For years, organisations have measured employee engagement as a key indicator of workplace health. Engagement scores, participation rates, and employee net promoter scores have become standard features of executive dashboards. Yet many organisations continue to struggle with performance, retention, and culture despite tracking these metrics closely.
According to Eoin Byrne, Chief People Officer at Poppulo, the answer may lie in focusing on a more fundamental driver of organisational success: belonging.
During a recent conversation on the HR Future Live podcast, Byrne shared insights drawn from leadership roles across Ireland, Germany, and the United States. His message was clear. High performance begins when people feel they belong.
Why belonging matters more than ever
Organisations today face intense pressure to execute quickly, adapt constantly, and deliver results with little room for error. In this environment, leaders often focus on productivity tools, operational efficiencies, and performance metrics. While these are important, Byrne argues that they are not enough.
People perform at their best when they understand where they fit, why their work matters, and how their contribution connects to the organisation’s goals. Belonging creates the foundation for that connection.
When employees feel they are in the right role, understand the organisation’s direction, and can see how their daily work contributes to business outcomes, they are more likely to be engaged, committed, and productive.
For CHROs, this presents an important challenge. Building belonging cannot be treated as a culture initiative that sits alongside the business strategy. It must become part of the strategy itself.
The hidden cost of organisational misalignment
One of the most valuable insights from Byrne’s discussion was the distinction between engagement and alignment.
Many organisations invest heavily in measuring engagement, but engagement is often a lagging indicator. It tells leaders how employees feel after experiences have occurred.
Alignment, on the other hand, is proactive.
When employees understand strategic priorities and know how their work contributes to those priorities, better outcomes tend to follow. Teams make faster decisions, resources are allocated more effectively, and employees are more confident in their actions.
Practical steps to improve alignment:
- Translate strategy into clear, simple language that every employee can understand.
- Ensure managers can explain how team objectives connect to organisational goals.
- Reinforce priorities consistently across multiple communication channels.
- Measure behavioural outcomes, not just communication reach.
- Create regular opportunities for employees to ask questions and provide feedback.
The objective is not simply to communicate information. It is to create understanding that drives action.
Why internal communication deserves a seat at the strategy table
Many organisations still treat internal communication as a support function focused on distributing information. Byrne believes this approach significantly undervalues its impact.
The most effective internal communication functions do more than deliver messages. They activate behaviour.
A successful communication strategy should answer three critical questions:
- Did employees receive the message?
- Did they understand the message?
- Did the message influence behaviour or decision-making?
Too often, organisations stop at the first question.
For HR leaders, this means moving beyond metrics such as email open rates and intranet views. The real measure of success is whether communication contributes to business outcomes such as improved customer satisfaction, stronger retention, increased productivity, or faster execution of strategic initiatives.
The CHRO’s next evolution: From people expert to business driver
The role of HR has already evolved significantly over the past decade. However, Byrne believes the next stage of that evolution requires CHROs to think even more deeply about business outcomes.
HR leaders earn credibility in executive discussions when they connect people initiatives directly to organisational performance.
Instead of reporting solely on engagement scores, retention figures, or survey results, HR leaders should be asking:
- How are these metrics affecting revenue growth?
- What impact are they having on customer satisfaction?
- Are they improving organisational performance?
- How are they influencing business resilience?
The most influential CHROs are not simply measuring people metrics. They are translating those metrics into business value.
AI will make human skills more important, not less
Artificial intelligence continues to dominate workplace conversations, often creating anxiety about the future of work. Byrne offers a different perspective.
AI is fundamentally a people challenge.
While organisations focus on technology implementation, HR leaders must focus on workforce adoption, capability building, and cultural readiness.
Employees need support to understand how AI can enhance their work rather than threaten it. They need opportunities to build confidence, develop new skills, and experiment safely.
Most importantly, organisations must preserve authenticity.
As AI-generated content becomes more common, employees will increasingly seek genuine human connection from leaders. Trust, transparency, and authentic communication will become even more valuable differentiators.
How CHROs can support successful AI adoption:
- Invest in AI literacy across all levels of the organisation.
- Communicate openly about the purpose of AI initiatives.
- Focus on augmentation rather than replacement.
- Equip managers to address employee concerns.
- Maintain authentic leadership communication, even when using AI-assisted tools.
Rethinking employee wellbeing
Employee wellbeing strategies often focus on benefits, wellness programmes, flexible leave policies, and support services. While these remain important, Byrne points to a deeper driver of wellbeing.
People want to feel valued, heard, and connected.
Employees who experience belonging are more likely to feel supported, resilient, and motivated. They are also more likely to trust leadership and remain committed during periods of change.
This is particularly important as organisations manage increasingly diverse workforces spanning multiple generations, each with different expectations and wellbeing priorities.
A one-size-fits-all wellbeing strategy is no longer sufficient. Organisations need flexibility, personalisation, and meaningful opportunities for connection.
A leadership lesson worth remembering
When asked about the biggest mistake leaders make, Byrne’s answer was simple: not being transparent enough.
Trust is built through honesty, particularly during periods of uncertainty. Employees do not expect leaders to have all the answers. They do expect openness about challenges, priorities, and decisions.
For CHROs navigating transformation, restructuring, or AI adoption, transparency is no longer optional. It is a critical leadership capability.
The organisations that succeed in the coming years will be those that combine technological innovation with strong human connection. Belonging, alignment, authenticity, and trust are not soft concepts. They are business drivers that directly influence performance.
For HR leaders looking to increase their strategic impact, the opportunity is clear. Focus less on measuring engagement in isolation and more on creating the conditions that allow people to belong, align, and contribute at their highest level.
About the Expert
Eoin Byrne is the Chief People Officer at Poppulo where he leads global people strategy, employee experience, and organisational culture initiatives. With more than 15 years of international leadership experience, Eoin has built and scaled high-performing teams across Europe and the United States, including serving as Chief Human Resources Officer and Board Member for Lidl US. He is passionate about helping organisations unlock performance through belonging, alignment, authentic leadership, and effective internal communication. His expertise spans organisational transformation, employee engagement, talent strategy, culture development, and the future of work, with a particular focus on helping businesses navigate change and leverage AI while maintaining trust, transparency, and human connection.
