The people responsible for keeping everyone else at the company are leaving fastest of all. Russell Reynolds Associates’ Global CHRO Turnover Index revealed 95 CHROs appointed in H1 2026, representing a turnover of 5.2%. This is above the eight year H1 average of 93 appointments.
First time CHROs represented 62.1% of global appointments. In the S&P 500, just 39.1% of incoming CHROs were first timers, the lowest since H1 2019. 234 CEOs left their positions in 2025, 21% above the eight year average.
What the Numbers Actually Reveal
CHRO turnover is not a human resources story. It is a leadership story. When the executive responsible for culture, talent, and people strategy leaves, the entire organisation feels it. The role has changed. CHROs are no longer administrators of benefits and payroll. They are expected to solve burnout, fix culture, retain talent, and manage the human side of AI transformation. They are asked to do all of this while reporting to CEOs who prioritise quarterly results over long term workforce health.
The mismatch between expectation and authority is enormous. CHROs are held accountable for outcomes they cannot control. They are blamed for turnover driven by bad managers. They are blamed for disengagement driven by toxic culture. They are blamed for burnout driven by unrealistic workloads.
Why This Happens
Boards and CEOs treat the CHRO role as replaceable. When culture problems persist, they change the person rather than the system. When turnover rises, they change the person rather than the incentives that drive managers to leave. When engagement falls, they change the person rather than the workload that causes burnout. This pattern repeats because it is easier than addressing root causes. Firing a CHRO signals action. It signals accountability. It buys time. It does not fix anything.
The data shows the result. First time CHROs now represent 62.1% of global appointments. More than six in ten people stepping into the role have never done it before. They inherit problems they did not create. They are given mandates without resources. They are set up to fail and replaced when they do.
In the S&P 500, the figure is even more telling. Just 39.1% of incoming CHROs were first timers, the lowest since H1 2019. Large companies are hiring experienced CHROs because they know the role is impossible. Smaller companies cannot compete for that experience. They promote from within and hope for the best.
Why This Will Continue Without Intervention
The conditions that drive CHRO turnover remain unchanged. CEOs still prioritise short term results. Boards still treat culture as a soft metric. Organisations still measure engagement annually and call it sufficient.
CHROs cannot fix systems they did not design. They cannot change incentives they did not create. They cannot solve problems that leadership refuses to acknowledge. They can only manage the symptoms until they burn out or get pushed out.
234 CEOs left their positions in 2025, 21% above the eight year average. When CEOs leave, CHROs often follow. New CEOs want their own people. New CEOs want fresh perspectives. New CEOs want someone who will tell them what they want to hear.
The cycle continues. The problems remain. The people change.
How Moody At Work Resolves This Issue
Moody At Work helps organisations address the root causes that drive CHRO turnover. Through continuous engagement tracking, companies identify culture problems before they become crises. Anonymous feedback channels reveal what employees cannot say directly to leadership.
Recognition programs reinforce the behaviours that build healthy culture. Real time data enables leaders to measure what matters and act on what they learn. CHROs gain the visibility they need to diagnose problems accurately and the evidence they need to secure resources for solutions.
When CHROs have real time data, they can show leadership what is actually happening. When they have anonymous feedback, they can surface problems without exposing individuals. When they have continuous tracking, they can demonstrate progress rather than waiting for annual surveys that arrive too late to matter.
The 5.2% turnover rate is not inevitable. It is a consequence of systems that set CHROs up to fail. Moody At Work helps organisations build systems that set them up to succeed.
Source: Russell Reynolds Associates Global CHRO Turnover Index 2026