People challenges are strategic risks
Consider the risks that keep Northern Ireland’s business leaders awake at night - a growing skills shortage, employee burnout, and the challenge of retaining talent in a post-Brexit labour market.
According to the Northern Ireland Skills Barometer, the region is projected to face an annual shortfall of over 5,000 workers across all qualification levels. This isn’t just a workforce planning issue, it’s a strategic risk that could stall growth in key sectors like manufacturing, fintech, hospitality, and life sciences.
At the same time, research from the CIPD reveals that 67% of employees in Northern Ireland report feeling exhausted at work, with over a quarter saying their workload negatively impacts their mental health. These are not isolated HR issues - they are systemic risks that affect productivity, retention, and organisational resilience.
HR’s evolving role in enterprise risk
To truly act as a strategic risk partner, HR must therefore shift from a reactive to a predictive mindset. This means moving beyond policy enforcement to scenario modelling, risk forecasting, and strategic workforce planning. It also means collaborating more closely with risk, compliance, and IT colleagues to ensure that people risks are integrated into enterprise risk frameworks.
One practical step is to conduct a “people risk audit” that maps out vulnerabilities across the employee lifecycle, from hiring and onboarding to performance management and exit. This could include assessing the impact of demographic shifts, such as an ageing population and reduced EU labour mobility, on future talent pipelines.
Culture as a risk control lever
Culture is often described as “how things are done when no one is watching”. It’s also one of the most powerful levers for risk mitigation. A culture that promotes psychological safety, accountability, and ethical behaviour can prevent issues before they escalate. Conversely, a toxic or opaque culture can amplify risk.
HR also plays a central role in shaping and sustaining culture through leadership development, communication, and values alignment. In this sense, culture becomes not just a differentiator, but a control system - one that’s harder to quantify but no less critical than financial controls.
From service delivery to strategic enablement
To fulfil this role, HR must claim its seat at the risk table. This involves building capability in risk literacy, investing in data and analytics, and reframing HR’s value proposition from service delivery to strategic enablement. It also requires courage - to ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions, and advocate for long-term resilience over short-term convenience.
As the nature of risk evolves, so too must the role of HR. By embracing its potential as a strategic risk partner, HR can help organisations not only survive uncertainty but thrive in it.
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