HR professionals, C-suite leaders recognize need for shift from processes to people, survey finds
Three-quarters of both HR and C-suite leaders say HR focuses mainly on processes.
The human resources profession has reached a crossroads where it needs to shift its focus from processes to people.
“HR leaders get into the profession because they want to make a difference,” says Helen Armstrong, CEO and founder of Silvercloud HR. “Unfortunately, paperwork and administration too often get in the way of that. So it’s not surprising HR leaders feel more exasperated than ever. Thanks to automation, analytics, self-service and more, people leaders have a bigger opportunity than ever to finally swap the spreadsheets for strategy and rediscover why they got into HR in the first place — to make a difference.”
Sage, a technology provider for small and midsized businesses, recently surveyed more than 1,000 HR and C-suite leaders. Among the findings:
- Seventy-three percent of HR leaders and 85% of the C-suite believe the term “human resources” is outdated.
- More than 9 in 10 company executives believe the perceived value of HR is a challenge for the profession.
- Three-quarters of both HR and C-suite leaders say HR focuses mainly on processes.
- More than 60% of business leaders see HR’s role as administrative.
- Eighty-three percent of HR leaders agree that not having the right HR technology is a challenge for the future.
- Only 59% of organizations currently use people analytics and cloud HR systems, and just 54% have some form of HR automation in place.
- Nevertheless, 91% are excited about the future of HR.
Looking ahead to the coming year, the top challenges are expected to be workload (90%), lack of resources (89%) and lack of support from leadership (83%). HR leaders and the C-suite agree that talent management should be the top priority. Diversity, equity and inclusion, and employee health and wellbeing are the next priorities for HR leaders, while the C-suite believes HR should focus more on financial growth, efficiency and productivity.
Related: The future of the HR profession: A Q&A with Kim Hiler
“HR leaders are often the unsung heroes of an organization but over the last few years have demonstrated their influence, visibility, agility and impact more than ever,” says Amanda Cusdin, chief people officer for Sage. “Considering the acute shortage of talent, the great resignation and the quiet quitting phenomenon that a lot of organizations are facing, business leaders need to prioritize investment in technology and increase upskilling the HR department.
“As a sector, we need to embrace tech that relieves HR professionals of the administrative tasks and empowers them to focus more on strategy, supporting businesses and employees to reach their growth and development targets.”