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The performance of the uniform gradient element formulation is studied by simulating settlement of a footing and dynamic behavior of a saturated clay embankment and a level ground. Significant hourglassing is seen for the footing problem when the uniform gradient elements were used without any hourglass control. The hourglass modes triggered by the stress gradients underneath the footing were found to propagate in all directions. The proposed hourglass control scheme is shown to be effective in controlling the excitation of hourglass modes. It is also found that for the dynamic problems that involves only body forces very little hourglassing was seen even when uniform gradient elements were used without any hourglass controls. The solid stiffness and solid damping hourglass control parameters show minor impact on displacement and pore pressure time histories. On the other hand, the fluid stiffness parameter shows significant influence on the displacement and pore pressure time histories. From the parametric study on the fluid stiffness hourglass control parameter, it is recommended that this parameter should be less than 0.1%.