Dive Brief:

• HR executives belong in the C-Suite, according to a blog post at the Wall Street Journal by Lynda Spiegel, a founder of Rising Star Resumes.
• Spiegel, who spent 15 years as an HR professional, writes that if a CEO doesn't believe that employees are an employer's number one asset, then they need to up their committment to human resources and place a Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) on the senior management team.
• Human resources is rarely appreciated for providing thought leadership, writes Spiegal. Instead, she says, most employers trivialize the profession by having a senior HR professional to report to the COO or CFO. But, she adds, HR really is an "overarching discipline integral to incubating corporate success."

Dive Insight:

Citing data that makes the business case for the significance of the HR practice, Spiegel writes that "forward-thinking" CEOs should plan to hire a CHRO if it's not already done. If the the most senior HR executive currently not part of the C-suite demonstrates strategic, tactical thinking, that would make the decision easier. As an alternative, she says some very successful CHROs didn't necessarily come from an HR background; rather they can be senior operations managers who "thoroughly understand both the functions and the people required to achieve organizational goals."

Either way, Spiegel's clear meassage is it's time to elevate HR to the C-Suite.