The end of a year is a time to reflect. Time to think about what has gone well over the past months, and what has not gone quite so well. It is a time to consider your plans for the coming year, to set your goals and define your challenges.

And this year there is a lot to reflect on. We have been bombarded by global disruption and we may not be quite so sure how we are going to deal with it yet. Whether you are still reeling from the European Referendum result and the reality of what Brexit might bring for you or your company, or feeling knocked off balance by the US Election and the prospect of one of the most powerful nations in the world being led with a different ideology to the one we to which we have become accustomed, one thing is for sure: the world is a very different place to what it was when we launched our HR Reflections survey last year.

When it comes to change and difficult times, talking always helps: talking about your challenges; listening to what is challenging others; and sharing ideas. It can give you a different perspective on your problems and often gives you some inspiration for what to do differently. This year has taught us there are strong feelings out there which perhaps haven’t been heard as clearly or as often as they should. It makes talking all the more important.

And sometimes it isn’t the people we are closed to physically or philosophically that we need to talk to, the ones that give us the answers we are searching for. When we host events we try to include speakers and delegates from different types of organisation because looking outside of your "normal" can bring new ideas and inspire creative thought.

That’s why, at ORC International, we love our annual HR Reflections survey. In it we ask pertinent questions to HR professionals across Europe, the United States and Asia Pacific, working for public, private and not for profit sectors of different shapes and sizes so we get the full picture. The full picture on what challenges they are facing this year, their priorities for next year, how they approach topics such as employee engagement, employer branding, onboarding, retention, women in leadership and the perennial issue of managing multiple generations in the workplace.

The observant among you may have noted that we traditionally do our annual HR Reflections survey in the autumn but this year has been so full of life-changing events we wanted to wait until we could all reflect a little on all that has happened before we ask for your views on it. Plus it gives us a chance to beetle away like busy elves during the quieter Christmas period, analysing the responses and transforming them into valuable insights for you to enjoy after the merriments of Christmas and New Year are over.

So, fellow HR professionals, use this survey as a chance to open up. A chance to discuss your challenges, to share your ideas and sound out some of your plans for 2017.

We can’t wait to hear what you have to say!