You can still enjoy a few cold beverages at your next company off-site, but you may have to do a bit of work first. Leadership retreats and other corporate off-site events are now structured differently than they were before the pandemic.

Now, leaders are using company off-sites for the relationship-building that previously happened in the office five days a week. Some companies are prioritizing interpersonal development and icebreaker activities that may have occurred during an in-person onboarding or organically in the office of the past.

Restoring the human connection. At Prezi, the presentation software company founded in Hungary, company off-sites were primarily meant to bring together offices in different countries and have them engage in some fun activities, VP of HR Mariele Weber told HR Brew. That was before Covid-19 hit.

“We felt that something during the pandemic got lost, and it was the human connection,” she said. Through internal surveys, they also discovered that employees were seeking clarity on the overall strategy of the company, as well as the best ways to execute it.

Weber and her colleagues brought back their popular PreziCon off-site event in the spring of 2022, making it optional for those who had health or safety concerns. The first one addressed company strategy, with programming meant to plug in employees to the company’s updated strategy and goals amid the pandemic. The second event focused on execution of that strategy.

“We could feel it was so needed that people get out of their shells and connect again,” Weber said. “Afterwards, the communication was smoother, people were more personal. It’s like you have oil in the machine again.”

Keep reading.—AK

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What do you want to be when you grow up? For early-career HR professionals aspiring to lead a team one day, the answer may run the gamut.

Traditionally, companies have appointed a chief human resources officer (CHRO) to head up HR operations. But some employers have rebranded their HR departments in recent years, with leaders now serving as chief people officers, chief human capital officers, or chief diversity and engagement officers, among others.

Count human or people “experience” officers among the buzzier HR titles in the mix. DocuSign has a head of people experience, and tech company Cambium Learning Group has been referring to the HR function as “people experience,” as well.

A holistic view of HR. KeyAnna Schmiedl is the second person to serve as chief human experience officer (CHXO) for Workhuman, an HR software firm. The company changed the name of its HR department to “human experience” in 2021.

Part of the reasoning behind the change was to look at the HR function more holistically, Schmiedl told HR Brew.

“In the past, it was kind of, what’s the bare minimum that we have to do, based on legal requirements?” Schmiedl said of the HR function. “This is more, what’s the experience that we want people to have? And what is it that folks are looking for from an employer? And putting that at the center.”

Keep reading.—CV

Thanks to technology, shifts in work culture, and societal changes, HR has transformed in many ways over the years. But a new report examined how HR might not yet be prepared for what’s coming.

Future of the industry. The Future of HR Report, released in late June by McLean & Company, found that the industry is influenced and motivated by HR trends like digital transformation, skills gaps, and the hybrid workforce. These trends will drive the future, which the report predicted will focus on employee sentiment, technological advancements, and changes in how work is viewed.

And while the drivers have changed somewhat over time, the sentiments have largely remained unchanged. In the 1970s, the Industrial Management Review argued that HR must take a more “prominent place” in a company’s decisions, said the report. Fast-forward to now, and 66% of respondents said that HR will shape their organization in 2030.

Tech readiness. While McLean & Company’s report examines several areas of HR, technology was a constant focal point. “Technology won’t supplant HR but HR also cannot move forward without it,” the report said. HR isn’t yet prepared to deliver the proper amount of value via technology and analytics; the profession must learn how to quickly adapt to new technologies if it wants to stay current, according to the report.

Keep reading.—KP

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Some 89% of US employees worked through an illness over the past year, and one-quarter of workers said they’ve been pressured, or explicitly asked, to work while sick. (BambooHR)

Quote: “I’ve seen a lot of people who are high functioning in the upper levels of finance who are terrified of being exposed…There’s a culture of paranoia. ‘Would you want someone to manage your money who’s an identified alcoholic?’”—Sam Glazer, a psychiatrist who treats Wall Street workers, who are often afraid to tell their employers about struggles with substance abuse or other mental illnesses (the Wall Street Journal)

Read: Some companies are starting to offer employees divorce benefits, including free therapy and legal assistance, as well as paid time off for separation-related matters like court hearings. (BBC Worklife)