As HR professionals we all have a million different things on our minds. Are we keeping up with the latest and greatest trends in the space? Will we have the resources we need to do our jobs as efficiently as possible? And perhaps most importantly, what are some ways to simplify our processes and make life easier? We asked, you answered! See the results in this SlideShare and be sure to download the report!

1. What Keeps HR Up At Night?

2. Todays Workforce
HR Technology
Role
Specialty
Age
Gender
Geography
Age
Motivation
Gender
Distributed
Workforce
Culture
Geography
Education
Motivation
Thinking
Styles
Gender
Culture
Thinking Styles
Gender
Interests
Education
Role
Specialty
Interests

3. Survey Respondents
853
Professionals responded to the
survey
89%
55%
Plan, manage, or administer
Recruiting, Learning,
Development or other HR
programs.
Had more than 500 employees.
82% The respondents had 5 or more years experience in HR.

4. Survey Structure
The survey was divided into five sections:
•
•
•
•
•
General/Strategic HR concerns
Talent acquisition and retention
Technology
Compliance
The business side of HR

5. Top 3 HR Management Concerns
48%
Engaging and retaining employees
45%
Developing leaders and managing skills gaps
41%
Recruiting the best employees

6. Human Resource Management Concerns
Engaging and retaining employees
Developing leaders and managing skills gaps
Recruiting the best employees
Battling organizational resistance to change
Improving or implementing HR technology to maximize value for
the organization.
Meeting compliance regulations
Implementing learning and development programs
Creating succession plans
Managing employee compensation programs

7. Insight into concerns
• Only 12% of respondents selected Gaining C-suite support for our
HR initiatives.
• Yet, in a subsequent write-in question about concerns, professionals
were vocal about their relationship to the C-suite and the executive
team’s role in shaping the work environment.*

8. Concern By HR Area
Recruiting
28%
27%
Performance
Learning and
Development
21%
HRMS
Onboarding
15%
7%

9. Recruitment and Retention Concerns
Creating an attractive organizational culture to engage
employees.
Sourcing the right candidates for the company.
Addressing turnover in our workforce.
Recruiting employees, but with fewer resources (budget or staff).
Giving employees opportunities to use their skills and abilities.
Offering a better salary/benefit package than our competitors do.
Providing flexible work arrangements that promote work/life
balance.

10. Replace a Top Executive?
38%
Yes
41%
No

11. The Generation Gap

12. Workforce of the future

13. Attracting Millennials As Boomers Retire

14. Technology Concerns
54%
Having sound data and analytics, so that we can have a clear
picture of our workforce
43%
Integrating our HR systems
39%
Offering the latest tools and technology to maximize our
employees effectiveness
39%
Ensuring HR technology can satisfy compliance reporting
requirements
6%
Must have been dreaming because they
said they had no technology concerns

15. Compliance Concerns

16. Compliance
70% of respondents reported that they are regulated by a
governing or outside agency.
16

17. Overall HR business concerns
Top three concerns you have about how the HR department works within
your company’s business overall.
Developing an HR organization that acts strategically, rather than
tactically.
Ensuring that HR has a “seat at the table” in making business
decisions about the organization.
Managing organizational change.
Applying HR policies and procedures throughout all areas of the
business.
Developing partnerships across different teams to achieve
business objectives.

18. What else keeps HR up at night...

19. Other HR Challenges
We gave respondents an open-ended question, “Is there anything else
in the subject areas we’ve covered that keeps you up at night?”
700
Professionals responded to the question
Many concerns focused on the position of HR within the organization
and the relationship of HR to executive leadership.

20. Respondents wrote...
• “Getting management to utilize HR as a business partner rather
than an after-thought used to put fires out.”
• “Being business relevant and adding value.”
• “Getting the C-suite to agree that the HR function is as key as
the Finance function and consequently pay attention to HR
issues.”
• “Top leadership retiring in the next 3 years hanging on to archaic
strategies and processes.”

21. Respondents wrote...
• “Turnover and acquiring the right employees for the
organization.”
• “In a time of downsizing and change in business approach, the
communication aspects seem to be considered as the least
important. Executive management is making decisions based on
monetary concerns with seemingly little consideration of
operational impacts on process, product, and people.”
• “Keeping supervisors and managers apprised of risks in a
litigious world.”
• “Performance reviews that have value and are not just a check
mark to get it done.”

22. Conclusions

23. Conclusions
HR leaders have a wide variety of concerns, juggling myriad issues-from recruiting top talent to keeping current on compliance laws
and fostering employee engagement.
Survey results indicate that HR leaders are voicing perennial
concerns about developing a strategic role within their companies.
This entails not just focusing on HR departmental issues, but on the
challenges facing the business as a whole--helping to develop a
workforce that will create value for the organization.

25. Key Takeaway
Organizations must move from tactical to strategic approaches. In order
to demonstrate the business value of HR.
Key takeaway:
Talent Acquisition and Talent Management should partner internally to bridge
the gaps in metric providing a more holistic few of what's working and what's
not providing a clearer picture to the business.
25

26. Key Take Away
Compliance regulations are evolving rapidly, driven by
technology, changes in hiring, veterans benefits, and more stringent
healthcare policies
Key takeaway:
Professionals need 21st century tools to keep informed so they can better
manage these changes
26

27. Take Away
Metrics and analytics matter: Evaluate initiatives regularly and
systematically.
Key takeaway:
Data on finance, productivity, and retention must be made more easily
accessible. Technology, e.g. automation and data analytics are one solution.
27

28. Want more?
Download the full report
View the Infographic

29. About SilkRoad
SilkRoad® is a leading global provider of
cloud-based, end-to-end talent
management solutions that enable
customers to find, attract, develop, and
retain the best talent. The award-winning
SilkRoad® Life Suite® includes Talent
Acquisition, Talent Development, and
HRMS solutions that are delivered through
a Talent Portal to drive greater
engagement, collaboration, and user
adoption. The suite is easy to deploy, easy
to use, and affordable for businesses of
every size. Visit www.silkroad.com for
more information.
Follow us on Twitter
@SilkRoadTweets

30. Thank You!