Oversight structure—Most boards (76%) place primary oversight for talent and human capital matters with the compensation or a similar committee.
Scope of board/committee remit—Most companies (70%) have added or expanded the board’s or committee’s oversight of talent and human capital within the past five years.
Governance documents—More than 85% of companies whose boards or committees expanded their talent and human capital oversight in the past five years have updated relevant governance documents to reflect the broader scope.
Committee name—For those boards that primarily oversee talent and human capital at the committee level and that added or expanded the committee’s oversight within the past five years, most have not changed the committee name to reflect the broader scope; however, as previously reported (see “Compensation Committees”), this is a growing trend.
Oversight responsibilities—A majority of boards or board committees expressly oversee the following talent and human capital areas: C-suite and one level directly below the C-suite, succession planning, attrition rates and retention strategies, employee engagement and cultural surveys, diversity and inclusion-related metrics, gender equity and racial equity (including pay), and public disclosure and transparency on workforce matters. A majority of boards are considering oversight of numerous other enumerated areas.
Board agenda frequency—A plurality of respondents said their full boards address talent and human capital management topics on an as-needed basis.
Management reports/attendees—The members of management who most commonly report to and/or attend board or committee meetings relating to talent and human capital matters are the CHRO (95%), CEO (85%), CLO (61%), and Corporate Secretary (54%).
Responses tended to vary by company size. Access the survey results online and by company size here.