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Good morning! Ruth Umoh, C-suite and leadership editor, filling in for Kristin Stoller. She\u2019ll be back in your inboxes next week.<\/em><\/p>\n A new survey of thousands of HR practitioners conducted by HR Certification Institute reveals a profession at a crossroads. The data points to a lack of clarity around career progression and a growing willingness among HR professionals to walk away.<\/p>\n More than a quarter of respondents (26%) say they have no clear career path. Another 41% report that while there is a sense of direction, it is not well-defined. Forty-one percent say they are considering careers outside of HR, and more than half have looked for another job in the past year.<\/p>\n For a function tasked with designing career frameworks, succession plans, and leadership pipelines for the rest of the organization, the irony is hard to ignore. HR often architects others\u2019 growth, yet it seems to be struggling to map its own.<\/p>\n The findings reflect what many call an identity crisis in the field. HR has shifted fast\u2014from compliance work to a strategic partner in culture and workforce planning. But the internal scaffolding of HR has not always kept pace.<\/p>\n Research from groups like the Academy to Innovate HR and the Society for Human Resource Management supports the trend. Career pathing consistently ranks among HR leaders\u2019 top concerns.<\/p>\n One major challenge is the generalist-versus-specialist trap. Early in their careers, many HR professionals land in narrow roles like payroll, benefits, compliance, which are operational and transactional. Such positions that demand administrative depth often don\u2019t build the consultative credibility needed to become an HR business partner, which uses a different skill set. Without a deliberate bridge,\u00a0many get stuck<\/a>.<\/p>\n There is also a legacy perception problem. For decades, HR was viewed as a cost center rather than a revenue driver. In functions like sales or operations, success is tied to quantifiable output. HR\u2019s impact, while significant, can be harder to measure in straightforward financial terms. Promotions can feel subjective rather than milestone-based, reinforcing the sense that career progression lacks transparency.<\/p>\n Structure compounds the issue. HR teams are often lean. In a midsize company, there may be only one HR director or chief people officer. Without layers between manager and executive, upward mobility is limited. The next rung may not exist unless someone leaves. For ambitious practitioners, the only way up may be changing companies or careers.<\/p>\n Burnout has also intensified. Since 2020, HR teams have handled the pandemic, workplace safety, remote work transitions, social justice, layoffs, and return-to-office demands. Many describe emotional strain that almost reaches the point of empathy fatigue. The fact that 41% may leave HR could stem from exhaustion rather than just restlessness.<\/p>\n Despite these challenges, there are signs the profession is evolving.<\/p>\n One emerging bright spot is people analytics. Data fluency has become a differentiator, with HR leaders who can translate workforce trends into business insights gaining influence. Jobs in workforce analytics and talent intelligence barely existed a decade ago. Today, they are among the fastest-growing areas within HR.<\/p>\n The senior HR role is also shifting. The modern chief people officer increasingly sits alongside the CEO as a strategic advisor on culture, succession, and organizational design. While historically few HR leaders ascended to the CEO seat, examples like Mary Barra\u2014who began her career in HR before\u00a0becoming CEO<\/a>\u00a0of General Motors\u2014or Chanel\u2019s CEO, Leena Nair, who was formerly Unilever\u2019s CHRO, illustrate that the\u00a0ceiling is not as fixed<\/a>\u00a0as it once appeared.<\/p>\n Practitioners facing uncertainty may want to avoid\u00a0focusing only on climbing the ladder<\/a>. Instead, they can make lateral moves across recruiting, learning and development, compensation, and talent strategy. This helps build a T-shaped skill set: broad exposure with deep knowledge in one area. In a flatter organization, such versatility is valuable.<\/p>\n The survey data make clear that HR professionals are craving structure, visibility, and stability in their own careers. Organizations that fail to provide clearer pathways risk losing the very leaders responsible for cultivating talent across the enterprise.<\/p>\n Ruth Umoh<\/strong> This newsletter was compiled by Kristin Stoller.<\/em><\/p>\n A round-up of the most important HR headlines.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Women who date their male bosses see their earnings increase by 6% over two years<\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/i>but men see about double that amount. <\/span>Wall Street Journal<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n Allowing employees to work from home could help address the global fertility crisis, new research suggests. <\/span>Financial Times<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n The traditional r\u00e9sum\u00e9 may be losing relevance as Gen-AI\u2013generated applications flood the job market. <\/span>Business Insider<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n Everything you need to know from <\/span><\/i>Fortune<\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Unemployment woes<\/b>. Older workers may be safer than Gen Z in an AI-driven \u201cjob apocalypse.\u201d <\/span>Here\u2019s why<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>\u2014Jacqueline Munis<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Four-day fever<\/b>. Kickstarter is one of the few companies offering a four-day remote workweek, but its CEO says the <\/span>model is not a perfect science<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>\u2014Sydney Lake<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n
Editor, C-suite and Leadership
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