CFO Rising – Row You B@st@rds!

The economist proclaims that 2009 will be the year of the CFO, with the “war for talent” declared a ceasefire.

The biggest loser in the struggle for power will be the human resources director. In the past five years HR has been enjoying the greatest power it has ever had. The “war for talent”, which companies have fought tooth and nail, will be over in 2008, neither lost nor won: there will be a ceasefire brought on by lack of funds and exhaustion of the troops. An old truth will be whispered by the brave: most workers are not terribly talented and most of them don’t need to be, as most jobs don’t require it….

…In this new world the HR director might just cling on to his title, but his job will be downgraded to personnel and in particular to payroll.

What do you think? A downgrade for HR and a move away from some of the recent progress the function has made?