By Jordan Turner | 4-minute read | October 17, 2023
Big Picture
As non-HR issues start to pull leaders outside of their traditional roles, the function must navigate differing priorities and develop a new scope of responsibilities. “Leader and manager development” tops the list of 2024 priorities for HR leaders, according to Gartner’s annual HR Priorities survey. Also on their radar: Organizational culture, HR technology, change management and career management, and internal mobility.
Managers are struggling. More than three quarters of employees have placed increased importance on manager support while managers juggle 51% more responsibilities than they can handle. The job is no longer manageable.
Instead of investing in traditional manager development programs, evolve the job itself: reset expectations, rebuild your manager pipeline, rewire manager habits and remove process hurdles.
76% of HR leaders say their managers are overwhelmed by the growth of their job responsibilities. And 73% say their leaders and managers aren’t equipped to lead change.
Source: Gartner
Fewer in-person interactions, less time in the office and shrinking employee ecosystems have rocked the traditional cultural experience.
There’s hype around artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI and conversations around productivity and the need for responsible AI. Yet most HR functions are unprepared to implement AI-related initiatives effectively.
The volume and pace of change is overwhelming for employees. Changes are now stacked — as well as continuous — which harms employee well-being and can have devastating impacts on key outcomes. In fact, only about 50% of employees trust their organizations.
Traditional career maps no longer fulfill business requirements or employee expectations — and leave employees unsure how to move forward in their careers.
Instead, design adaptive career paths that align business needs with employees’ larger goals, interests and skills.
86% of HR leaders believe career paths at their organizations are unclear for many employees.
Source: Gartner
"The road to a new model of work, leadership and employee engagement has been a bumpy one. In 2024, HR will combat an unsettled employee-employer relationship and will face pressures and opportunities to transform HR’s performance through technology. Plus, it will continue to be a challenging talent market. There remain opposing viewpoints when it comes to the value and importance of flexibility, productivity anxiety, a transformation deficit and a pervasive sense of mistrust between employees and employers. HR must consider this current state in planning for broader organizational initiatives.”
3 things to tell your peers
HR functions now have the chance to have an influence in areas where they have, for years, claimed they could have an impact.
There’s increasing emphasis on understanding the employee experience because of the need to compete for talent.
It’s important to ensure a positive employee experience during times of change and economic instability.
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Peter Aykens is a Practice Vice President in Gartner's Human Resources practice. Mr. Aykens is responsible for building and leading research teams within the practice addressing client's key initiatives. In prior roles at the firm, he spent over 25 years leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channel, marketing, customer experience and product challenges. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from St. Olaf College; a MSc.(Econ) degree in International Politics from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth; and a MA and Ph.D. in Political Science from Brown University.
