Why we still hate HR and 100 business leaders on how to fix it
Executive Take
The recurring CEO recommendation tie HR's scorecard to hiring, retention, and performance outcomes rather than process compliance is a direct challenge to how most people functions are currently budgeted and measured, and CHROs who don't move on it risk having AI vendors define the function's remaining scope for them.
Executive Summary
Fast Company polled 1,500+ people on LinkedIn: 51% say HR is unresponsive, 75% call it ineffective for career goals, and 56% say it adds little/no value echoing an 86% "afraid of HR" finding from March 2024. The outlet queried 100 business leaders, including 66 CEOs, on fixes; common themes include giving HR a P&L stake, embedding it in strategy, separating culture from compliance, and using AI to offload administrative work.
Why It Matters
HR and CHRO-level leaders should treat this as a credibility warning: two decades of tech investment and C-suite titles haven't moved employee trust, and AI-driven recruiting automation is now compounding the distrust SHRM and other sources describe. Leadership audiences more broadly should note that 66 CEOs surveyed here are actively rethinking HR's structure, not just its optics.