To develop software and service solutions to meet the requirements of our clients, I spend time trying to understand what a CHRO’s priorities are for their organization. Recently someone sent me an article from Forbes that listed the top 10 CHROs. As I reviewed the list I found two important findings; the best way to evaluate a CHRO is to judge how badly new employees want to work for their company and CHROs are the primary architects of corporate culture.
I find these two findings worth taking note of because a company remains innovative only if the talent and people at that place are excited to work there, engage with their co-workers, teams, and customers, bringing new ideas and actively contributing to the success of the organization. And only people who are passionate for their work can bring that kind of collaborative spirit. This makes the CHROs job even more complicated as not only do they have to hire the right resources, but they also have to create a workplace environment that makes people feel as if they belong and actively contribute. And the requirements about what makes happy and productive work environments are constantly changing as new generations enter the workforce with different expectations.
The changes in technology and how we use it is also contributing to the ever-evolving workplace. Smart CHRO’s have noted these behavioral changes due to technological advances and are the first to have people-centric technology platforms provided to employees in the organization. Note that I mention platform, and not just stand-alone systems, as people are no longer using systems in isolated ways, they are using an aggregation of tools that can be easily accessed when required during their day. It is all about having the right information at exactly the right time. In fact, 4 of the companies in the top 10 list are technology companies. Perhaps the intersection of people and technology comes a little easier to companies that are entrenched in the IT industry.
New digital trends have influenced behaviors of people both personally and professionally and it has become imperative that CHROs work closely with CTOs to not only master the data and analytics produced from HR in practice, but also use it to leverage the changes and enhancements to corporate culture that will truly engage employees and make the organization a place that people are excited to work at.