Register for the 2024 HRO Today Forum EMEA

October 2020

Ahead of the Curve

Agile thinking and innovative HR initiatives define the achievements of the 2020 CHRO of the Year Award finalists.

By Marta Chmielowicz

In the past year, the business world has had to face unprecedented obstacles. A pandemic rocked the global economy, halting travel and forcing companies to indefinitely shut their doors. Civil unrest in the U.S. followed, propelling a national conversation about race and diversity and putting the spotlight on the corporate response. And now, businesses are forced to navigate the safe transition back to the office in a time of ongoing uncertainty. During all of this disruption, HR leaders have led the charge. To honor their contributions , HRO Today is proud to present the finalists of the annual CHRO of the Year Awards.

2020 Baker’s Dozen Customer Satisfaction Ratings: Pre-Employment Screening

View the results of this year’s Baker’s Dozen ranking for pre-employment screening services.

By The Editors

Pre-employment screening is a crucial element of the hiring process, but one that is potentially stressful and confusing for both employers and job seekers. Outsourcing background screening is a solid solution. Here is a look at the top background screening providers in the enterprise and mid-size markets as ranked via the results of customer satisfaction surveys.

Talent Transformation

Learn how the 2020 Talent Acquisition Leader of the Year Award finalists are reinventing talent strategy at their organizations.

By Marta Chmielowicz

All business leaders agree: The most valuable asset organizations have is their talent. But acquiring talent with the right skill sets and cultural fit to build a long-term career with an organization is a monumental endeavor -one that our 2020 Talent Acquisition Leader of the Year Award nominees take on fearlessly and with enthusiasm. Their willingness to take risks, invest in their people, and implement innovative talent strategies drives their businesses to achieve success.

To Greater Heights

The 2020 Most Admired Brand Award finalists are embracing their employees to propel their brands even further.

By Marta Chmielowicz

Employer branding is a must in today’s recruitment landscape. For the majority of organizations, developing a strong employer brand can help level the playing field when it comes to acquiring talent. In fact, LinkedIn reports that an organization’s employer brand is twice as likely to drive job consideration as its consumer brand.

Revamping Relo

HR leaders are finding ways to adapt their mobility programs while keeping employee safety top of mind.

By Marta Chmielowicz

Talent mobility has long been a key business strategy for organizations facing skills gaps and labor shortages. Prior to the coronavirus, skilled talent and leadership moved fluidly across borders and mobility was leveraged as a development and retention tool for early-career employees eager to explore the world. Now, the uncertainty of the global pandemic has forced mobility professionals to shift their practices and thinking.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Three lessons learned from the pandemic’s quick shift to a remote workforce that will have a lasting impact.

By Joan Burke

HR teams have always evolved quickly, but 2020 has truly tested the limits of what’s possible. At the beginning of the year, DocuSign embarked on a study to take the temperature of today’s HR leaders. The results of the HR Trends 2020 report found was that these professionals overwhelmingly recognize hiring (28 percent) and employee benefits (16 percent) as their top two priorities, but are running into hurdles freeing up time to focus on those responsibilities. In a standard week, tedious operations and payroll tasks left respondents with hardly any time to do their most important work. Half a year -and one global pandemic -later, it’s more apparent than ever that HR needs to evolve.

Strength in Support

CHRO Amber C. Kennelly shares how her organization pivoted due to the pandemic -and ways the business has changed for the better.

By The Editors

The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations to be more agile and flexible than ever as they responded to unprecedented business disruption while maintaining fluid operations. HR teams carried a heavy weight, taking on the burden of navigating the transition to remote work and soothing employee anxieties in an uncertain climate. Here, Amber C. Kennelly, CHRO of insurance brokerage HUB International, shares how her organization managed the shift to remote work while maintaining employee engagement and well-being.

CEO’s Letter: Mirror, Mirror

By Elliot H. Clark

In the fairy tale Snow White, the “less than criticism-friendly” Queen has a magic mirror that tells her that she is not the fairest of them all. This enrages the Queen, so instead of looking at her imperfections in the mirror and contacting a dermatologist, or perhaps the royal plastic surgeon, for a nip and tuck, she becomes vengeful and goes after an innocent kid who has to hide out with seven dwarfs. Now, you may be wondering what does this have to do with human resources or HRO Today? Ironically, lately, this all-too-true tale has everything to do with it.

HRO Today

Walking the Walk

Five ways HR leaders can design an equity program that delivers value to employees long after the term stops trending.

By Pearlie Oni

The business case for diversity and inclusion (D&I) has been well established. Diverse teams are more creative, more productive and, all in all, more lucrative. In fact, McKinsey’s 2019 Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters report found that the most diverse companies are more likely to outperform their less diverse peers on profitability -and the greater the representation, the greater the performance.

Rooting Out Risk

Organizations with a remote workforce are at higher risk of cyberattacks -but engaging employees in better cyber habits can help.

By Bhushan Sethi

When it comes to battling cyberattacks, tech solutions can only go so far. To truly defend their organization, HR leaders will likely also need to change some risky behaviors and attitudes among their employees.

Editor’s Note: Inspiring Innovation

By Debbie Bolla

Awards season may look different everywhere this year, but what has remained constant is the importance of recognizing the incredible of work of HR and TA leaders. HRO Today does this through our annual CHRO of the Year Awards, Talent Acquisition Leader of the Year Awards, and Most Admired Employer Brand Awards. In this issue, you’ll learn about -and likely be inspired by -the 63 finalists.

HRO Today