Detail of Chief Human Resources Officer, Role, & Responsibility

Good Chief Human Resources Officer is a asset for the companies. They function as a strategic advisor and also expands business goals and agendas. They are a vital source of business and management concerns. Without a CHRO to take care of the organization, there might be chances that it may fall. In this article, we will learn about the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO), his roles, responsibilities, eligibility, and job in detail.

Who is a Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO)?

A chief human resources officer is a corporate officer who looks into all the aspects of human resource management and policies of industrial relations, practices and operations of an organization. Chief Human Resource officers may be involved in board member selection, orientation, executive compensation and succession planning. Along with this, functions like communications, facilities, public relations and related areas may fall within the scope of the CHRO role. They report directly to chief executive officers (CEO) and are the members of the most senior -level committees of a company.

Growth of the Profession

The role of the CHRO is eventually advanced to meet the human capital needs of the organizations across multiple regulatory and labor environments. Chief Human Resources Officers are important for companies to help in navigating the issues of workforces in connection with expanding into emerging markets and in developing labour policies that suits different regions of the world while continuing a company’s important culture.

However, the tactical role of the chief human resource officers has also expanded as the workforces increasingly consists of knowledge workers and companies need better systems to compete for deficiency of highly-skilled workers. Instead of aiming on human resource issues and service delivery, CHROs need to focus on creating strong talent pipelines to both enhance organizational decision-making and secure future growth. Such change in the business landscape have required the CHRO to increase the focus on talent, capabilities and culture of the company.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of CHROs can be divided into three broad categories such as talent, capabilities and culture.

Talent

The talent management includes building the quality and depth of talent, along with focusing on succession and leadership or employee development. In a survey of over 200 US and European CHROs, it was found that almost all the participants referred ‘talent’ as the top priority on their CEOs agenda of HR.

Capabilities

Managing the corporate capabilities isn’t easy as we think. One should adopt to the rapid changes in the technology, globalization and the increasingly complex external content of government regulations and public policy like – health care, retirement programs, executive compensation, employee relations etc.

However, the key capabilities needed are expected to differ by company depending on business strategy and the competitive global environment. For a company to get the success, it has to adapt to the new technologies, sources of information and the changing requirements of the modern world.

Culture

Cultural issues includes organizational ability, social networking, ethics and values, innovation, customer focus, employee engagement, diversity and inclusiveness and multiculturism.

The department of human resource has a critical role in shaping the culture of the organization. The HR has to ensure that the values of the company are communicated and understood at all the levels, giving clarity of the expected behavior of all the employees.

How One Can Become a CHRO?

One of the top positions in HR is the CHRO position and those who wants to obtain this role have to take multiple responsibilities within the HR department as well as other functional and leadership roles both inside their organization and across industries and employers.

As per a survey of top leaders, approximately two-thirds of CHRO’s insisted that they worked outside their HR role many time in their career.

CHRO Job Description

In this role, one should work with executives and staffs to analyze and improve existing HR policies and procedures. They must make sure the strategies are aligned with objectives and it should be able to increase and retain excellent talents.

In order to be successful chief human resource officer, one should show a sound understanding of corporate culture and excellent planning and organizational skills.

Responsibilities of Chief Human Resource Officer

CHRO analyses and evaluates existing strategies, policies and procedures and reforming them with the help of executives and staffs.

They create new training and development programs.
CHROs lead to recruitments and sits in on interviews with the potential clients.
They supervise junior and senior staffs and plans for a meeting with them.

They contribute to a healthy corporate culture which supports the growth and equal opportunity.
Keeping alongside of government rules and regulations, public policies and accordingly following company policies.
They assist the organization with team building and staff morale and productivity.

At all times, CHROs act as an excellent brand ambassador.

Requirements for Chief Human Resources Officer

Master’s degree in human resources, strategic management, business administration or any related field.
May also prefer PhD.

Senior professional in human resource certificate (SPHR), human resource information professional certificate (HRIP)
Experience in both junior and senior HR roles.
Working knowledge of HR software like BambooHR, Greenhouse, Crelate Talent.

Sound knowledge of labour laws and HR functions.
Strong leadership and interpersonal skills.
Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.

The ability to engage with personnel at all levels of employment.
Strong planning and organizational skills.

Works of CHRO

In their role as the leader of a company’s HR department, Chief HR officers have the below responsibilities –

Talent Acquisition – It involves finding skilled, passionate individuals whose values and work ethic align with the company’s. However, talent acquisition is different from recruitment. Talent acquisition is an ongoing process that involves the below steps –

1. 1. Finding talent
  2. Hiring
  3. Onboarding

Business Strategizing – A CHRO should be able to develop business strategies. He must have a deep understanding of the company they work for as well as its ambitions. When hiring a CHRO, most of the companies find for someone with extensive knowledge in the field.
Finding digital solutions- It is a part of CHRO to discover innovative solutions which makes the workplace more efficient. Specially, a CHRO can identify and implement certain helpful technology. Below are some of the examples for reference –

1. 1. Data storage technology (i.e, Cloud)
  2. Cybersecurity mechanism
  3. Virtual assistants
  4. Messaging systems

Implementing wellness initiatives – Like an HR employee, CHRO also want to work for the well-being of employees. They should balance encouraging productivity and makes sure the physical and mental wellness of the employees. CHROs can boost employee health and optimism is by implementing wellness initiates or challenges which reward workers for meeting their goals. Below are some of the plans –

1. 1. Steps competition
  2. Smoking challenge
  3. Hydration encouragement

Helping employees improve- CHROs will normally try to find and hire qualifies candidates during the acquisition process. There’s always a space for growth and it’s up to CHROs to encourage employees to strengthen their skills and develop new ones. Below are some of the ways CHROs might upskill employees –