Are CEOs letting HR down?

A new report has revealed some concerning findings with regards to how senior management supports HR

People are undoubtedly one of the most valuable assets in a business – and you’d be hard pressed to find a CEO who thinks otherwise. With this perspective however, you would think that CEOs typically devote enough time to HR in order to make a difference.
 
Unfortunately, a major study has found a real mismatch between what CEOs say and what they do with regards to the HR field.
 
HRD Magazine’s 2016 Asia-Pacific HR Report asked over 3,000 HR professionals about the amount of time they saw their CEOs spending on HR-related issues and how much time they though they actually should spend.
 
While 46% of respondents said their CEOs spent less than 10% of their time on HR-related matters, 56% said this should lie between 11% and 50% instead.
 
A mere 13% thought CEOs should spend less than 10% of their time on HR.
 
Only 26% felt senior management was always supportive of HR, highlighting the disconnect between the level of CEO support offered and the amount of help HR actually needs.
 
In their open responses, participants highlighted how essential the CEO is to the HR function.
 
“My CEO is very HR-centric and is the driving force behind HR strategies to build an engaged and dynamic workforce to achieve the company vision,” one survey participant said.
 
Another included some tips as to how CEOs can provide greater support to HR.
 
“Results improve dramatically when the CEO is in the field, talks with (not ‘to’) employees, understands HR and what it can bring to the business, and sees what the day-to-day operations of the business look like.”
 
Related stories:
 
How to handle a badly-behaved CEO
 
What’s your CEO worried about?
 
HRDs: What can you demand from the C-suite?

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