The Most Interesting Things We Heard at Seramount’s Inaugural CHRO Roundtable

In May, Seramount convened nearly 20 chief human resource officers (CHRO) across industries, company sizes, and regions at the inaugural HR Executive Board roundtable. The event centered around the findings of a monthslong listening tour with 100 CHROs. Topics included advancements in generative AI, hybrid and flexible work, employee mental health, and the evolving employee-employer compact. The day was rich with conversation and insights—on these complex topics and dozens more keeping CHROs up at night. Below are some key takeaways and quotes from the conversation.

GenAI is quickly advancing, often driven by employees or departments rather than a centralized strategy. As a result, CHROs were interested in how to create guardrails and messaging that encourage creativity and responsible use. Attendees discussed the impacts of strong governance structures, ranging from multifunctional review and governance committees to bifurcated models that rely on business units to develop use cases and a central team to manage rollout and adoption. Ultimately, HR leaders said they are being asked to shape how AI fits into culture and work, even when the technology is moving faster than the narrative around it.

The conversation around AI evolved into a broader discussion about skills. Specifically, several CHROs asked how leaders should discuss the value of so-called “soft skills” like communication and empathy, while also acknowledging AI tools that can speak, reason, and even fundraise. CHROs in the room also noted that employees are entering the workforce with strong technical skills, but those same employees often struggle with the interpersonal capabilities necessary to lead. One CHRO shared that they’ve begun referring to these as “smart skills” to help reframe their importance internally.

To better evaluate leadership skills and capacity, CHROs said today’s performance management systems need to change. Currently, they capture and promote employees who are good at what they currently do but aren’t necessarily prepared to manage. As organizations expect more from managers, CHROs said that skills like leadership need to be more measurable and tied to business outcomes. To help CHROs better evaluate how people lead, Seramount plans to explore innovations in this space, including technology improvements and assessments of what works versus what’s distraction.

Employee mental health was another major topic of discussion. It is a growing challenge, and many companies are ramping up investments. However, they’re not always seeing the results they hope for. That’s in part because companies are still experimenting with what works best. To start seeing ROI, CHROs need to focus their organizations’ efforts on proven strategies and best practices. Attendees shared several examples, ranging from general communication and destigmatization to volunteer initiatives and financial wellness programs. There was particular excitement around mental health first aid programs, which aim to help employees identify early signs of distress, respond with empathy, and connect peers to the right support before issues escalate.

Culture and C-suite relations were recurring themes throughout the day. CHROs shared that many culture breakdowns, especially those related to unclear priorities, conflicting messages, or uneven adoption of new norms, were symptoms of misalignment at the executive level. One CHRO described a situation where the CEO publicly committed to a full return-to-office plan without aligning first with the rest of the leadership team, forcing HR to respond without any context. Others pointed to moments when senior leaders acted in ways that contradicted company values or moved forward on initiatives that hadn’t been fully discussed or planned. The result is a lack of cohesion at the top that makes it hard to sustain momentum further down the organization. Several CHROs noted that culture efforts tend to stall not because of resistance from employees, but because of inconsistency from leadership.

The conversation then turned toward DEI in light of shifting political and legal pressures. While no one questioned the long-term value of DEI work, many said that the recent executive orders made them hesitant to take new action or expand programming right now. Specifically, many in the room said they were adopting a “wait and see” approach until there’s more clarity. As one CHRO put it, “These executive orders change so quickly that it doesn’t make sense to react to every headline.” This aligns with Seramount’s recent survey showing two-thirds of organizations are taking a so-called “Embassy” approach: maintaining internal DEI commitments without pushing for broader social or policy change. While few are fully stepping back, there are also very few organizations taking an advocacy posture. CHROs are focused on steadying the progress they have made and waiting for a more stable moment to assess what comes next.