Navigating the Increasing C-Suite Flight Risk Challenge

More than half (56%) of CxOs, defined as "C-suite leaders reporting to the CEO, excluding chief human resource officers (CHROS)," are likely or extremely likely to leave their current role within the next two years, according to a recent Gartner, Inc. survey.

- Paul Williams

The eye-opening survey of 200 CxOs revealed that 27% reported they are likely or extremely likely to leave in the next six months. The survey also found that executives are reporting a significant increase in workload compared to two years ago: 67% agreed they are asked to do more in their role.

58% agreed their organization relies more heavily on their function/business unit.

44% agreed they are more stressed by their work responsibilities.

"Heightened executive turnover is a challenge for organizations as a less-tenured executive team typically means lower enterprise growth, which is the most important metric organizations rely on

to track enterprise performance," said Alexander Kirss, senior principal in the Gartner HR practice.

"Compounding the issue, more tenured executives are more likely to leave within the next two years than executives who are newer in their roles." Companies where executives have an average tenure of five years or more outperformed on revenue, customer experience and other key metrics, compared to companies with executive teams that have less than five years average tenure, according to the survey.

"CHROS have a key role in mitigating CxO attrition. However, they face headwinds," continued Kirss. "Fewer than one in four CxOs say their CHRO is effective at strengthening the C-suite's ability to function as a cohesive team. On top of that, just 23% of CxOs report their CHRO is effective at managing tension between C-suite members." Clearly, CHROS are faced with a unique, new set of growing and complex challenges.

HR Leadership's Evolving Role in the Face of C-Suite Uncertainty