glue. This is what makes people feel like they’re doing something beyond the tasks for part of a bigger purpose,” he says.

Facilitating connection doesn’t require grand gestures – it’s often about small, consistent practices such as protecting time for meaningful one-on-ones, creating space for team celebrations or providing opportunities to share learnings.

“At the company level, we deeply value and invest in-real-life connection – it’s the richest form of communication,” he says.

“Success, or even survival in this moment, is less about trying to squeeze that a little bit more out or introducing a new app. It’s about rethinking what performance looks like in this model.” – Justin Angsuwat, Chief People Officer at Culture Amp

For example, he recently hosted an event for his team called ‘Where Should We Begin At Work’, which used card-based conversation starters to prompt team members to share insights, professional experiences and advice.

“It gave people a dedicated time to go beyond the passing ‘hellos’ and have deeper conversations about who they are and what matters to them. And we’ll do it again. These build the kind of belonging that goes so much deeper than day-to-day chatter.”

To help individuals feel connected to the organisation, leaders need to show how everyday work ties into a larger purpose.

Culture Amp’s research shows high-performing employees are 26 per cent more likely to have goals that are aligned to higher-level business goals.

Goal-setting frameworks, transparent communication from leadership and regular check-ins are practical ways to ensure employees can trace a clear line between what they do and where the organisation is headed.

Wellbeing-driven performance

An important learning from these findings is that performance is sustained when it’s supported by fairness, recognition and strong relationships. He points out that these same systems are also crucial for wellbeing.

“The best organisations are the ones that resist this false choice between wellbeing and performance,” says Angsuwat. “When we look at the fastest-growing companies in the world, they build systems where wellbeing and performance fuel each other – where you set goals, you hold people accountable, you recognise them and give them [a sense of] belonging.”

This, he argues, is what will separate companies that stumble under mounting pressure in the future from those that continue to thrive.

“High performance in this world of chaos and burnout and high pressure isn’t luck,” he says. “It is a system. And we have the opportunity to design a system people can rely on, [where] they feel clear, trusted and connected, even when the smoke is thick.”

Learn more about Australia’s shifting productivity landscape and the impact of recent employment legislation on the workforce at this AHRI Webinar on 28 October.