LONDON, November 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

• 60% of HR professionals see leadership as the number one long-term trend impacting the workplace over the next 3-5 years
• Aging workforce is the second longer term trend preoccupying HR Leaders
• The number one personal development area is innovation and how to embed this into organisational culture

WTG Events has conducted a survey with more than 180 HR Directors from around the globe to discover their current and future business priorities ahead of the HR Directors Business Summit next February in Birmingham.

According to the report, leadership remains the No 1 long-term business trend impacting the workplace over the next 3-5 years, with 60 per cent of respondents indicating this as a top priority.

Nicole Dominguez, Divisional Head for WTG's HR Summits and Awards, said 21^st century leadership is about developing leaders in challenging environments.

"Developing leadership agility to lead in a VUCA environment is top priority for many HR Directors. Leaders need to play an increasing role engaging externally so the question which often comes up is how do we prepare them and what is really expected of them?"  

After leadership, our aging workforce preoccupies HR leader's minds with 58 per cent of respondents indicating this will be a huge issue in the coming years.

Jez Langhorn, Chief People Officer at McDonald's will be discussing the 'workplace cliff' at the upcoming Summit in Birmingham. In particular, what employers must do to survive the impact of a steep decline in the growth of the working age population.

In addition to these foreseeable business trends, HR leaders are mindful of their own development too. At No 1, HR leaders are keen to add value by creating a culture of innovation, followed by the ability to inspire, both 43 per cent and 33 per cent respectively.

According to the report, organisations inspiring HR include the likes of Google, John Lewis, Apple and Unilever.

This complimentary industry report "Reshaping the Present, Re-imagining the Future" can be read in full at: http://bit.ly/1sfSKQH.

For more information about the 13^th HR Directors Business Summit, taking place 3 - 4, February in Birmingham, including the industry leading speakers and latest agenda, please visit: http://www.hrevent.com or contact Beata Majcher: +44(0)20-7202-7500, enquire@wtgevents.com.

SOURCE HR Directors Business Summit