The role of HR has expanded exponentially in recent years. As we head toward 2030, HR leaders are tasked with balancing rapid technological changes, shifting employee expectations, and the constant push for organisational resilience.
Over the next decade, social upheaval will continue to drive HR. The power shift is challenging historic HR systems and how we as employers care for our people. HR plasticity is the new normal.
As a result of this constant evolution, so far this year I have run several sessions with people teams at some of the world’s largest brands to try to help them navigate their roles. Many massively underplay the impact they are having on their organisation, but also struggle to connect their work to that of overall organisational success.
From these meetings, here are ten intentions I’ve designed to empower HR leaders to embrace their influence, navigate new challenges, and drive meaningful change within their organisations.
1. Advocate of the employee voice
HR teams today are more than policy enforcers – they are the champions of the workforce. Employees are looking to HR for transparency and trust, seeking assurance that their voices matter.
Years ago Reddit was full of threads about people’s awful experiences with HR. In 2024, the majority now believe that HR is on their side and look to them more than ever for support.
To meet these needs, HR must bridge the gap between employee expectations and leadership vision. The employee is now officially the most influential stakeholder and more vital to a company’s success than its investors or shareholders. Their voice should be heard by and alongside HR team far more frequently than it tends to be.
Reflective questions
- How can you amplify and champion employee voices more effectively?
- Are you actively listening, and is that feedback shaping real organisational change?
- Are you involving people in policy changes that directly affect them?
2. The great coupling: Aligning HR with business strategy
Gone are the days when HR operated in isolation. Today, HR strategy must be seamlessly woven into the broader organisational fabric. HR’s contributions should directly support business objectives, ensuring HR is seen as a critical partner in organisational success.
Those organisations that integrate their wider business goals with their HR goals are significantly more likely to achieve those business goals.
Reflective questions
- Are your HR initiatives solving core business challenges?
- How well are you influencing and aligning with key stakeholders?
3. Insight to influence: Using data strategically
Data is the fuel for modern HR, transforming insights into actionable strategy. Yet, while 91% of HR leaders agree on data’s importance, only 11% feel confident in their analytics.
Moving forward, HR must leverage data not only to inform decisions but to tell stories that resonate across the organisation. We must build a narrative using this data, not simply present it to people. How are we showing our key stakeholders how we are helping them to be better? What within the data is helping us to prove our impact as a people team?
Reflective questions
- How can you leverage data to prioritise challenges and influence your organisation?
- Are you using data to craft compelling narratives?
- Are you using data to showcase how impactful HR is being for your leaders and their teams? No one will sing your achievements better than you.
4. A human experience: Designing work that cares
Today’s workforce demands more; they seek empathic employment. HR should highlight experiences that show employees they are valued beyond their output.
As we head towards 2030, we need to be designing roles that consider work-life integration, where employees have some influence over how their working day is built. This means promoting a people-over-policy attitude and fewer blanket policy changes.
Reflective questions:
- How are you building roles that fit into people’s lives, rather than expecting people to adapt to rigid roles?
- What makes your organisation stand out as an employer of choice in this regard?
5. Empathetic design: Commitment to DE&I and ESG
Empathy is more than a soft skill; it’s a foundational element of impactful HR. By embedding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into the employee experience, HR can build environments where everyone feels seen and valued. The wellbeing of our people needs to form part of our ESG and sustainability plans. And we need to consider how we use our own people to make us more resilient and sustainable as a business.
Reflective questions
- How are your HR initiatives reflecting a commitment to inclusivity and sustainability?
- What part does the social aspect of ESG play in your sustainability plans?
6. Flexibility and equilibrium in a hybrid world
Balancing productivity with employee needs in a hybrid work environment is one of HR’s most complex challenges to date. Flexibility is no longer a perk; it’s a necessity.
As work evolves, HR must be a champion for equilibrium, ensuring that work-life balance is not sacrificed in the name of productivity. We need to destroy our previous understanding of time and productivity to rebalance what it means to be a high performer in 2025. Time and location is irrelevant to output.
Reflective questions
- How do you ensure both productivity and flexibility are honoured daily in your organisation?
- How can HR advocate for a truly balanced employee experience?
7. Cultures of care: Beyond wellbeing programmes
HR is uniquely positioned to create “cultures of care,” where wellbeing is more than a programme – it’s embedded in the company’s ethos. Organisations that prioritise mental, physical, and emotional health not only enhance employee satisfaction but reduce risks associated with burnout and health crises.
In a model I created called ‘The Health Hextad’, we can digest three decades worth of research to reveal that employee wellbeing is directly linked to major measures of organisational success like shareholder returns, corporate valuations, brand reputation, profitability, stock market performance and even resilience to volatility.
Reflective questions:
- How can work genuinely improve life for your people?
- Are you creating spaces that foster health and resilience?
- How can you create the conditions that working for you makes someone’s health and wellbeing better than if they didn’t?
8. Stability and predictability amid change
The rapid pace of change can often leave employees feeling adrift, leading to resistance and disengagement. Glassdoor is full of negative reviews about rapid changes in policy and configuration, re-structures and management alterations. HR must play a stabilising role by offering clear career paths, setting consistent expectations, and preparing employees for the unknown.
Reflective questions
- How can you create predictability in an unpredictable world?
- What steps can you take to prepare employees for change while fostering a sense of security?
- How can you use policy to deliver consistency when leadership and structure evolves?
9. Networks of HR: Empowering managers and building relationships
HR can no longer act as a gatekeeper; instead, it must empower managers to take ownership of HR-related responsibilities. By partnering with leaders across departments, HR can foster a culture where people-related decisions are collaborative, and relationships are prioritised.
Reflective questions:
How are you co-creating HR practices with managers?
What can you do to foster healthier relationships across the organisation?
How can HR strategy be something that is done in collaboration with managers, rather than something that’s imposed upon them?
10. Technophile: Embracing technology’s role in the employee experience
The rapid pace of technological advancement requires HR to stay ahead of digital trends, using technology not only to streamline HR processes but to enhance the employee experience. From AI-driven recruitment to virtual onboarding, HR must champion technology that empowers and engages employees. In a world where there are physical gaps between us and between our people, how are we embracing the right kind of tech to bridge those gaps?
Reflective questions
- How can technology improve the employee journey at your organisation?
- Are you striking the right balance between digital efficiency and human connection?
- Are your people using too much tech that is disparate and inaccessible?
High quality people operations predict organisational success
I was quite surprised at just how many HR people I met this year who didn’t fully appreciate the importance of their role. As a much-maligned role in the past, maybe this shouldn’t be that surprising. But for anyone who is working in a people team, understanding how the decisions you make each day affect the trajectory of your organisation is really important.
But it’s also important that HR becomes much better at championing themselves. People are inevitably one of an organisation’s biggest investments, most challenging spends and, now, their most influential stakeholder. Yet in most group reports I read, the role of HR and the work of people is rarely mentioned. It is up to HR to sell themselves.
Embracing the future of HR
As we move towards 2030, HR’s remit has broadened dramatically in recent years. Today’s HR leaders are not only stewards of company culture but also architects of societal impact and business success.
With these ten intentions, HR professionals can navigate the fast-paced, ever-changing landscape while making meaningful contributions to their organisations and the wider community. By embracing this expanded role, HR can drive resilience, inclusivity, and growth, ensuring their organisations are equipped to thrive in an unpredictable future.