As the debacle at Volkswagen regarding its carbon emissions cheating indicates, single acts can tarnish the reputations of organizations built over years, maybe decades. Reputation and talent management will be major concerns for HR leaders this year. This will also be dictated by the fact that demographics across the world are changing. Average age of the population is 46 in Japan and Germany, 36 in USA, 25 in South Africa and 15 in Uganda. Several organizations are also grappling with shortage of talent in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The Confederation of British Industries (CBI) in fact says that skill gaps are worsening. Automation is being used at places to bridge this gap.

 Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/karenhigginbottom/2015/12/30/challenges-for-hr-directors-in-2016/