Growing in HR: What is a CHRO and What Do the Job Responsibilities Entail?

Everyone knows who CEOs are and what the job involves, but what do a CHRO’s job responsibilities involve? The role of Chief Human Resource Officer is a prized position that many HR workers aspire to reach, however, for freshers in the industry, it can be hard to understand what kind of career progression an HR role may entail. 

The CHRO leadership role in HR involves many key responsibilities that determine the function of the rest of the organization and the HR team, which is why it is essential for employers to know what they are hiring a CHRO leader for. It is equally important for those who aim to hold such a role to know what it entails. 

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Understanding a CHRO’s Job Responsibilities and What Their Role Entails

Organizations have multiple C-suite executives who hold senior roles within an organization. The decisions they make at the top trickle down to affect the rest of the organization, often across departments and teams. Before we get into the CHRO’s responsibilities and duties, let’s first take a look at what the acronym means.

What is a CHRO? 

CHRO refers to a Chief Human Resource Officer, and the role involves supervision and regulation of the HR departments across the organization. A bigger institution may have multiple branches across the country or the globe, but there has to be someone at the top to take stock of all the HR-related changes occurring across these branches. That is where the CHRO comes in. 

They work in tandem with the CEO and other C-suite executives, providing guidance on topics that affect the entire organization like the overall DEI policy or change to the employee benefits offered by the organization. CHROs may not be involved in the resolution of day-to-day HR tasks and conflicts, but they take these incidents into account to plan ahead for the company’s future and its overall approach to its workforce.

What Does the Role of a Chief Human Resources Officer Entail?

The CHRO of an organization essentially maintains a leadership role in the HR department. While HR teams continue to work on a face-to-face level with employees, the CHRO is responsible for consolidating data gleaned from these interactions into active strategies for the overall organization. 

A CHRO’s responsibilities and duties include:

• Creating a bridge between other C-Suite leaders and the rest of the workforce
• Creating short-term and long-term plans for future investments in human resources
• Keeping up with employment laws and other regulations that affect the workers or the organization’s relationship with the workers
• Understanding the upcoming trends and industry shifts to plan ahead and regulate the company’s own strategy
• Reviewing the overall business goals and ensuring the interests of the workforce are also represented in the plan
• Making difficult decisions on reorganization efforts, pay cuts, layoffs, cutting costs, and other major changes
• Establishing hiring strategies, approving different avenues of talent acquisition, and making a decision on other recruitment-related changes at the organization
• Planning employee benefits and estimating the expenses involved in the process
• Taking on employee training and development and ensuring workers are supported in their work
• Prioritizing employee engagement and retention to determine how to motivate employees to be productive
• Assisting with agility and responsive in HR management

Skills Required by a Chief Human Resource Officer

All the skills necessary to be a CHRO are essentially the same as those required by an HR leader. What sets them apart from an HR leader is their years of experience and added knowledge of state and federal laws, as well as the business decisions being made at the organization. 

CHRO skills include technical and soft skills coming together to make them an ideal candidate for the role.

The business-oriented skills required to become a CHRO include: 

• Expertise in hiring and talent acquisition
• Detailed understanding of the state and federal regulations and all laws that affect the workers
• In-depth understanding of the business and the industry for business strategization 
• Awareness of the global and local socio-political climate and upcoming changes
• Digital expertise and understanding of optimization of technology
• Understanding of HR operations and all related responsibilities
• Insight on finances and expense management

The soft skills required to become a CHRO include: 

• Empathy and concern for the well-being of the worker
• Conflict resolution and mediation skills
• Data-driven decision-making and problem-solving skills 
• Leadership skills 
• Communication skills 
• Creative thinking and a future-focused approach
• Growth-oriented mindset and planning skills 

Understanding How to Work Towards Becoming a CHRO 

The path toward donning the CHRO’s job responsibilities and attaining the positions is often unclear. There are no specific degrees or qualifications that can guarantee a position at the top but the journey generally involves getting a headstart in an HR team and growing to take on leadership positions from there.

Employees who aspire to become a CHRO can benefit from a Bachelor’s, and even a Master’s degree, in HR and management. Some HR leaders begin their careers with a Bachelors in organizational psychology. Completing courses relevant to employee law and HR also adds to one’s credentials. An MBA doesn’t hurt in the process, but it is not always necessary for someone taking on this path. 

Recognized programs like the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification, SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), and Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certifications also add some authority to your experience if you prefer to have more concrete evidence of your expertise. 

Employees typically begin in internship and assistant positions in HR or work directly within an HR team. Taking on leadership-oriented tasks and roles can make it easier to eventually ascend to a manager, and eventually a director, role. 

Becoming a prominent spokesperson in the industry or a specialist in a niche area of HR, and participating in research associated with HR trends can also help with establishing yourself as an expert in the industry who has the potential to lead the organization. 

Reviewing the CHRO job responsibilities and skills required to ascend to the role, it is evident that it is not impossible to work your way to the top and gain the relevant experiences along the way. While not all companies maintain a CHRO position, those that do always look for highly talented and ambitious workers who can help the company grow. If this is a position you aspire to reach, it’s not too late to start looking into companies with similar positions and working towards those roles.

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