HR Leader Priorities for 2021

Gartner surveyed more than 800 HR leaders across industries and regions to identify priorities for 2021.

“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, HR leaders are moving away from crisis management toward focusing on what will make their organizations strong, both today and in the future, including having the right skills and competencies, building resilience and having a strong cadre of leaders,” said Mark Whittle, vice president of advisory in the Gartner HR practice.

Top focus areas for 2021:

  1. Take a new approach to reskilling

  2. Redesign work for responsiveness

  3. Solve the leadership gap

  4. Identify the future of work trends relevant to your business

  5. Drive employee experience in today’s hybrid workforce scenario

Other highlights from the report:

  • 68% cited building critical skills and competencies as their number one priority in 2021

  • Other top priorities include: organizational design and change management (46%), current and future leadership bench (44%), the future of work (32%) and employee experience (28%)

  • 36% don't know what skills gaps their current employees have

  • 33% say they don't effectively integrate learning into employee workflows

  • 31% can't create skill development solutions fast enough to meet evolving skill needs

  • 50% said they would focus on optimizing costs in 2021 – a 13% increase from last year

  • Top challenges HR leaders face in change management: managers aren't equipped to lead change (37%) and employees are fatigued from all the change (36%)

Feeling challenged on where to begin with your gaps in 2021? Let's talk.

Source: Gartner