2021 marks the second year of our annual Top Concerns of CHROs Report and to sum it up simply: There are still plenty of concerns in the HR suite. Staffing, retention, employee mental health and well-being to name a few. In this issue’s cover story, New Year, New Concerns, we take a deep dive into the main findings of this year’s research led by my colleague, VP of Research Larry Basinait. I also spoke with five CHROs about these challenges and share the smart initiatives their organizations are implementing to overcome them.
It’s no surprise, but The Great Resignation is on everyone’s mind.
“The war for talent has never been more real,” says Jeff Diana, chief people officer for Calendly. “With the gap between supply and demand widening, a new remote-first world uninhibited by geographical barriers taking roots, and the corresponding pressure for salary increases to reflect higher costs of living to compete, every organization is facing challenges when it comes to sourcing the talent needed to deliver against their growth plans.”
These factors are creating the perfect storm for talent to consider new opportunities, but Diana says that Calendly addresses them by communicating its inspiring company mission and its set of values and culture that people can connect with and want to be a part of.
Kathleen Pai, chief people officer of N-able, says that supporting their employees is key to their strategy. “Many people stayed at companies during 2020 with all of the uncertainty related to the pandemic, but as the world adjusted and learned to work in a virtual environment, many people began to look for a change in 2021. That’s when we really started to see the rise of The Great Resignation and the talent shortage that will likely continue in to 2022,” she explains.
“At N-able, we are focused on attracting great talent or ‘Culture N-hancers’ as we like to say, and then retaining that great talent with an exceptional experience. We want to support our employees in the ways that matter to them. For instance, one of the biggest enhancements we’ve made this year after surveying our employees is launching our hybrid working philosophy, ‘The Way We Work’, based on their feedback.”
Head to page 10 to find out even more strategies to get ahead in 2022. Here’s to a Happy New Year!
