London, UK -- (SBWire) -- 02/03/2023 --HR leadership roles are evolving at a challenging pace. Recent years have seen expansion and contraction in various elements of being an HR leader. Upheaval and volatility have affected companies across the board and it has been those in HR leadership roles who have often been there to pick up the pieces and create new strategies for growth. HR might have been viewed as something of a complimentary support function in some organisations a decade ago but today it's a role that is front and centre to how a business changes and evolves. And this is not likely to be where the evolution of HR leadership roles ends - there is a lot left to do in terms of the future for HR leaders.

Perhaps one of the most obvious areas for change is the redefining the relationship between employees and employers. The challenges of being responsible for humans in business have come under a sharp focus during the pandemic and it has often fallen to those in HR leadership roles to take on the task of nurturing the ongoing relationship between employer and employees going forwards. Remote working, digital tools and reductions in face-to-face interactions have been at the heart of this as working models have shifted during COVID-19. The process of establishing clear boundaries via policy but also making space for innovation with respect to the employee life cycle is another area where HR leadership roles are evolving. While policies are the more familiar part of this balancing act, it's the companies that are focusing on innovating the way employees are viewed that have the biggest growth potential. For example, what is the employee value proposition, where are the blind spots in terms of how the company treats employees and how do you balance corporate vs individual interests? Tough calls have also become very much a reality for those in HR leadership roles in recent months. But the approach here is evolving, fast. Recognition of the human impact of the hardest choices has meant that HR leaders have had to load up on empathy alongside having the boundaries to make the hardest decisions.

[How the company does something relevant to the topic] Leathwaite is a firm that doesn't simply preach about the topics that are defining the evolution of HR leadership roles but also takes steps to put this kind of evolutionary shift into practice. Creating meaningful change through exceptional people is the defining force in the way that the business approaches relationships with staff. This is a people-first business and the firm has only been able to expand the way that it has over the years by ensuring integrity across the board and making commitments to evolving employee life cycles and injecting empathy into any and all tough decisions. Staff are valued not just for the exceptional contributions that they make to the business and its bottom line but also for their potential as humans. That's why Leathwaite established a ESG programme that is designed to give all employees the opportunity to actively choose and engage with charity partners and a range of development activities.

[How the company carries out the particular service/product]. The evolution in HR leadership roles has been at the forefront of the way the team at Leathwaite has supported businesses in finding and securing the best HR leadership talent. Today, there is widespread recognition in almost every organisation that human resources has a key strategic role to play in facing up to critical business challenges and defining new pathways forward. There are so many key ways in which HR leadership roles now contribute to the way that enterprises survive - and thrive - in what can be incredibly challenging economic and political conditions. That could be in helping to establish a more agile workforce and remote working practices, for example, or building a genuinely inclusive culture that brings the benefits of diversity home to roost. The team at Leathwaite has spent more than 20 years working in partnership with boards and CEOs to help make connections that bring the right people into HR leadership roles so that an organisation can capitalise on all the advantages of a great talent fit. Whether that's interim talent or long-term roles, the network of contacts and the wealth of experience that the firm has are a vital part of making positive relationships happen.

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Notes to Editors:

- For more information about Leathwaite services, please go to https://www.leathwaite.com

- As the world's leading executive search firm for corporate functions, Leathwaite deliver an interconnected range of talent, business intelligence and advisory services from our strategically placed global offices.