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Build the Business Case for Your L&D Strategy

Making a strong business case for your Learning & Development (L&D) strategy and winning buy-in from C-level executives can be a challenge— especially when budgets are tight.

Our interactive C-Suite Conversation Guide (editable 10-page PDF) includes 5 actionable steps to help you ask the right questions, surface the right information, and build the best possible case for your L&D investment.

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I. HR EFFECTIVENESS

2024 HR goals template, BCG analysis of 32 HR and people practices, and Chief HR Officer resources.

2024 HR Goals and Objectives Template | Brian Heger

As HR leaders finalize and communicate their 2024 priorities, here is my editable template as a resource. The template consists of two sections: 1) HR Goals and Objectives, which includes space to document goals, assign focus areas (e.g., culture, flexible work, succession planning), insert metrics or indicators to determine if the goal was achieved (e.g., increase high-potential talent pool by 10%), and select the goal status (e.g., Achieved, In Progress, At Risk) to communicate progress updates throughout the year. 2) What HR Won’t Do. This section assists in identifying and tracking areas of work that will no longer be part of the HR operating model, practices, and service offerings. This section is crucial for measuring progress in moving away from certain areas that are no longer part of the HR value proposition. This resource is less about the mechanics of filling out a template and more about providing a simple tool to stimulate discussions and decisions that assist HR leaders and their teams in achieving desired outcomes. The tool can also be used by non-HR functions and teams.

Set the Right People Priorities for Challenging Times | BCG and World Federation of People Management Association

This new 28-page report marks the latest phase of an ongoing study of 32 HR and people management practices grouped into nine clusters. Based on survey responses from 6,893 leaders across 102 markets (93.5% in HR roles), the study gauged their respondents’ perceptions regarding the future importance of each practice for their organization and their company's current capability in these areas. Exhibit 5 on page 7 (image shown below) categorizes these 32 practices into high, medium, and low urgency based on their combined future importance and current capability scores. A few of the urgent priorities (high importance, lower capability) include 1) Leadership behaviors and development (e.g., developing individuals into leaders who can influence, motivate, and enable their staff to reach organizational, team, and individual goals), 2) Strategic workforce planning (e.g., systematic forecast of workforce supply and demand scenarios, including job architecture and skills taxonomy). The report also explores differences in results across geographic regions and offers five key recommendations for closing gaps in urgent priority areas. Definitions of all 32 practices are in the appendix.

Voice of The CHRO: Evolving the CHRO Role in A Rapidly Changing World of Work | Mercer

To identify opportunities for enhancing Chief HR Officer (CHRO) effectiveness, Mercer’s 2023 Voice of the CHRO Survey explored the viewpoints of more than 100 CHROs based in the United States, representing various industries. Despite 86% feeling adequately prepared (including 79% of first-time CHROs) for their role, about 40% expressed a need for deeper understanding in non-HR domains such as finance, operations, and data analytics upon assuming the CHRO role. Both seasoned and first-time CHROs report seek skill diversification due to the proliferation of transformative technologies reshaping work dynamics and the HR function itself. The paper provides ideas on how CHROs can make these shifts. As CHROs (as well as those aspiring to the role) continue to develop in various areas, I am resharing my one-page summary of 15 resources categorized into five sections: 1) AI in HR, 2) Transitioning to a New CHRO Role, 3) HR Strategy and Operating models, 4) CHROs and the Boards of Directors, and 5) Attributes of Effective CHROs and Determining the Effectiveness of an HR team.

2023 CHRO Trends | The Talent Strategy Group

This report shares 10 trends in the role of Chief Human Resources Officer (CHROs) in Fortune 200 companies. Two trends include: 1) CEO Transitions Impact CHRO turnover. Within 12 months of a CEO transition, 33% of newly appointed CEOs replaced their CHROs, and within 24 months, 54% made such changes. This trend is particularly noteworthy in light of the recent Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. CEO Turnover Report, which reported 164 CEO changes at US companies in Q3 2023, bringing the annual total to 1,425 and signifying a 47% increase in CEO resignations compared to the previous year. These data points raise questions about strategies to enhance CHRO retention during CEO transitions to sustain momentum in talent initiatives. 2) The reemergence of internal successors to the CHRO role, with 57% of Fortune 200 CHRO appointments in 2022 being internal promotions, compared to 41% in the previous year. The HR Business Partner role continues to be a primary path to the CHRO role. Other ideas are covered.

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II. WORKFORCE TRENDS

Reports on workforce and hiring trends from Glassdoor, Korn Ferry, AIHR, Indeed, and LinkedIn Economic Graph.

Glassdoor’s 2024 Workplace Trends | Glassdoor Economic Research

Glassdoor highlights eight anticipated workplace trends for the upcoming year, spanning various topics such as shifts in generational demographics, the ongoing transition back to in-person office settings, wage growth and benefits, the impact of layoffs on morale, the changing role of middle managers, and the influence of generative AI. Two insights include: 1) Gen Z (born 2001 to 2020) is projected to outnumber Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964) in the full-time workforce by early 2024. This demographic shift may have implications for workplace culture and the employee value proposition workers seek, considering the value that Gen Z places on community connections, having their voices heard in the workplace, transparent and responsive leadership, and diversity and inclusion. 2) Smaller organizations offering more flexible remote work arrangements are poised to attract workers, especially with many larger firms maintaining stringent return-to-office policies. This aspect of an organization's employee value proposition is likely to become a differentiating factor for individuals prioritizing flexible work arrangements. Other ideas are discussed.

2024 Talent Acquisition Trends Report | Korn Ferry

This 10th annual report by Korn Ferry highlights six key trends in talent acquisition for 2024. One of these trends is that early career hiring is gaining momentum as employers expand their recruitment sources to include state colleges, vocational schools, high schools, and non-traditional higher education institutions, diversifying the candidate pool. The shift towards hiring for skills over credentials continues, with job postings increasingly emphasizing specific skills rather than candidates’ educational backgrounds. Recent LinkedIn data show that recruiters on the platform search for candidates by their skills five times more frequently than by their degrees, and the share of LinkedIn job postings not requiring a degree increased by 36% in the past year. As recruiters help their organizations revamp job descriptions to include more flexible and less narrow criteria, I am resharing this Harvard Business Review article, New Approach to Writing Job Descriptions. It covers three emerging and flexible approaches to job descriptions, including outcome-focused and skills-focused.

10 more resources below!