Eva Majercsik is the Chief People Officer for Genesys, a global leader in customer experience orchestration.
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Over the past few years, the role of the chief human resources officer has been thrust to the forefront as an invaluable company asset. We particularly saw this at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, when company leaders turned to the HR team to help navigate the uncertainties. This continues today as now, more than ever, CEOs are realizing that having employees at the center of decision-making improves their ability to maintain engagement, increase productivity and ultimately impact business results.
I've been very fortunate to work at companies where HR is always seen as a valued part of the business—not just for recruitment, onboarding or tactical purposes. But, I'm not ignorant of the fact that many companies and leaders don't engage HR at times when important decisions need to be made.
Two Areas That Define The Future Of HR
The HR function brings a wealth of experiences, skills and insights to the table, and when these are incorporated into strategic business decisions, the impact can be powerful. To properly navigate through difficult scenarios, such as social and economic turmoil, HR leaders bring a crucial perspective that's uniquely suited to support the company’s employee experience while helping to support business goals. Here are two key focus areas that can best utilize the expertise of HR leaders and teams:
1. Employees First—Always
Over the past decade, the HR role has evolved from just providing administrative support with tasks like filling in talent gaps or managing employee relations issues. Now, these professionals are leading the overarching people experience and, together with leadership, driving workplace culture.
Working within the customer experience (CX) industry, I've witnessed the alarmingly high turnover rate that takes place in contact centers—reaching as high as 40% in some industries, according to a study we conducted at Genesys. This is likely because the employee experience takes the backburner, leaving employees dissatisfied. But there's hope on the horizon for this shocking figure.
The employee experience is now taking center stage among CX leaders, who are making increased investments and putting greater focus on improving their technology, leadership development and career pathing. By providing employees with the tools and training to stay connected, as well as simplifying their jobs, companies will begin to see happier employees who feel valued and thus provide better service to customers.
Another invaluable way to retain talent is to provide career growth opportunities, creating an environment where employees feel empowered to own their careers and seek broadening experiences that will foster their growth. It has been shown that employees with opportunities to move into new internal roles are 3.5 times more likely to be engaged and remain with the company longer. In contrast, 61% of employees who can't access internal mobility will search for new opportunities elsewhere.
It’s clear that companies that work with employees and enable them to seek professional growth will have more engaged employees who feel invested in helping drive overall company success. It's very important that HR leaders and managers work with employees to develop plans and goals in support of the company strategy and the employees' unique career aspirations.
At Genesys, we developed a people-centric methodology to ensure our employees' experience was always keyed into their needs and concerns. On a quarterly basis, we send out a survey so we can dive deeper into employee pain points and create action plans for addressing them effectively.
2. HR Innovation Is Pivotal
If you're lucky enough to have a seat at the table during important business discussions, you already know that more and more CEOs are turning to the HR executive to support with decisions in DEI, sustainability, workplace strategy and, most importantly, strategic decision-making. We continue to see HR leaders gaining more visibility and recognition as business leaders; as a result, we'll likely see more companies bringing their HR leaders into strategic company decisions over the next few years.
With today's rapid acceleration of AI technologies, it will especially be valuable to have HR leaders who can provide insight into how to best integrate these tools in the workplace and along the entire employee life cycle. As companies continue to incorporate AI, we have the opportunity to bring new ideas and innovation with the potential to drive transformation. This could include individualized HR services that address increasingly varied employee expectations or new ways to determine employee sentiment throughout their career journey.
To stay relevant, organizations will need to keep a pulse on the employee experience and regularly evolve to meet the changing landscape, particularly in today’s unpredictable world. Leadership needs to give us the trust and space to help drive change management and workplace experience and create a culture that will drive this ongoing transformation. As HR leaders, we're uniquely positioned to best understand the key drivers to the employee experience and company success.
HR Leaders Can Shape The Employee Experience
During a time when employees have increased expectations regarding the values they want out of their employers, it's even more necessary to invest in the employee experience. People are what make or break a company, and they're the best mirror for seeing an honest reflection of what your corporation is. By joining the table in all business strategy discussions, HR leaders can provide only positive outcomes for your employees and in turn, your business.
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