5 Ways CEOs Can Support HR

Any people leader would say that the last 18 months have tested them in unthinkable ways. While that is undoubtedly true for all of us, we have asked these people to do heroic work during the pandemic.

It is critical for CEOs to assist their people teams. In a post-pandemic world, here are five ways that every CEO should help their people leadership team:

 

Know When To Take The Lead 

Many leaders have scars from trying to lead without the CEO's support. It is not the responsibility of human resources (HR) to argue about when and how employees should work in the office vs at home. The people leader should be the eyes and ears of the organisation's culture, prompting the CEO to act (even if they do not see it firsthand).

Too many blog posts, Facebook comments, and Tweets have suggested that CEOs believe they can abdicate this responsibility to HR, they can't, and they shouldn't. The CEO is responsible for the most challenging aspects of this profession, and they must resist the desire to delegate. If they can't figure out why they can't stop themselves, they should think about hiring a coach to help them.

 

Advocate for Digitalisation

During the pandemic, the competitors realised the need to harness technology; it highlighted all of the weaknesses in workplace procedures and, in many cases, presented a significant opportunity. 

You will fall behind if you continue to resist the need for a defined technology plan and the assistance your people operations team requires to deliver it. Employers of choice will have technology that supports culture, improves the employee experience, and allows HR to scale the business as it grows.

 

Change and Adapt

A strong people team will assist the CEO in determining how, when, and where leadership methods must adapt to changing workplace dynamics. There has never been an essential time for a CEO to be open to change in favour of people and culture initiatives.

Listen more and say less when your HR staff approaches you about how the firm should evolve in a post-pandemic environment.

Nobody knows what the workplace will look like in a year. It may return to something resembling 2019, but in some fundamental ways, it has changed forever. 

 

Make Your People Leader a Reliable Advisor

Check that you have the correct individual in this seat. Deep trust, philosophical alignment, and similar values are required. When the two are on the same page, a delegation from the CEO can be successful, and you can debate who should be "on first." 

A trusted adviser can help the CEO develop their leadership skills, promote cultural values, and enhance their efforts to become a preferred employer. Don't accept anything less.

 

Recognise the Hard Work

Most importantly, take the time to thank everyone who has helped in HR over the last 18 months. Many of them have managed to juggle the great demands of their jobs with their personal life (and no one has had it easy at home during the pandemic).

Consider how these people prefer to be acknowledged and select a method that will thrill and delight them! In the last few years, far too many HR leaders have been overworked, overstressed, and underappreciated. Make sure that you are doing your part.

 

Source: Forbes