4 September2022Editor NoteWomen Chros: The New Normal In Hr Landscape Late in the 19th century when industrialization picked up pace, the origins of the HR function was also laid. Along with it came women's role in the workforce too. Women were hired and given the responsibility of taking care of the employees in the modern workplace. With time workplaces evolved and so did the HR function. Gradually HR departments took over non-core business functions such as recruitment, work policies, work place management and many,. however, the function is largely remained administrative in nature. Women remained a large part of the HR departments across all industries and geographies, so much so that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that in 2016 72 percent of HR managers were women. In 2017, Payscale concluded that close to 86 percent of HR generalists were women.However, the significance of HR functions in business and women's representation in decision making roles in HR function, both remained low for the longest time. Over the past decade or so HR functions have risen in criticality. Attracting and retaining the right talent has become tougher than ever now. The need for proactive, multi-dimensional recruitment and talent management is key for business success today. The function of a CHRO has gained significance and tasked with critical business functions. Operating at an executive level the CHRO not only takes care of functional aspects of managing the respective organization's workforce but also brings on board a business-critical aspect to the HR function. The CHRO is key in terms of talent acquisition and setting the company culture. It's their imperative to ensure that HR functions align with the broader objectives and goals set by the organization. Interestingly, Xpheno, a specialized staffing company, conducted a 200 person wide survey to study the movement of HR officers over several years. The study concluded that in 60 percent of the cases a women replaced a male as head of HR. But a majority of these hires were external hires. As ironic as this finding is, there is good news that more women are now reaching the C suite than before. But a lot remains to be done in terms of nurturing female talent to take over such decision making roles. The current edition of Women Entrepreneur India magazine shines the spotlight on women CHROs who have a carved a niche for themselves in the industry. We hope their stories inspire more and more women to keep at it and break the glass ceiling!Read on and do let us know your thoughts. Rachita SharmaManaging Editor
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