What Board Members of U.S Public-Companies Think is Important in 2022 | Corporate Board Member

Company Boards have expanded their oversight scope to include a range of new issues and challenges over the past two years. And with no shortage of topics to focus on in 2022, it is informative to understand board members’ top concerns, challenges, and agenda for the rest of the year. This article shares insights from Corporate Board Member’s annual survey of U.S. public-company board members. Based on survey results of 400 U.S. public company board members, a few findings include: 1) When asked to rank the issues that directors find most challenging to oversee, the top three are cybersecurity (41%), talent (38%), and culture (34%). 2) Regarding talent, board members cite lack of skilled labor, shifting of work policies, Covid-related mandates, rising wages, and increased preferences to work from home as issues affecting companies’ ability to execute growth strategies. 3) Although culture is among the top three most challenging to oversee, over three-quarters (77%) say they are ‘absolutely confident’ and ‘significantly confident’ their organizations have the right culture oversight tools and resources — with most relying on employee surveys. Right behind these top three issues is 4) Leadership succession/transition (26%) and 5) Social issues, including diversity and inclusion (26%). While these findings should come as no surprise, they provide CHROs and their teams with insights into the workplace and talent topics that are top of mind for board members across many organizations. For bonus resources on what C-Suite executives are most concerned about in 2022, you can check out A) a 33-page The Conference Board report, C-suite Outlook 2022: Reset and Reimagine Report, and B) a PwC pulse report, Executive Views on Business Challenges and Opportunities in 2022.