?The role HR plays on companies’ executive teams continues to grow by leaps and bounds. So much so that Zig Serafin, CEO of Qualtrics, said the head of HR is now one of the top two positions at the leadership table.
Helping HR leaders tackle their company’s most crucial issues is data. It is driving discussions and decisions more than ever. It can be discovered in real time, analyzed and implemented at the operational level to improve performance.
HR’s role really took off at the onset of COVID-19, when the HR department was where leaders went first, Serafin said when he addressed the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2023 as the opening Main Stage speaker.
“HR is in the middle of all the big topics now,” he said, citing AI, adjusting to the digital world and retention as other key issues.
His session, “Leading the Way: How CHROs are Shaping the Future of Work,” also addressed work/life balance and the importance of connecting with employees on a regular, emotional level.
“We see today’s leading companies striving to get closer to their customers, learning more about them and what drives their behavior,” Serafin said. “The same can be said for companies about their employees.
“You can’t just go around and take an annual survey. You must do it regularly and try to get ‘under the surface.’ And it’s not just the CEO doing this, it has to occur at the manager and teammate levels, too.”
Companies are facing one of their greatest inflection points today when it comes to AI’s ability to empower workers to improve their workflows by leaving many mundane tasks to technology.
This “always on” technology also can be delivered in real time and combined with existing unstructured information and even social media to improve processes on a continuous feedback loop.
These uses also play well to improve employee retention. Workplaces prioritizing the employee experience by listening and acting on data yield nearly two and a half times greater retention, according to Serafin.
However, data alone is not enough, he said. With talent and career opportunities more available than ever, role fit, flexibility and workload are the most important factors driving attraction and retention for high-performing employees.
Serafin mentioned telecom company Lumen Technologies, which found that technicians who felt a strong connection to their companies were nine times more likely to stay to make sure the customer was 100 percent satisfied.
While listening is important, Serafin said leaders sometimes can learn a lot without having to ask questions. “If a worker is sending emails at 10 p.m., what does that tell you about the company culture?” he said.
“Look at call center volume. If calls are taking longer than normal and you have to answer the same question repeatedly, there’s probably something that needs to be fixed. Data can help to relieve operational friction.”
As for the new work boundaries that employees are setting post-pandemic, Serafin said they are all about well-being. “As HR leaders, you need to pay attention to the ‘whole person’ with regard to your employees.”
He said when leaders set policies—such as for a return to office—they need to be “vulnerable” in their actions, test things and realize they aren’t always going to get it right the first time.
Lauren Weiss, HR manager of the Union League of Philadelphia, said Serafin’s points about the importance of in-person versus remote working situations stood out.
Additionally, “As leaders, listening to your employees as well as other leaders when it comes to setting office policies is really important,” Weiss said.
Linda Cunningham, associate director of HR for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, said she was impressed with Serafin’s advice to lead with humility.
“Leaders are often programmed to think they know all of the answers,” Cunningham said. “But they need to look to others and to use data to figure out the ‘why’ something is happening.”
William Nestor III, chief administrative officer for health care company CareAbout in New York, said Serafin’s comments on the financial value of the employee experience (EEX) were impactful.
“While the intrinsic value of EEx drives many of us—especially those in the HR field—the extrinsic value is critical to C-suites, investors and markets,” Nestor said. “Companies with better EEX significantly outperform the overall stock market.
“I can attest to not only the accuracy of Zig’s point, but the profound impact it has had on my ability to help dedicate our time, attention and resources to the employee experience. We have already begun to see our return on those investments, and the future looks even better.”
Paul Bergeron is a freelance writer based in Herndon, Va.