Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo, London: Day 3 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from the Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo concluding today in London, U.K. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference. Here’s a summary of happenings from Day 1 and Day 2.

On Day 3 from the conference, we are highlighting performance management, elevating your AI agent roadmap, managing spans of control, and deciding which managerial tasks to automate. 

• Gartner Says CHROs’ Top Priorities for 2027 Focus on Meeting CEOs' Expectations While Minimizing Organizational Risk
• Gartner Survey Finds Only 38% of CHROs and CIOs Share an Understanding of How AI Impacts the Future of Work
• Gartner HR Research Reveals Fewer Than 35% of Employees Report Good Levels of Overall Wellness

Presented by Tony Guadagni, Director Analyst, Gartner

Executives demand a high-performance culture as a shield against economic instability, yet only 39% of CEOs believe their workforce is productive enough. In this session, Tony Guadagni, Director Analyst at Gartner, examined how CHROs can rethink outdated performance management processes and build a workforce that is resilient enough for today’s high-pressure business environment.

• “Just 39% of CEOs and senior business execs say that current workforce productivity is sufficient to meet business goals, while only 38% of employees say that performance management helps them perform in their role.” 
• “There are three challenges with performance management:
  • Too tolerant of underperformance: 49% of CHROs report that their process effectively differentiates between core and low performance. 
  • Does not inspire high performance: Only half of employees believe performance impacts pay.
  • Disconnected from day-to-day work: Just one-third of employees talk to their manager about performance at least monthly.”  
• “HR can address these issues with performance management by taking the following actions:
  • Changing the narrative on underperformance by supporting managers in identifying and addressing marginal performance.  
  • Disproportionately rewarding employees who make outsized contributions.
  • Embedding meaningful performance conversations throughout the year.

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with Tony Guadagni by contacting Gerri Weinberger at gerri.weinberger@gartner.com. 

Presented by Stephanie Clement, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner

Excitement about AI agents in HR is rising, but jumping in unprepared can lead to costly mistakes. In this session, Stephanie Clement, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, shared three areas that must be addressed for organizations to scale AI agents responsibly. 

• “Just 39% of CEOs and senior business execs say that current workforce productivity is sufficient to meet business goals, while only 38% of employees say that performance management helps them perform in their role.” 
• “There are three challenges with performance management:
  • Too tolerant of underperformance: 49% of CHROs report that their process effectively differentiates between core and low performance. 
  • Does not inspire high performance: Only half of employees believe performance impacts pay.
  • Disconnected from day-to-day work: Just one-third of employees talk to their manager about performance at least monthly.”  
• “HR can address these issues with performance management by taking the following actions:
  • Changing the narrative on underperformance by supporting managers in identifying and addressing marginal performance.  
  • Disproportionately rewarding employees who make outsized contributions.
  • Embedding meaningful performance conversations throughout the year.

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with Tony Guadagni by contacting Gerri Weinberger at gerri.weinberger@gartner.com.