Five things CHROs should do in their first 100 days

According to a new Mercer report, emerging tech will most likely play a pivotal role in the careers of new Chief HR Officers.
By: | October 14, 2019
Topics: Digital Transformation | Features | HR Technology | Professional Development | US

The first 100 days as a new Chief HR Officer (CHRO) is the time to build a solid foundation for long-term success. It’s the time to prepare the workforce for the future, establish people and HR strategies, gain the confidence of the CEO and HR leadership teams, and secure an in-depth understanding of the organisation. It’s also a great time for neophyte CHROs to ensure that their organisations are on the right path towards becoming digital workplaces.

According to the 2019 Mercer Global Talent Trends Study, high-growth organisations are four times more likely to have integrated people strategies. It is critical for CHROs to spend their first 100 days focusing on the development of connected strategies for both the organisation’s workforce and the HR function.

During their first 100 days, CHROs should strive to:

  • Connect the goals of the HR function to the goals of the business.
  • Identify the greatest sources of pain for immediate attention and prioritise longer-term issues.
  • Create — and adhere to — a comprehensive plan to guide their function and business partners on their HR-transformation journey.
  • Build and communicate a compelling, quantitative case for change within the function and throughout the organisation.
  • Create a personal brand as a business leader and change-management agent.

And then there is the digital side of the house. According to Karen Piercy, a partner in Mercer’s career business, as new CHROs develop their workforce and function strategies, they need to be focused on the employee and candidate experience, and digital tools can help. While Mercer’s survey shows that 75% of HR organisations feel they are providing digital-technology tools, only one in three HR leaders has “redesigning the employee experience through technology” on their work list this year.

Also, three-quarters of organisations say they are still on the journey to providing a fully-digital experience for employees. HR leaders say, however, that they are definitely planning on investing in artificial intelligence (AI) for HR, including:

  • Chatbots to improve employee self-service (41%)
  • AI to identify employees at risk of leaving (40%)
  • AI to recommend job openings and career paths (39%)
  • AI as part of the performance-management process (38%)
  • AI to customize compensation or improve pay benchmarking (38%)

“Today’s most successful HR executives must ensure that business leaders have the tools and resources to attract, motivate and retain a winning workforce,” Piercy said “As a new CHRO, they should take the time early on to understand the business, build their relationships and dig deeply into how HR operates.”