HR teams have evolved significantly in recent years. Their responsibilities have increased, resulting in HR teams now playing a strategic role in driving organizational success.
By implementing the OKR framework, HR teams have a simple method for continuously delivering outcomes that are aligned with the organization's strategy.
Identifying the right priorities, and formulating these priorities as OKRs that deliver meaningful results, can be challenging.
This guide contains 19 examples that serve as inspiration for HR teams that are drafting OKRs.
HR areas of responsibility
The examples are sorted by the different responsibilities that HR teams have:
- Compensation
- Culture
- Education & Training
- Employee performance management
- Onboarding & Offboarding
- Recruiting
- Retention
HR OKR examples
Compensation
Objective
Ensure our compensation packages are competitive and aligned with market benchmarks
Key Results
Reduce compensation-related attrition by 25%
Achieve 90% manager confidence score in new salary band communication
InitiativePrepare a manager toolkit for explaining the new salary bands
Objective
Increase compensation transparency and fairness
Key Results
Train 100% of people managers on how to discuss compensation fairly and transparently
Implement a standardized process for compensation reviews across all department
Conduct a pay equity audit and resolve any identified discrepancies
InitiativeCommission an external pay equity audit
Objective
Streamline the annual compensation review process
Key Results
Complete compensation reviews for 100% of eligible employees within the review cycle
InitiativeBuild a compensation review timeline with fixed manager deadlines
Achieve 95% manager satisfaction with the compensation review process in post-cycle survey
Culture
Objective
Strengthen employee engagement across the organization
Key Results
Increase eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score) from 42 to 60
Improve participation rate in engagement surveys from 68% to 85%
InitiativeSend short monthly pulse surveys with automated reminders
Achieve a 20% increase in positive sentiment in open-ended survey responses (analyzed via sentiment analysis tool)
Objective
Improve alignment between company values and everyday behaviors
Key Results
Increase the percentage of employees who can name all company values from 40% to 80%
InitiativeRun values workshops in every team
Improve the values alignment score in culture audits from 6.5 to 8 (out of 10)
Raise the percentage of performance reviews that explicitly reference company values from 30% to 70%
Objective
Foster a culture of recognition and appreciation
Key Results
Increase the percentage of employees who feel appreciated at work from 55% to 75% (measured via pulse surveys)
Raise monthly peer-to-peer recognition interactions from 180 to 300
Reach 90% participation in the new recognition platform within the first 60 days of rollout
InitiativeLaunch a peer recognition platform integrated with Slack
Education & Training
Objective
Elevate manager capabilities through leadership training
Key Results
Increase average leadership competency assessment score from 6.0 to 8.0
InitiativeRun a 6-week leadership program for all people managers
Improve direct report satisfaction with their managers from 70% to 85% (measured via upward feedback)
Objective
Boost employee participation in continuous learning programs
Key Results
Increase the percentage of employees completing at least one learning module per quarter from 40% to 75%
InitiativeCurate a learning path for each role in the learning platform
Raise the percentage of employees who feel their skills are growing from 25% to 40%
Employee performance management
Objective
Make our Performance reviews more effective
Key Results
Improve employee satisfaction with the review process from 60% to 85%
InitiativeRedesign the review form based on employee feedback
Increase employees who agree their review accurately reflects their performance from 62% to 80%
Increase new hire satisfaction scores from 75% to 90%
Objective
Improve our feedback culture across the company
Key Results
Increase the percentage of employees who receive actionable feedback monthly from 20% to 25%
InitiativeTrain all managers on giving actionable feedback
Raise the amount of employees who feel comfortable giving upward feedback from 25% to 50%
Objective
Ensure clear goal alignment and progress visibility for all employees
Key Results
Employees with clearly defined OKRs increases from 65% to 95%
InitiativeRun OKR-writing workshops for every team
Improve employee understanding of how their goals connect to company goals from 58% to 85%
Onboarding & Offboarding
Objective
Improve onboarding effectiveness for new hires
Key Results
Increase new hire onboarding satisfaction score from 7.2 to 9.0
Decrease time-to-productivity for new hires from 60 to 40 days
InitiativeCreate a 30-60-90 day onboarding plan for each role
Objective
Make offboarding a smooth, respectful, and insight-rich experience for departing employees
Key Results
Increase the % of departing employees rating the offboarding process as "very good" or "excellent" from 60% to 90%
Improve the quality of actionable insights extracted from exit interviews from 3.0 to 4.5
InitiativeStandardize exit interview questions and analyze the answers each quarter
Raise the completion rate of exit interviews from 70% to 95%
Recruiting
Objective
Speed up the hiring process without compromising quality
Key Results
Reduce average time-to-hire from 45 to 30 days
InitiativeIntroduce structured interview scorecards for every role
Increase % of roles filled within two months from 40% to 60%
Maintain candidate quality score at 4.5 out of 5 or higher
Objective
Improve the quality of new hires
Key Results
Increase hiring manager satisfaction for new hires from 7.5 to 9.0
Raise 6-month retention rate of new hires from 78% to 90%
InitiativeRun a 3-month check-in between each new hire and their manager
Improve the avg. 6-months performance rating of new hires from 3.2 to 4+
Objective
Build a more diverse and inclusive candidate pipeline
Key Results
Increase % of diverse candidates in interview pipelines from 25% to 50%
InitiativePost job openings on 5 diversity-focused job boards
Improve the inclusivity rating in candidate feedback to 9 out of 10
Raise % of hires from underrepresented groups from 18% to 30%
Retention
Objective
Reduce voluntary employee turnover
Key Results
Decrease voluntary turnover rate from 14% to 9%
Improve exit interview rating on preventability of resignation from 3.2 to 4
InitiativeRun stay interviews with high performers every quarter
Raise % of employees who express intent to stay for 12+ months from 65% to 85%
Objective
Strengthen employee commitment and connection to the company
Key Results
Improve avg. engagement score from 6.8 to 8.5
Raise the percentage of employees who feel their role contributes to the company’s success from 52% to 70%
Increase eNPS (Employer Net Promoter Score) from 12 to 36
InitiativeShare quarterly company goals and progress at every all-hands
Objective
Address key drivers of attrition identified in employee feedback
Key Results
% of employees citing lack of career growth as a reason for leaving reduces from 40% to 10%
Satisfaction with career development opportunities increased from 58% to 70%
InitiativeLaunch internal mobility and career pathing for every role
Pitfalls & Best practices
Even well-designed OKRs can fail if they're not properly implemented and maintained. To avoid these pitfalls:
- Start with business impact: Every HR OKR should ultimately connect to a business outcome, not just an HR process metric.
- Limit your focus: Choose 2-3 OKRs per quarter, rather than trying to improve everything simultaneously.
- Align across functions: Ensure that HR OKRs complement rather than conflict with other departmental goals.
- Review and adapt regularly: Schedule weekly or bi-weekly check-ins to assess progress and make adjustments as business priorities evolve.
- Balance quantitative and qualitative measures: Numbers tell part of the story, but employee sentiments and feedback provide essential context.
The most successful HR OKRs strike a balance between aspiration and achievability, create clear line-of-sight from activities to outcomes, and evolve based on continuous learning. By focusing on measurable results that directly impact organizational performance and business growth, HR teams can transform from administrative functions into strategic assets that drive business success.
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