Evolution | CIPD's Chief HR Adviser: 'The future of HR is based on principles, not profit'

We caught up with Tony Vickers-Byrne, Chief Adviser of HR Practice at CIPD and one the UK’s leading human resources experts, to get his take on the continuing evolution of people strategy and operations.

HR Grapevine: How would you say the role of HR has evolved in recent years? 

Tony Vickers-Byrne: When I first trained as a personnel manager, the key principles for the profession seemed to be to ensure employees 'followed the rules'. I was asked by one of my CEOs to act as the policeman for the organisation. Unsurprisingly, I changed employer soon after.

Many employment policies at the time seemed to be designed to ensure the tiny minority of staff who did not follow these rules were identified and dealt with. Thank goodness the profession has developed and moved on - especially over the last decade.