HR leaders are standing at a pivotal juncture; it’s like seeing a giant dust storm in the distance that is getting ready to collapse and fill the air, analogized RedThread Research’s Stacia Garr on Wednesday at HR Tech in Las Vegas.

What’s spewing in that air? AI, skills gaps, employee turnover—a general sense of uncertainty, she said.

Now, the question is, what can HR do to ensure it doesn’t have to “pull over” to get through that storm—but rather can drive right through it?

Garr said HR needs to understand the context of what’s facing the function—and how teams can prepare, protect their people and pivot their strategies—from five looming megatrends:

1. Global instability

Geopolitical crises are a real threat today, but few organizations—and HR functions—are ready.

“More CHROs are prepared for natural disasters than they are for a geopolitical crisis,” despite the latter being “very, very real,” she said, citing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, and Israel and Palestine.

Garr advised HR leaders to track such tensions, shore up emergency contact data and get ahead of setting and approving hardship pay. Think ahead by developing HR runbooks to scenario plan, and strategize in case the organization needs to relocate employees: How will you handle identification checks and manage cross-border data?

From payroll solutions to labor market intelligence tools, “there’s a lot of tech that can help you with this,” she said.

2. More growth—but less of a people focus

In the last few years, CEOs have been increasingly prioritizing company growth—but de-emphasizing their focus on people.

Garr cited recent Gartner research that showed 56% of CEOs said growth is their top priority; only 21% cited their workforce, putting it fifth on the list of concerns.

“What’s important here is not just that workers are at the bottom of that heap; it’s that in years past, they’ve not been,” she said, citing “pretty significant shifting” in CEO priorities. Yet, headcount likely won’t drive growth; 73% of CEOs aren’t planning to expand their workforce, according to The Conference Board. That’s placing even more onus on HR.

“We are the ones who have to hold up what people need,” she said.

HR needs to model the real cost of growth—including how unmanageable workloads could drive burnout or turnover. Look ahead to surface hotspots and connect employees with growth-oriented opportunities.

AI can take away some work from managers, but HR leaders need to lean in to ensure the integration of tech is clearing up their plates in the actual day-to-day. HR can also look to data to assess the state of growth, productivity and wellbeing—such as how much PTO employees are taking or health conditions on the rise.

Talent mobility and rewards driven by culture can also build an infrastructure of support, she added.

Read the full article here: