Walking a Tightrope? Unlocking the Potential in the HR Profession
A quick scan of recent press headlines reveals the lack of consensus and even scepticism surrounding the HR profession; How to Save HR from Itself; The Human Resources reckoning; Why HR needs to go back to basics; Why we all need to cut HR some slack.
This is the climate that has persisted over my 25+ years in the profession, hence my desire to take stock! A profession with ‘Human’ in its name should take centre stage at a time of major changes in the world of work. At its best HR demonstrates an almost intuitive appreciation of where business value is created, making broad connections with awareness of context and utilising its functional expertise to come up with pragmatic but impactful solutions.
There are several interdependent elements that need to come together in shaping the workplace of the future, and unlocking the potential within the HR profession would further contribute towards successfully shaping that in a way that benefits businesses, the economy and society.
The State of the profession
Despite the scepticism I noted earlier, the HR profession has grown significantly in recent years.
According to the CIPD’s (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) 2022 UK people profession update, the HR profession grew by 42% in the decade from 2011 to 2021, compared to just 10% for the general workforce [5]. In the period between 2011-2019 the number of HR managers and directors increased by 66% [5]; their growth even outstripping that of their finance colleagues. The Robert Walters 2023 UK Job Index highlighted the rise in the number of advertised HR jobs in the second quarter of the year, up 8% in the North-West of England, and 4% nationally compared to the second quarter of the previous year [11].
Alongside the growth trends above, several surveys have reported the low levels of wellbeing and even burnout amongst HR professionals, even going as far as predicting a brain drain in 2025. According to the CIPD there’s an increasing number of HR professionals stating that work has a positive impact on their physical and mental health, but this is still less than half of the population surveyed [11,14,16].
But when it comes to the profession’s influence, it appears that the profession is caught between too little and too much influence. Only a quarter of UK FTSE 350 boards have a member with HR experience, suggesting that many organisations fail to recognise people related risks at board level [6].
HR is also one of the least involved when it comes to implementing AI [2] which is concerning and surprising, given AI comes with many considerations, for example around workplace monitoring, workers’ autonomy and the call for more governance on its use. There’s also the question around equality and fairness. Data on ChatGPT search trends highlights that users tend to be based in countries with a more skilled population [19], suggesting a widening digital divide.
What’s In a Name?
How can we reconcile the profession’s growth with its seemingly limited influence.
The ongoing debates surrounding the HR profession highlight that it sits uncomfortably between management and employees, that its scope is too broad, that what it does and the impact it has is not visible enough, or that it’s not strategic enough.
The profession has evolved over the last 50 years or so in line with changing business realities. From Personnel Management to Human Resources, to People and Culture and People Experience to whatever the next incarnation may be, the name changes have not necessarily addressed the prevailing sentiment and scepticism. The most influential HR models [17,18] have highlighted the different ‘roles’ for HR professionals, those of employee advocate, functional expert, change agent, strategic partner. Some might argue that one of those is more than enough, and no wonder the profession is constantly being challenged on its ability to add value. In fact, as far back as the mid-90s there was talk about ‘doing away with HR’!
Despite the name changes the fundamentals of what HR is, what it does and whether it adds value remains contested. This may be partly due to the work having both visible and invisible elements. The latter have a critical impact on an organisation’s culture but are not visible and cannot be celebrated. For example, influencing leaders to consider people implications of plans and decisions and change course, or effective resolution of escalating employee issues, such as sexual harassment or bullying. HR professionals find themselves at the heart of these issues, which is where businesses and cultures are tested. When successfully addressed they have a significant impact on the very essence and fabric of organisations.
The COVID-19 pandemic elevated the profession when overnight people, their wellbeing and overall welfare were at the heart of the business’s ability to function. The routines and practices of people management had to adapt to the new circumstances and HR were shaping the new working models. There was very little challenge on the value of the function during this period, as their people insights were critical in enabling businesses to continue to operate.
The profession has had to adapt in line with the changing nature of business over the last few decades, moving from the industrial age to the information age, and now the intelligence age. It also had to help businesses navigate major crises with significant people implications, such as the financial crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. One of the profession’s strengths is its ability to adapt and evolve in the context of constant and ongoing challenge over its value and even its reason for existing.
Walking a Tightrope? Unlocking Potential in the HR profession
So how do we ensure that we continue to enable the best of the HR profession to show up at this critical time for human society.
According to the Russell Reynolds Global CHRO Turnover index, we are seeing just how important the CHRO/CEO relationship is today, particularly in moments of political change and uncertainty [13]. Organisations are actively seeking leaders with the expertise to drive ambitious workforce transformation strategies, reflecting CHROs’ increasingly pivotal roles in shaping organizational strategy and success. We are also witnessing a trend towards broad CHRO remits, although some sectors more than others are willing to push the boundaries of CHRO leadership.
The growth in demand for CHROs and increasing recognition of the role’s value is promising. However, given the inherent tensions in HR ‘roles’ we should aim to get the balance right across the following key aspects.
Strategic vs Operational
There is often an underlying tension between the profession’s strategic versus operational/transactional remit which can undermine their ability to influence and be recognised for their impact on the business. According to the CIPD, less than half of people teams agree that they are acknowledged for their impact on the business in UK and Ireland, though this is higher in APAC and MENA countries, with 64% and 54% respectively [2].
There are opportunities using AI technologies, and developments in behaviour science to help prioritise activity, address operational challenges and improve the profession’s perceived effectiveness. Nevertheless, according to the CIPD upskilling across people professionals varies considerably globally, with much lower levels of UK people professionals upskilling, compared with other regions. Only 5% of UK and Ireland HR professionals said advancing technology was transforming the way their team operates [16]. The most innovative people teams are already utilising technology and other innovative approaches to help prioritise activity, address operational challenges and improve their perceived effectiveness [1].
Evidence-based practice
The importance of evidence-based practice has been recognised, but this is in its relative infancy in HR and management compared with education and medicine where it originated. According to a CIPD international survey, on average 40% of respondents felt they are too time-poor to keep abreast of the latest research. This was somewhat less for MENA respondents (31%). 63% HR practitioners globally are far more likely to rely on personal experiences than on published or summarised research [2]. Corporate Research Forum’s report on Evidence-based HR highlights the slow uptake of the practice, despite being around for almost 25 years [8].
Broadening the source of insights from trustworthy sources, not only internal but also external to organisations, is key in developing effective and impactful solutions.
Process vs. Context
We should also recognise the inherent tension between process and context. The profession’s focus on process is grounded in its origins as an ‘administrative expert’, but while important, it can at times undermine the need to focus on context, recognise where the business is at and respond accordingly. Getting the balance right between process and context can help to uplift HR’s contribution and impact.
The relevance and influence of the HR profession continues to be tested, but there are signs that its value is becoming more visible and is recognised. It might feel that we are continuously walking a tightrope, but moving businesses forward through people should remain the profession’s unwavering mission.
Resources
Berg, K. (2024) Bold: A New Era of Strategic HR
CIPD. (2023) People Profession 2023: International survey report. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
CIPD. (2023) People Profession 2023: UK and Ireland survey report. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
CIPD. (2022) 2022 UK people profession in numbers. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
CIPD. (2020). Employment in HR soars over past decade. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
CIPD. (2023) The value of people expertise on corporate boards. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Berwick, I. (2024, August 8). Is it getting harder to succeed in HR? Financial Times. https://on.ft.com/4cMErLL
Briner, R. (2024) Evidence-based HR: A New Paradigm. Corporate Research Forum.
Jacobs, E. (2025, February 17). The human resources reckoning. Financial Times. https://on.ft.com/4jYz1lJ
Johnson, A. (2022, December 5). Why HR needs to go back to basics. Financial Times. https://on.ft.com/3h5QgFX
HR Grapevine (February 2025). Why we all need to cut HR some slack.
HR Professionals In demand as Job Numbers Rise. Robert Walters Jobs Index (2023). https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/insights/career-advice/blog/hr-professionals-in-demand-as-job-numbers-rise.html
Global CHRO Turnover Index Q42024: Key Trends. Russell Reynolds. https://www.russellreynolds.com/en/insights/reports-surveys/global-chro-turnover-index
98% Of HR Professionals Are Burned Out, Study Shows. Forbes, 2022. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/04/14/98-of-human-resources-professionals-are-burned-out-study-shows/
Weber, A. (2023, October 26). CIPD People profession survey: tech advances not having an impact in UK. Personnel Today. https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/cipd-people-profession-survey-2023/
Ulrich, D. (1997) Human Resource Champions. Harvard Business School Press.
Ulrich, D. and Brockbank, W. (2005) The HR Value Proposition. Harvard Business School Press.
Pahl, S. (2023) An emerging divide: Who is benefiting from AI? UNIDO Industrial Analytics Platform. February.
About the author
I founded Metochi Consulting Ltd to create tailored and impactful people strategies that unleash potential for sustainable growth.
I have a deep belief that the right combination of people strategies and solutions can have a compounding effect in solving those seemingly intractable problems that leaders, owners and founders face during key transitions.
With Metochi Consulting Ltd we are your strategic people partner, connecting the dots to unleash your business’s potential.