CHRO-Focused Article

Implementing a People-First Approach

Learn how Venus Soundararajan led an HR transformation for BFSL that puts people at the heart of strategy.

By Debbie Bolla

Building an employee-first culture is key to Venus Soundararajan’s human capital strategy for BOB Financial Solutions Limited (BFSL). The people-minded company culture is strengthened and reinforced by aligning initiatives to organisational values and goals. Soundararajan’s well-designed HR policies are always created with the employee at the forefront.

Work Redefined

Seven CHROs share the new realities of work and how the challenges of 2020 have driven them to make disruptive change.

By Debbie Bolla

“Empathy, flexibility, and resiliency defined 2020,” says Kathie Patterson, CHRO of Ally Financial. Taking a closer look, Patterson couldn’t be more spot-on.

Better Together

Embracing a culture of transparency empowers both employees and organizations alike. Here, five CHROs share their best practices.

By Marta Chmielowicz

Trust is the foundation of any healthy relationship, offering a bedrock of security and loyalty that weathers thick and thin. This extends to employer-employee relationships, but to get it right, organizations need to embrace truth, transparency, and vulnerability. Only then can connections between employees and managers strengthen, empowering people and businesses to work better together.

Top Concerns of CHROs

Six HR leaders share solutions to the issues keeping HR up at night: the impact of COVID-19, workforce planning, business agility, and the skills gap.

By Marta Chmielowicz

2020 has been a whirlwind of a year and HR leaders have found themselves at the frontlines, leading the charge into a new and uncertain reality. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, shelter in place orders, and social unrest of the past months, HR leaders have maintained a sense of normalcy while adapting to the changing needs of their businesses and the workplace at large. Now, they must develop a plan to face the unknown obstacles that lie ahead.

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.

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.

Clearing After the Storm

HR leaders reflect on the lessons learned during the height of COVID-19 and share three ways the world of work has been permanently impacted.

By Marta Chmielowicz

Over the course of a few weeks, the coronavirus pandemic turned the world upside down. Now, as the first wave of the pandemic passes, businesses are gearing up to open their doors once more -but many complications remain.

COVID-19

COVID-19: HR Responds

Six HR leaders share how they are managing through a global crisis.

By Debbie Bolla

For organizations, employees, and the world at large, these are unprecedented times. As quickly as the coronavirus (COVID-19) spread across the globe, HR leaders responded, ushering their organizations with the needed resources to ensure employee safety, health, wellness, and productivity. HRO Today spoke with six HR leaders on how they are managing through the global crisis that is COVID-19. Great insight here -stay safe and lead on!

COVID-19

Delving Into Data

Three organizations share how they use people data and analytics to amplify business strategy.

By Marta Chmielowicz

“People analytics” has been a hot catchphrase in the business world for years, with data promising to revolutionize recruiting, talent management, and myriad other HR processes. But while organizations have embraced data collection and reporting, data analysis remains in its infancy for all but the most sophisticated companies.

Insuring HR’s Success

CHRO Jeanie Heffernan’s people-first strategy drives an 89 percent employee engagement rate at Independence Health Group.

By Debbie Bolla

Some relationships have what it takes to stand the test of time, and the 20-year partnership between Independence Health Group CEO Dan Hilferty and the organization’s Executive Vice President and CHRO Jeanie Heffernan is a prime example. The pair began working together in 2000 and they have successfully navigated the complex and ever-changing health insurance industry ever since.