{"id":85339,"date":"2022-09-20T07:55:57","date_gmt":"2022-09-20T14:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betterworks.com\/?p=85339"},"modified":"2023-05-03T01:33:16","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T08:33:16","slug":"meet-the-hr-leader-of-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betterworks.com\/magazine\/meet-the-hr-leader-of-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the HR Leader of the Future \u2014 A Technology Expert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our perceptions of life and work, of purpose and the value of time have been forever altered by the global pandemic. Work and personal life have been fused. Bringing our \u201cwhole selves to work\u201d has moved from the conceptual to the real. And, HR leaders and professionals have been at the forefront \u2014 marshaling their resources and leading their companies and employees through continuous  and massive waves of change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the outfall from the pandemic has sent a series of shockwaves through the labor market, there is a silver lining in the challenges that HR continues to face and address: Pivoting people to new ways of working and helping them cope through extreme stress and uncertainty had laid bare the need for humanity and greater care, along with a clear understanding that technology is an enabler of empathy and connection. As strange as that may sound on the face of it, it\u2019s true because only technology can deliver these at scale to a distributed workforce that is hybrid or remote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the pace of change continues to accelerate, both agility and empathy have become buzzwords of sorts to describe the current and likely future characteristics needed at work. And, both rely on interpersonal connection that\u2019s often made possible by technology. In light of the many changes for companies and employees, what is the future of the CHRO in the organization? This question was at the center of a panel discussion among current and former CHROs in the closing HR Tech 2022 session, \u201cMeet the Future CHRO\u2026a technology expert.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be curious and informed<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur role is about problem solving and there is no way to move forward today without technology,\u201d says Deborah DeVerna, CHRO at Qontigo. \u201cI think about tech from the perspective of\u2026 what is the business strategy, where are we trying to go, and how do we use technology as an enabler of that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though CHROs do not need to be technologists, per se, they need to understand how technology can automate certain processes and be fluent when working with technology partners inside and outside the organization according to the panelists. Being technology savvy gives HR leaders a leg up in asking the right questions in an RFP (request for proposal) situation, for example. And, the right technology implementations will help HR spend more time focusing on the \u201chuman element\u201d according to DeVerna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partnering with your internal technology organization is number one because of the array of competing priorities facing HR, and especially the war for talent that has elevated the importance of the employee experience, says Lisa Buckingham, former chief people, place and brand officer at Lincoln Financial and the 2017 HRE HR Executive of the Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christy Pambianchi, EVP and chief people officer at Intel, says her core responsibility is to ensure her company has the talent that it needs to compete. \u201cThis extends over the arc of the employee life cycle and company business processes,\u201d she says. \u201cSince technology is ubiquitous in people\u2019s lives outside of work, they expect the same experience at work. As HR leaders, we have to be attuned to what that is and to how we create as great and fluid an experience at work as people have in their private lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation and forced companies to reimagine their business processes. Paper-based processes have been automated, leading to such changes as a democratization of data, greater employee ownership of their own careers, and greater speed and transparency for managers to engage directly with employees across the company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour human capital strategy has to include enablement features of technology and a good understanding of what your tech can do,\u201d Pambianchi says, adding that while CHROs don\u2019t need to be able to write code, they do need to be technically curious. \u201cWe need to be lifelong learners and to rely on strong partnerships with the CIO and HRIS team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ: How HR Can Drive Digital Transformation to Improve Employee Experience and the Bottom Line<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never stop innovating  <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The past few years have driven home both the challenges and opportunities in digital transformation. The panelists described having to stand up tens of thousands of employees to work remotely, retrain staff for new roles, and develop apps to help workers better serve their customers in a remote environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe solutioning for all this was crowdsourced,\u201d Pambianchi says. \u201cThat\u2019s what allowed us to move so fast. So, we need to keep challenging ourselves.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The silver lining from the recent upheaval has been the democratization of the employee experience, which has been delivered through such tools as Zoom, Slack, and Teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing remote brought us [emotionally] closer,\u201d DeVerna says. \u201cWe saw people\u2019s private lives \u2014 what their homes looked like, their dogs \u2014 and we saw people being interrupted by their children during meetings. These things became acceptable and to some degree, even welcome. \u2026 It\u2019s personalized and humanized our employees and our interactions with them\u2026. We have to think about how we build on that so that as people come back to the workplace, we continue to be human.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way technology was used during the height of the pandemic, and even since, has torn down hierarchy and leveled the playing field, spotlighting the importance of equity in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith Zoom and Teams, senior executives became way more accessible, even if it was for 15-minutes for a quick mentoring or a call,\u201d Buckingham says. \u201cWe were seeing other people\u2019s homes and seeing some employees working off of ironing boards. We realized we had to fix that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This humanization led Buckingham\u2019s company to give employees the right tools to function at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic also gave rise to a host of new wellness apps and services, as companies like DeVerna\u2019s began to see the importance of helping employees with wellness, mindfulness, meditation, and telemedicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology has also equalized the workplace. While those in offices were once perceived by colleagues as having more power than remote co-workers, tech has removed much of the inequality, Pambianchi says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImagine the power of human capital that we will unlock so that we can find all kinds of people through remote work and have everyone contribute equally,\u201d she posits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“How do we create compelling experiences for our talent so that they want to be a part of our company? Research says that comes through alignment with the mission and fulfilling work. How should we be thinking about our HR practices and technology tools to create that for people?”<\/p>Christy Pambianchi, EVP and chief people officer, Intel<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

READ: Anthony Klotz: The Great Resignation is an opportunity for HR<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing priorities with a technology roadmap<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All the panelists agreed that having a technology roadmap is a prerequisite to people and business success because it allows HR to maintain priorities and focus. Whether that plan has a 3-, 5-, or 10-year horizon, it should incorporate the following characteristics and elements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n