74% of Fortune 100 companies have HR leader in C-suite
HR heads are part of just 65% of Inc.100 organizations.
Nowadays, a strong HR department feels just as essential as a tech support team. Though every Fortune 100 company has an HR leader, a full quarter of them have not yet brought that leader into the C-suite, according to a new analysis by software company BambooHR. That same analysis shows that leading startups are lagging even further behind, with HR heads being part of just 65% of Inc.100 organizations.
Bamboo HR pulled data from company leaders’ social media accounts for their study, analyzing a total of 162 leaders whose information was available online. The research examined various demographic and professional trends in HR leadership, including leaders’ past experiences.
For instance, the research found HR leaders at both Fortune 100 and Inc. 100 companies are highly educated: 57% of them had obtained a master’s degree or higher, with the most popular degrees focusing on management, psychology, and law. Fortune 100 HR leaders were also more loyal to their companies than Inc. 100 leaders, having longer tenures in their positions on average.
Brad Rencher, the CEO of BambooHR, comments on the research findings in a press release, saying, “The diverse backgrounds and best practices we see in top HR professionals is evidence of the breadth of knowledge required to handle the complex issues organizations have faced recently — COVID lockdown, mental health in the workplace, labor disputes, and more.”
The study also analyzes how HR leaders use social media, finding that LinkedIn is the mecca for the human resources profession, with 95% of HR leaders having LinkedIn accounts. Some 65% of Fortune 100 HR leaders and 57% of Inc. 100 HR heads have posted on the platform in the last two months, according to the new research.
In comparison, just 18% of HR heads have Twitter and less than a third of accountholders have recently used the site.
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Anita Grantham, head of HR in Human Resources for Bamboo HR, notes in the report, “LinkedIn is a way to further the mission of your organization and build an employer brand. You just have to be careful that the perspectives you post are attached to the company you’re representing. People won’t separate your opinion and the company’s.”