This recent article on the HR profession discusses just how critical Chief People Officers are right now, with new expectations arising. It highlights the role of the Human Resources function in the current COVID-19 pandemic; a function which has often been unfairly dismissed as soft. According to the author, never before have more firms needed a hard-headed HR boss as they strive to keep employees healthy, maintain their morale, oversee a vast remote-working experiment, and, as firms retrench, consider whether, when and how to lay workers off.