Britton Bloch

expert panel

Members of the HR Think Tank share how organizations can communicate succession plans with greater transparency, fairness and trust—without creating internal competition, disengagement or political tension.Executive succession planning has become more visible—and more scrutinized—as organizations face leadership turnover, talent shortages and increased employee expectations around career growth. Recent SHRM reporting notes that succession planning is becoming increasingly urgent as organizations navigate leadership turnover, evolving workforce expectations and long-term talent continuity. Yet while most organizations recognize the importance of succession planning, many still struggle with how openly those plans should be communicated internally. Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank say the answer is not secrecy, but structured transparency. From clarifying leadership criteria to creating visible development pathways, these experts explain how organizations can communicate succession plans in ways that strengthen trust, reduce workplace friction and reinforce long-term business continuity.

expert panel

Members of the HR Think Tank explain what recent waves of executive turnover reveal about culture, accountability, leadership fit and organizational alignment—and what today’s C-suite leaders must do differently to build trust, resilience and long-term performance.Executive turnover has become one of the defining business stories of recent years. Across industries, organizations are replacing senior leaders at a pace that reflects more than market volatility or economic uncertainty. Increasingly, these departures point to deeper issues involving culture, leadership fit, accountability and organizational trust.A recent HR Executive report on record CEO turnover notes that boards are reevaluating not only who earns top leadership roles but also which leadership traits matter most during periods of uncertainty and transformation. Adaptability, cultural leadership and long-term organizational trust are taking priority alongside traditional executive credentials.For many organizations, the definition of effective leadership has evolved. Technical expertise and past performance still matter, but leaders are now also expected to navigate complexity, align teams around strategy and model values-based leadership under pressure. As companies navigate ongoing workplace transformation, executive turnover is becoming less about isolated leadership failures and more about broader organizational alignment and resilience.Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank bring firsthand experience to this conversation. These HR, leadership and culture experts work closely with organizations navigating executive transitions, talent strategy and workplace change. Their insights point to a clear conclusion: executive turnover is no longer just a governance issue. It is a leadership diagnostic.

expert panel

Members of the HR Think Tank share what they would eliminate if work could be rebuilt from scratch—from performative meetings and outdated performance reviews to rigid schedules and bureaucracy—and explain how organizations can design more productive, human-centered workplaces for the future.For decades, organizations have modernized technology faster than they have modernized work itself. Many companies now operate with advanced collaboration tools, AI-enabled systems and global talent networks, yet employees still navigate processes and expectations built for a far different era. Meetings dominate calendars. Email drives fragmented communication. Performance reviews often feel disconnected from development. Productivity is frequently measured by visibility rather than outcomes.That disconnect is becoming harder to ignore as leaders confront burnout, disengagement and shifting workforce expectations. Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends report highlights that organizations are increasingly being forced to rethink how work is designed as employees demand greater flexibility, purpose, sustainability and trust in the workplace.Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank, a collective of experienced HR leaders, strategists and workplace experts, realize the future of work will not be shaped merely by adding new tools to old systems. Instead, they believe organizations must eliminate outdated structures that quietly drain performance, trust and creativity. Their insights reveal a common theme: Many of the practices companies defend most aggressively may be the very ones holding people back.

expert panel

In today’s workplace, burnout and disengagement have quietly become strategic business risks rather than isolated wellness concerns. The term quiet cracking—a state of gradual disengagement, mounting pressure and declining performance—has gained traction among HR and organizational leaders as a metric that precedes burnout and attrition. According to recent research, nearly half of employees globally report feeling burned out at work, highlighting the urgency of proactive measures for leaders and HR teams alike. The Senior Executive HR Think Tank—a curated group of experts in employee experience, talent acquisition, DEI, performance management and the evolving role of data and analytics in HR—note that tracking quiet cracking requires metrics and feedback loops that bridge sentiment, behavior and organizational performance. Below, they share how they are operationalizing well-being indicators, turning early signals into strategic interventions and equipping leaders to act before cracks widen into burnout or loss of talent.

expert panel

The sudden buzz around the “Gen Z Stare”—that blank, expressionless look sometimes captured in retail, hospitality or frontline settings—has triggered intense online debate. Some interpret it as disengagement, others see it as discomfort. But to dismiss it as mere meme fodder would be a mistake. In retail and service sectors, managers are increasingly attributing the Gen Z stare to broader soft‑skills gaps—leading to steeper onboarding costs and internal friction. Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank—a curated group of experts in talent acquisition, DEI, employee experience, performance management and AI in HR—also view the phenomenon as more than social media theater. They see it as a signal, or a symptom, of generational norms clashing in real time.

expert panel

Recruit Holdings’ July announcement that it would lay off approximately 1,300 employees—around 6% of its HR technology workforce—as part of a strategic move toward artificial intelligence signals a pivotal juncture for talent acquisition. Other major companies, including Meta and Microsoft, have made similar cuts to their staff to allow for greater focus on AI initiatives. With AI taking such priority for a growing number of businesses, what does this mean for the future of recruiting? Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank—comprising experts in employee experience, talent strategy, DEI, performance management and AI in HR—offer compelling evidence and actionable strategies for leaders navigating this complex transition. Understanding what this move suggests about the future of recruiting is critical for enterprise leaders aiming to stay ahead of the AI curve.