A Chief Human Resources Officer or an CHRO Agenda in an organization is rapidly changing, thanks to various factors. Enhanced technology, automation-led workforce shifts, changing work scenarios, layoffs, and requirements for niche skills are just some of them.
A survey conducted by Gartner (a global technology research and consulting firm) amongst 500 plus HR heads across 40 countries, and varied industries identified the top HR priorities for 2024. The following parameters have been identified as core focus areas:
List of Top HR Priorities for 2024:
- Leader and Manager Development: Enhancing leadership skills and effectiveness is a top priority. Organizations recognize the critical role leaders play in driving success.
- Organizational Culture: Cultivating a positive and inclusive workplace culture is essential. Companies aim to create environments that foster collaboration, innovation, and employee well-being.
- HR Technology: Leveraging technology to streamline HR processes, improve employee experiences, and enable data-driven decision-making. This includes tools for recruitment, performance management, and analytics.
- Change Management: Navigating organizational changes effectively. HR leaders focus on change communication, employee engagement during transitions, and adapting to evolving business needs.
- Career Management and Internal Mobility: Supporting employees’ career growth and facilitating internal mobility. This involves providing development opportunities, career paths, and talent mobility programs.
To combat the changing face of human resources, strategic HR initiatives are now being recognised as a priority to drive organisational success. Besides Upskilling, CHROs are
- Befriending technology and analytics
- Staying relevant
- Re-examining employer-employee relationships
- Adapting to hybrid work environments, while ensuring the role of managers
- Building meaningful Partnerships
- Emphasising on assessing skills, rather than just focussing on CVs during talent acquisition
- Receiving feedback from employees in a safe environment
- Re-visiting traditional systems and processes to make them human-centric
- Re-thinking employee value proposition to attract and retain the desired skills
- Empowering future talent
Prasad Rajappan, Founder & CEO of ZingHR encapsulates the changing dynamics of the CHRO in a very succinct manner:
In today’s era, the CHRO is now in a strategic position and has the envious opportunity to transform into a role of a Chief Outcome Officer (COO).
