How the role of the chief people officer is expected to shift over the coming years

The responsibilities of the chief people officer (CPO) have transformed dramatically over the years, especially with remote and hybrid working. As the workforce continues to evolve, the role is expected to change even more in the years to come.

One major factor in this transformation is the evolution of technology. According to HireVue’s CPO, Natalie Dopp, this change has shifted the way HR teams perform.

“Over the years, the use of technology to scale HR functions has completely changed the way we work and will continue to do so over the next decade,” said Ms Dopp.

“As technological advancements continue to shift consumer behaviours and business landscapes, companies will increasingly embrace digitalisation. This will impact every part of the business, including the recruitment processes, internal communication forums, flexible working offerings, international connectivity, data security and the systems we use to perform our everyday tasks.”

With this increase in digitisation, CPOs will need to rethink the necessary skills their organisation needs. With workforce change comes the need for new skills. Things like tech and AI skills will be crucial in the new era of work.

“CPOs are going to need to look at incoming talent from a skills and potential perspective in order to expand the candidate pool to find the best talent for the role. This will also become critical in determining potential in existing employees as career growth is a primary expectation of workers today,” Ms Dopp outlined.

Similarly, Ms Dopp believes CPOs will play a more hands-on role in curating the user experience, and once again, technology will be a big factor in this.

“The role of the CPO will be pivotal in orchestrating seamless user experiences and ensuring everyone across the business is set up for success in an increasingly interconnected ecosystem,” she explained.

“Technology consolidation will be a key factor in meeting employees needs globally as maintaining meaningful work relationships among geographically dispersed teams will remain a priority.”

The increased importance employees place on wellbeing will create its own challenges for organisations as they may be forced to run to their CPOs and HR departments to leverage this.

Ms Dopp commented: “Societal shifts also play a huge role in shaping workplace expectations. While we can’t predict what this will look like over the next 10 years, I do anticipate the CPO function will require a holistic approach, centred around employee physical and mental wellbeing and company culture.”

“The purpose of the organisation will also be a key deciding factor in why employees choose one workplace over another. This will continue to be a differentiator all CPOs need to be aware of and ensure there is real purpose behind the work that is done for their customers.”