HR’s Pyramid Problem: Why Burnout and Bottlenecks Impact Everyone

The HR job market resembles a pyramid, narrowing as you progress upward, which means fewer opportunities at the top. So, think about it—HR professionals move up through this pyramid, creating opportunities for those coming up behind them. But where do the HR Directors and CPOs go? If they don’t move on, it limits the opportunities for those following them in the pyramid. To create a healthy job market, we actually need people to be exiting the pyramid.

How do they exit?

Retirement is the obvious answer, but with the global average age for a CPO between 45 and 55, they often have many years before reaching official retirement. In reality, though, senior HR professionals are burning out more quickly due to the high demands of these roles, making the idea of remaining in senior HR leadership until retirement unimaginable.

So, traditionally, where do HR professionals go if not retirement?

- They shift into consultancy or advisory roles.

- Launch their own ventures in HR services, coaching, or executive search.

- Transition into other roles like COO or CEO.

But with many people, none of these are realistic options.

Lets' get back to looking at the pain points and circumstances of this group.

Many have simply had enough of the relentless demands. Senior HR roles often mean working 10-12 hour days and weekend work, making it a 24/7 whirlwind that eventually takes its toll.

Let’s not forget that a high proportion of this segment is aged 45+ which means many have lower mortgages, and older children, so while they aren’t under enormous financial pressure, they aren’t in a position to take early retirement or work for themselves. They still need a steady income, but they can afford to work for less.

So what are they doing?

Many are coming back down the pyramid. Mostly into HR Business Partnering positions, which then blocks the existing HR Business Partners, which then blocks the HR Generalists, then HR Admins. It has a ripple effect through the whole pyramid.

This all feeds in to the current market dynamics, where companies want the proven article, a safe pair of hands, it has the potential to be a perfect storm when it comes to freezing out candidates lower down the pyramid.

What do we need to do?

Firstly, we need bigger budgets to staff HR departments accordingly. We also need a culture shift at the C-suite level; just because someone is a highly paid CPO doesn’t mean companies can push them to the brink and force them back down the pyramid. We need a manageable pathway to retirement for CPOs. While this doesn’t solve the issue of creating more opportunities at the senior level, it will make these roles more appealing and keep our leaders at the top where they belong.

How do we create more job volume in the upper segment of the HR job pyramid?

Here are some potential ideas:

- More job shares and part-time roles (actually needed throughout the whole pyramid).

- Increasing No. 2 roles, not always having such flat structures.

- Better pension plans that can be accessed earlier.

- Increased opportunities to transition into other non-HR leadership roles.

I’m just scratching the surface here, and of course there are lots more complexities that contribute to the market, so we are just keeping this short to shine light on these little area’s that dont always get the coverage.

Personal Note

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you found it in someway useful or insightful. All of my content is written and created outside of working hours which takes a lot of dedication, so if you have any feedback or suggestions on what you would like to see then please send me a message.

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