Each year, I speak to about 100 CHROs from both global and midsized companies. In the first quarter, they are nominees for our annual CHRO of the Year Awards in North America and in the summer and early fall, they are nominees for our annual CHRO of the Year Awards in EMEA. To be fair, while everyone feels their problems are unique, CHRO challenges across the globe are more similar than different.
Yes, there are specific differences in different regions due to regulations and cultural issues. Anyone who has had to, for example, deal with a German Work Council or proposed a gender diversity program in some Middle Eastern countries is well aware of the local “nuances” practicing HR. What is the same? Well, basically all the big issues. Workforce quality, managing culture, the multigenerational workforce, the pace of technology, training and retraining the workforce, talent acquisition and talent retention, and blah and blah and blah. We all have the same problems albeit with “nuances.”
One overarching global commonality is the sense of global uncertainty. I spoke to a few EMEA HRDs (CHROs) who talked openly about the uncertainty of the future. They were able to do budgets and plan as they have in past years, but found they were spending more time on analyzing “worst case scenarios” than ever before. They told me they did not expect doomsday outcomes, but they weren’t sure things would be positive either. The best word was “apprehensive.” I found the same sense of uneasiness among the North American HR leaders earlier this year.
I cannot tell if this is a post COVID-19 issue or belies a deeper sense of pessimism. I spoke about this and the growing cynicism of the workforce at the HRO Today Forum North America in May. This sense of apprehension seems to be growing. To be in that state of mind everyday is also exhausting. There seems to be a host of possible root causes in society and this feeling that somehow we are all heading in the wrong direction is global. While everyone is planning, they are less than comfortable with the idea than an optimistic outcome is likely.
What is HR to do? Cynicism is endemic and growing particularly amongst many of the members of the younger generational cohorts, but it is not limited to them as much as it is just more common. I spoke in May about HR’s need to combat this phenomenon. The theme of our conferences this year is “Leading Through Uncertainty.” I have written enough about the uncertainty, so let me turn my thoughts to the word “leading.” HR needs to be the positive force to authentically address why your organization and its mission are good and impactful in a positive way and why your mission contributes to a positive future. We have to be able to express optimism in the face of our own concerns and sense of uncertainty. HR has to offer the employees the light to combat concerns about a possible coming darkness. Global unrest, economic challenges, and other factors will still exist, but we can promote what our organization is doing and what we can control that is positive. After all, that is what leadership is. HR is good at leadership and that should be cause for great optimism.
Elliot S. Clark
CEO