HR is changing…are you ready? (incl. research report)

The world of HR is becoming unrecognisable. Things are changing. And quickly.  

Employees are expecting more from their workplaces, businesses are re-prioritising what matters, and the value HR delivers is reaching an all-time high. 

While this is all incredibly exciting, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed.  

After all, when an entire profession changes this quickly, how can you keep pace? 

To answer that question and find out what’s really going on, we spoke to over 1000 HR leaders and c-suite execs. We then published everything we learnt in a new report: “The changing face of HR in 2024”. 

This article gives you a glimpse into the insights but be sure to download the full report below. 

Jump to: 

• About the report 
• Where is HR today? 
• What will HR be like in the future? 
• Solving HR’s challenges 

About the report 

To get a solid idea of the state of HR and where it’s heading, we asked over 1000 HR professionals to share their thoughts. We wanted to know what keeps them up at night, and what they hope the profession will look like in the future. 

49% of the people we asked were from small businesses (between 50-249 employees) and 51% were from medium businesses (250-1,999 employees). 

To get a broad perspective, we reached out to companies in these high-skill sectors: 

• Financial services 
• Technology 
• Professional services 
• E-commerce retail 
• Telecommunications 
• Insurance 

Where is HR today? 

In the opening section, we reveal how today’s HR leaders are feeling after what’s been a tough couple of years.  This includes how complexity, global uncertainty, and huge shifts in ways of working have left many burnt out and stressed.  

“Things are changing so fast. In the last 5 years, we’ve seen as much change as in the previous 10 or 15.” 

Rob Wiseltier, CFO, The Channel Company 

 Despite these challenges, the majority still love working in HR and are pushing for a “rebrand” from an admin function to a people function.   

What will HR be like in the future? 

Next up, we explore how HR leaders are feeling about the future. 

We discovered that almost everyone is excited, and there is real consensus that great workplace experiences will continue to become an important priority for businesses. 

Most also believe that the evolving skills required to be a HR leader will make them perfect candidates to become heads of business and CEOs in the future. 

This section also includes a deep comparison that shows if HR leaders and the c-suite have the same priorities and perceived challenges for the future. 

What HR needs to do now 

In the final section, we consider what those in HR will need to do to succeed in the exciting future that lies ahead. 

At the end of the guide, we provide some other resources and next steps, so you can keep progressing on your journey to the future of HR. 

From filling skills gaps and increasing the perceived value of HR, to improving performance management and adopting new tech, both people leaders and the c-suite have a lot to get stuck into.