A further 25% pointed to the current economic climate as their biggest concern, while 22% highlighted skills and talent scarcity.
Ted Miller, managing director of the Talent Labs' management and development labs, explained that this was due to HR leaders’ concern about the impact of change on their employees.
Speaking to HR magazine, he said: “What HR leaders are specifically worried about is the effect of all that change on the people in the organisation, as 77% say their fellow workers are feeling fatigued and 82% believe their fellow managers are ill-equipped to lead change.”
Claire Williams, chief people and operations officer at HR software provider Ciphr, agreed that there was industry concern, highlighting the impact of business change on HR roles specifically.
Williams told HR magazine: “Business growth, change and transformation significantly impact HR leaders' roles, reshaping their responsibilities and strategies, and redefining chief HR officer (CHRO) and chief people offer roles in particular, like never before.
"Growth and expansion have always been factors for HR to navigate on a relatively tactical level. But in recent years we’ve had waves of unprecedented changes to the working landscape.”
Read more: How to drive successful change
Williams added that HR is now expected to update the models and strategies of its work to meet the demands of the business.
She continued: “All these factors are driving people strategies to be even more agile to achieve business success. We’ve needed to shift from ‘hire to grow’ to ‘grow productivity and internal mobility’ models, use truly globalised people practices, redesign our organisation design and job architecture to be more dynamic, and update legacy technology.
“The HR profession is also expected to take a far more active role in leading company-wide strategic projects, such as mergers and acquisitions.”
The Talent Labs research also revealed that HR leaders named talent management as their top priority: 57% cited a focus on retention and talent mobility; 56% pointed to leadership and people management, and 48% referred to employee experience and engagement.
Miller suggested that HR needed to create a longer-term people strategy to navigate business growth change and transformation.
He stated: “HR needs to dial up its strategic role and offer to be a partner in creating longer-term people planning. Doing so would boost its role and give organisations the tools to invest in the right capability and talent to secure a future.
“To be successful, the CHRO needs to also make sure that the connection between the way they approach talent acquisition, management and development is working in a joined-up way.”
Read more: HR professionals don't get enough training and support, survey finds
Francesco Tutino, HR director for the manufacturing company Prysmian, told HR magazine that organisations could also invest in adaptability as a skill to futureproof their talent for transformation and change.
He said: “Here comes into the picture the value of adaptability as a key driving leadership trait that both individuals and entire organisations need to stimulate and develop, to remain high-performing in a highly transformative context.”
Forming networks with other HR professionals could help HR change and adapt, Williams noted.
“HR leaders should identify methods to expand these skills and establish strong networks, so they can gain insights into how other organisations are re-evaluating their strategies, and be at the forefront of leading change,” she commented.
The Talent Labs surveyed 120 HR leaders.
