5 things CHROs must do in their first 100 days

The first 100 days as a new chief human resources officer 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 organization. It’s also a great time for neophyte CHROs to ensure that their organizations are on the right path towards becoming digital workplaces.

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According to the 2019 Mercer Global Talent Trends Study, high-growth organizations 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 organization’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 prioritize 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 organization.
  • 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 organizations 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 organizations 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.”

NOTE: Mercer’s research points to the emerging importance of AI in the HR profession and among successful organizations. At the upcoming HR Technology Conference & Exposition, Oct. 1-4 in Las Vegas, HR professionals will have a golden opportunity to boost their AI knowledge base, with six AI-focused sessions at the show.

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Tom Starner
Tom Starner is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia who has been covering the human resource space and all of its component processes for over two decades. He can be reached at [email protected].