Four Far-Reaching Priorities for HR in 2024
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As we begin a new year, it’s always a good time for some reflection and forecasting.
“The weight of what is around us limits our ability to pause and rethink things in real-time,” shared Jennifer Shuffer, Group Senior Vice President, People & Culture at Warner Bros. Discovery.
Rather than try to process all the change, challenges and opportunities as we experience them, Adam DeSantis, HR Business Partner at ESPN, suggested a different approach, “We have an opportunity to sit thoughtfully with what we’ve discovered about ourselves, our work, and our world, and identify tangible ways to move forward.”
We asked a cross-section of HR professionals from the C2HR membership community to take Adam’s advice to heart. We invited them to share their lessons learned, hopes for the year ahead and the trends they believe will shape the world of work in 2024. Their collective feedback led to the identification of four far-reaching priorities for industry employers.
A Focus on Skills Will Future-Proof Our Workforce
Amid the continued tight labor market and ever-evolving technologies, employers will place a priority on learning and development to ensure that they have critical skills on tap for future needs.
Jennifer Tracy, Vice President of Talent Attraction & Acquisition at Charter Communications, predicts that “Skills identification, talent intelligence and internal mobility will continue to grow because there are simply not enough workers.”
Cheryl Randall, HR Business Partner at ESPN, cited the anticipation of corporate mergers and reorganizations as another reason to focus on cross-training and talent development, “Identifying top talent, ensuring their growth and development, as well as exposure, will be a priority for businesses to ensure seamless transitions when they encounter turnover or downsizing measures.”
The focus on skills extends beyond L&D into talent acquisition as it tears down the “paper ceiling.” According to Human Resource Executive, “A skills-based organization…focuses on the skills, demonstrated abilities and potential of its employees and has reduced its reliance on traditional qualifications like college degrees or designated years of specific experience when making hiring, development and promotional decisions.”
The shift to a skills-based strategy has several far-reaching implications in the workplace including facilitating succession planning and driving workplace diversity as it unlocks job opportunities and career advancement to previously untapped talent pools.
Tori Iannitti, Director of HR at Vyve Broadband identified another benefit, “Cross training lends itself to higher retention rates as employees get to learn and expand their skills and create a feeling of job security in an unpredictable environment.”
According to the ADP Research Institute, employees recently ranked skills training as one of their top expectations of employers. In its study, ADP cited the top three skills of the future of work as management skills, people skills and data analysis skills, while Gartner rated employee conflict resolution as the new must-have skill for managers. However, as workplace innovations continue to be created, new critical skills will be identified. Training and development programs need to be agile to address our industry’s ever-advancing technological needs.
For industry-specific insight into the future of L&D, check out this HR Learning Series on demand webinar featuring insight from talent development leaders from Cox Communications, ESPN and WOW!
Humans' Unique Abilities Will Integrate with AI
During the 2023 C2HR CON in Brooklyn, artificial intelligence was discussed in nearly every session. While this phenomenal technology is expected to transform the world of work, it has created a lot of fear among the workforce and myths abound. During his keynote address, futurist Ravin Jesuthasan urged C2HR CON attendees to keep in mind that it is up to humans to create an optimal balance between human talent and automation. As if on cue, ensuring a people-first approach to AI was reiterated as a 2024 priority by many industry HR leaders.
“The acknowledgment of the irreplaceable value of human qualities like creativity, empathy, and collaboration in the face of advancing AI technologies is a key insight,” shared Chrissy Branch, HR Manager at Charter Communications.
Stacey Young Rivers, PhD, Head of People Growth & Enterprise Skills Strategy at Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “From automation of routine tasks to enhancing the employee experience, AI can bring competitive advantages to areas that have been historically challenged with supporting strategic goals for the organization. A critical component of this strategy is for HR to gain a deeper understanding of the legalities and biases with using AI.”
For more insight into AI’s impact on human resources, check out the curated collection of recent articles in the HR Knowledge Center.
Inclusivity Becomes a Business Imperative
While recent headlines have featured some politicians and business leaders’ denouncements of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, human resources professionals remain steadfast in their belief that DEI has a long-term impact on the bottom line.
Tiffany Davis, Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at ADP, said, “…from the perspective of the business case, it's very important to think about the impact that inclusion and diversity can actually have on, not only just innovation, but revenue, profitability, creativity, and also the ability to continue to solve problems.”
Mark Cuban agrees. On X, Cuban responded to Elon Musk’s diversity doubts by stating, “Good businesses look where others don’t to find the employees that will put your business in the best possible position to succeed.”
A recent Fortune article recommended shifting the conversation away from the debate and focusing on what DEI is, “It’s not about punishing people for who they are or supporting certain groups to the detriment of others. Instead, diversity is about casting a wide talent net to find a more representative group of skilled candidates or students. Equity is about designing systems and processes so that people from all backgrounds have a fair opportunity to do their best. Inclusion is about creating cultures where everyone can be their true self and thrive.”
In its 2024 workplace forecasts, Gartner predicts that “DEI…becomes the way we work.” Hannah Lucille, Vice President of People & Culture at Warner Bros. Discovery, describes the best way to achieve this is to, “Truly embed DEI strategies into your workplace DNA.”
Flexibility Is the New Mantra
Flexibility was a word that was repeated by HR leaders when discussing 2024. It came up when referencing workplace policies, employee benefits, AI implementation, talent acquisition and learning and development. Chrissy Branch, HR Manager at Charter Communications shared why flexibility has risen in importance, “Tailoring solutions to individual needs reflects a thoughtful approach to evolving workplace dynamics.”
Flexibility is a necessity given the numerous, ever-changing forces impacting our businesses and our people. These include the economy, social trends, shifts in employment laws and technological advances. Human resources professionals and the programs we develop need to be agile to respond to changing conditions and employees’ needs.
Looking Forward
The year ahead will definitely be a dynamic one for HR leaders across all disciplines. Having access to timely data, expert insights and ongoing professional development programs will be key to your ongoing success. We invite you to take advantage of your C2HR member benefits to embrace the unique experiences that will define 2024.
Contributors
C2HR members from a cross-section of human resources functions contributed to this article. We sincerely appreciate their willingness to share their insights and perspectives. Special thanks to (pictured left to right):
Chrissy Branch, HR Manager, Charter Communications
Adam DeSantis, HR Business Partner, ESPN
Tori Iannitti, Director of HR, Vyve Broadband
Hannah Lucille, Vice President of People & Culture, Warner Bros. Discovery
Cheryl Randall, HR Business Partner, ESPN
Jennifer Shuffer, Group Senior Vice President, People & Culture, Warner Bros. Discovery
Jennifer Tracy, Vice President of Talent Attraction & Acquisition, Charter Communications
Stacey Young Rivers, PhD, Head of People Growth & Enterprise Skills Strategy, Warner Bros. Discovery
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