Addressing delegates earlier this month at the HR Forum aboard the cruise ship Aurora (pictured), Jeffery said: "There are negative perceptions of HR – and mud sticks, especially in the view of old-school managers. Does HR even have a future, if we are thought of as process-driven, transactional, the hiring-and-firing squad, reactive and insular?"
He said HR would become "remote, social, automated, specialised and smaller", focusing increasingly on projects within businesses, as administration would be outsourced, potentially to other parts of the business.
Jeffery added: "HR needs to celebrate what it does and make sure the business knows. Attracting and retaining talent is key for a company and critical for business as we move forward."
Read Jeffery's thoughts on the recruitment industry here
