Why HR holds the key to sales performance

When discussing employee engagement, most people expect me to speak solely from an HR perspective. After all, as a VP of Human Capital Management (HCM) and product strategist at Oracle, that’s my world. But what might surprise you is how closely tied my work is to sales, and how critical HR’s role has become in driving sales performance.

Over the years, I’ve found myself living at this unique intersection of HR and sales enablement, and let me tell you: it’s been one of the most fascinating, insightful places to operate. The correlation between how we engage our people and their sales performance is real, measurable, and more urgent than ever.

Let me explain what I mean...

The HR-sales connection

A few months ago, I presented at a sales-focused event, and what struck me was how few people, even seasoned HR professionals, understand the direct impact that employee engagement has on sales outcomes. It’s almost like we’ve built this artificial wall between HR and revenue-generating functions.

But when you look closely, the data is clear.

Companies with highly engaged employees experience an 18% increase in productivity, a 14% uptick in sales, and are 23% more profitable overall. These aren’t subtle differences. These are performance levers that HR can influence directly.

So if you’re in HR and you’re not thinking about sales performance as part of your engagement strategy, you’re missing a massive opportunity.

The workplace roller coaster

Over the last few years, the world of work has been a whirlwind. First, we saw the Great Resignation, where workers made it clear that they valued time and well-being over rigid office schedules. Employers had to scramble to keep up.

Then came the Great Reimagination and organizations began redesigning work environments to meet these growing employee expectations. We saw shifts to hybrid models, flexible hours, and employee-centric policies. It felt like we were turning a corner.

But just as we started to settle into the “new normal,” a new trend emerged: quiet quitting. Employees were showing up, doing the bare minimum, and mentally checking out. And while it might’ve started as a buzzword, the trend has real implications, especially for sales teams.

Gallup’s wake-up call: Why 23% isn’t good enough

When Gallup released their 2024 report, there was a headline stat that made waves: employee engagement reached a record high in 2023. Sounds great, right?

Until you realize that “record high” was only 23%.

Let that sink in. After years of intense focus on employee experience, rethinking work, and adjusting to new models, less than a quarter of the global workforce felt truly engaged at work. And that’s the best we’ve done since 2009.

That’s not a win. That’s a warning.

More than half of today’s employees are disengaged. Many are actively quiet quitting. And if you’re in sales leadership or HR, you need to understand what that means for your bottom line.

Burnout, attrition, and the myth of the money-driven rep

Here’s where it gets real. Gartner’s latest research shows that burnout among sellers is more than twice as high as burnout in the rest of the organization — including senior executives. 89% of sellers report feeling burned out. More than half are actively looking for a new job or disengaging from their current one.

Even more alarming: over 50% of millennial and Gen X sellers said they’d take a lower-paying sales job if it offered better work-life balance.

Let that myth die, the one where we think salespeople are only in it for the money. Financial incentives are important, yes, but they’re not enough. Without engagement, development, and recognition, even the highest commissions won’t keep your sellers from walking.

Sales teams are often left behind

Sales has always had a bit of a reputation - the team with the perks, the travel, the big bonuses. But that perception has a downside: it leads organizations to overlook them when it comes to engagement efforts.

Unlike other roles, sellers often don’t have well-defined career paths unless they’re moving into management. Only 37% of salespeople feel they have a clear future within their organization, compared to 60% in other departments.

And while other teams are receiving wellness resources and support programs, only 29% of sales orgs have formal well-being initiatives.

We have to stop assuming that because they’re earning well, they’re doing well. They’re not the same thing.

Clarity is the new power

I read something a while back in Sapiens by Yuval Harari that’s stuck with me. He said that knowledge used to be power. But today, knowledge is everywhere. It’s become noise.

Think about it. Our sellers are constantly bombarded with updates, tools, new products, and changing sales processes. At Oracle, we have four major releases a year. Even I get overwhelmed reading the release notes, and I’m in product strategy!

So how are our sellers supposed to keep up?

The new power is clarity. And providing that clarity, filtering the noise, and surfacing what matters is one of the most important things HR and sales leaders can do for their people today.

So what can we do about it?

How do we keep our sellers engaged and successful?

First, sales leaders need to remove the clutter. Eliminate administrative burdens. Get approvals fast. Communicate clearly and strategically. Don’t flood inboxes with irrelevant updates.

And from an HR perspective, here’s where we shine:

Recognition: Go beyond bonuses. Celebrate milestones. Acknowledge effort publicly. Gartner emphasizes consistent recognition as a key driver of engagement.
Career development: Create tailored growth paths. Offer leadership training, product education, and skill development. Don’t let sellers feel stuck.
Manager support: Train your sales managers. Not every great seller is a great leader. Equip them to coach, support, and engage their teams.
Well-being programs: Think mental health resources, stress management workshops, and initiatives that support emotional resilience. Selling is stressful. A little care goes a long way.

Let’s not wait for a crisis

If you’re waiting for quota attainment to dip or turnover to spike before you act, it’s already too late.

We need to be proactive. Pay attention to signs like longer hiring cycles, higher attrition, or sellers failing to meet their quotas. These might be your early warnings that engagement is slipping, or that your people are already quietly quitting.

Don’t take your sales teams for granted. They’re the engine driving revenue. Treat them like it.

The future of sales: More human, more supported

Someone asked me recently what I think the future of sales looks like - how we build sales capabilities for tomorrow.

I believe it starts with providing clarity in the chaos. Leveraging generative AI to cut through the administrative noise. Investing in human relationships. And recognizing that sellers are people first, not just performance machines.

The old sales model (all pressure, all hustle) is fading. The future is about enabling our people with the tools, clarity, and support they need to thrive.

If we do that well, we don’t just drive better sales. We build stronger organizations.

So to all the HR and sales leaders reading this: don’t wait. Engage your teams now. Win their hearts — and their performance will follow.

Because engagement isn’t just a people issue.

It’s a revenue strategy.

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