“HR's Influence At The Executive Level Will Grow Significantly”

Exclusive interview with Kyile Stair, Chief People Officer, Litmos

  

Q: What would the future of the HR profession be?

Kyile: We are seeing a shift that requires a stronger influence from HR professionals as workforce retention remains top of mind, employees’ experience and satisfaction become increasingly important, and executives and employees desire more continuous learning and growth opportunities.

With 80% of companies already implementing AI to assist in hiring efforts, HR’s role in the hiring process will almost certainly change as technology continues to advance. With this tech evolution, HR professionals will be instrumental in maintaining the human element of the recruiting and hiring process. 

HR teams have also become a constant resource for employee training, which is no longer a nice to have but a need to have, for workforces to succeed. Employees’ desire to learn has expanded in recent years, especially with Gen Z entering the workforce, with nearly 100% of Gen Z employees spending at least one hour each week on learning. 

This growing trend has created new responsibilities and priorities for HR to facilitate continuous, high-quality L&D initiatives. I anticipate this will persist as upskilling and reskilling become even more vital to the success of future workforces.

Looking ahead, I envision HR continuing to firmly establish itself as a strategic leader within organizations. Today, executives increasingly turn to HR professionals for support in company-wide goal setting and workforce planning, while also leaning on them to navigate change with proactive programs. 

By contributing to these strategic programs, HR demonstrates its indispensable role in ensuring an organization's long-term success. As the workforce continues to transform, I expect HR's influence at the executive level to grow significantly.

Q: What skills and experience will HR need to succeed in the future?

Kyile: As HR expands its footprint across organizations, understanding both departmental and high-level business needs and goals will be crucial for its success. Skills and knowledge will need to reflect the complete employee lifecycle from recruiting, hiring, and onboarding to performance evaluations, internal talent movement, and offboarding. 

Additionally, understanding the nuances of each department, and how it contributes to the overarching business strategy, is paramount. This includes development of financial acumen, especially when designing compensation strategies and benefits plans, as well as workforce planning, change management, and PMO skills. Also, in certain industries, like private equity and tech, for instance, M&A and Integration skills are a must. 

Lastly, as a whole, as AI revolutionizes the industry, foundational knowledge of the technology - and its potential biases - will also be an essential HR skill set. Working relationships with IT and business operation department leaders will be pivotal to ensure AI standardization and compliance across departments, as well as having the skills to effectively use the tools in their own HR tech stack.

Q: How can HR transition from a primary focus on transactional activities to a more strategic orientation? 

Kyile: HR must have a strategic understanding of the fundamentals of a healthy organization. There are a few questions I like to reflect on: “What are my company’s strategic priorities to grow the business?”, “What products is my company developing?”, and “How do we contribute to building organizations that have the right skills, resources, and management to thrive?” Following the answers to these questions helps HR stay rooted in the overarching goals of the organization and the needs of its employees. 

Working across the business to identify practice and purpose of each department can also help HR to move away from transactional and into strategic orientation. Understanding the role individual teams play in the overall function of the business is a core responsibility of HR. And, with this knowledge, tailoring HR and L&D programs to unique department needs will drive purposeful learning that is aligned to long-term, strategic business growth.

Q: What are the key challenges HR professionals face today? How can they overcome those challenges?

Kyile: Currently, one of the most significant challenges for HR professionals is maintaining employee satisfaction and retention, ensuring the 'Great Stay' doesn't turn into the 'Great Stagnation.' Employee resignations have dropped to a low of 1.9% as of August 2024. To leverage this trend, HR professionals should focus on implementing and maintaining ongoing training programs.

Integrating training into daily work routines, rather than limiting it to onboarding, is crucial for modern businesses. New hires are often inundated with training modules in their initial weeks, leading to poor information retention. By framing employee training as a continuous process, HR can reduce stress and fulfill employees' desire for growth opportunities, which has been shown to boost commitment and work ethic. In fact, over 90% of employees report that they would be less likely to leave their jobs if provided with training and development opportunities.

Q: How well is HR positioned to thrive in today's workplace? Why?

Kyile: Change is prevalent in almost every workplace today, which positions HR to thrive as the department that helps organizations and employees navigate that change. As we work amidst yet another technological revolution with AI, the potential of its influence is palpable. To best set ourselves up for success, we must remain informed and skilled on industry trends and new technologies. As HR professionals, preparedness is the key that allows us to thrive. 

It’s also important to remember that while AI can be used to manage and simplify some HR responsibilities, keeping the human element alive in the process is more important than ever. As HR professionals, we are uniquely positioned to be the catalyst for this effort. 

Q: In what areas is HR succeeding, and where is it struggling?

Kyile: From my perspective, HR is succeeding in all meanings of the word. Since joining the team at Litmos in 2022, I have seen our HR team flourish, aligning itself with strategic, executive goals that continue to drive the business forward. We have continued to prioritize the connectedness that HR brings to our team and have created a work environment built on compassion, care, and innovation. I’ve seen this alignment in the industry at large, too, and am excited to watch this progress into 2025. 

I also see HR succeeding in its ability to adapt and prioritize employee well-being. This sentiment has been in the air for years, but recently I’ve noticed organizations making it more of a priority. Through these efforts (e.g. remote work, generous PTO, flexible working hours, etc.) we are creating a healthier environment that supports employee engagement, connection, and purpose to an organization, while ultimately boosting productivity and retention.

As far as struggles, the industry has an opportunity to improve continuous training efforts. We are seeing employees crave training at greater percentages as they fight to stay on top of emerging technologies, such as AI, and to remain skilled for their positions. Case in point: 4 in 10 employees worry about job security due to insufficient skills.

HR should better capitalize on this momentum by implementing quality, routine initiatives designed to teach, upskill, and reskill employees. Promoting an environment of continuous learning is essential in today’s workplace.

Q: How can HR balance workforce needs, such as employee experience, well-being and development, while supporting top management in their strategic goals?

Kyile: Balancing workforce needs with leadership expectations is a fine line to walk, but one that is vital to business success. Alignment at the leadership level on specific skill requirements and proficiencies can prevent unnecessary training and potential burnout, and ensures overlap between HR initiatives and strategic business goals. However, gauging employees’ interest in training is equally as important - companies are 17% more productive when workers receive the training they need and want. Taking the workforce’s pulse before rolling out new HR initiatives not only improves return on investments but also contributes to an environment and culture of care, which leaves employees 7x more likely to do high-quality work.

Q: How do you plan to upskill your skills and that of your team?

Kyile: Working for Litmos, a global learning solutions provider, creates unique and daily opportunities for learning. For myself, I plan to continue growing my knowledge of AI, familiarizing myself with industry best practices and creating usage guidelines for our teams at Litmos. I am also passionate about DE&I initiatives and will prioritize upskilling my knowledge to ensure Litmos’ workplace culture remains intentional and inclusive. 

As a learning organization, we are in a unique position to really double down on the training we provide our employees – both on how to use our own products and building the skills they need to thrive in their own roles. AI has been a big focus for us, so that is an area we will want our employees to be knowledgeable about. We also recently produced a collection of Employee Experience Management training, which I know myself and my team are eager to take so we can continue weaving new learnings into how we build an engaging and inclusive culture.