Some of the positions Cognizant Center identified are entirely new, while others take into account new responsibilities that have emerged as essential in the aftermath of the pandemic.

One such position is the Director of Wellbeing. The researchers at Cognizant Center envision HR professionals needing to take on a holistic view of employee wellbeing, encompassing mental, spiritual and emotional health as well as physical. With employee burnout surfacing in sometimes surprising corners of the workplace, such a position may quickly come to be seen as crucial. The researchers imagine a Director of Wellbeing could prioritize wellbeing as a business strategy, designing services that would nurture the whole health of employees and result in greater employee retention.

The pandemic has also highlighted areas of inequity at a time when issues of systemic racism have come under intense scrutiny. Companies are wrestling with "belonging" at the workplace and how to engage employees in diversity & inclusion efforts. In order to assure fairness and accountability among senior leaders in HR, the researchers have posited the role of the Human Bias Officer. Such a position would ensure employees are treated fairly "from recruiting to off-boarding," the researchers write, regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, or culture.

Nodding to the rapid changes businesses have had to undergo over the past six months, the researchers propose the creation of a Future of Work Leader. This position would set a strategy for the company's workplace future, analyzing the essential skills for an evolving workplace and how to reskill or upskill workers.

Believing that HR teams will inevitably take on more data-driven functions, the researchers picture an HR Data Detective who would synthesize data streams like benefits portals and employee surveys with the aim to solve business problems. The Detective could go from an immersion in big data to explaining big picture insights to the less data-conversant, ultimately helping to improve employee performance.

Some companies are already hiring for some of these roles. Organizations like The New School and JFK Medical Center have advertised for a Director of Wellbeing—a sign, the researchers assert, that "change is coming, and it's best to get a head start."

Read more: 

• Digital transformation will 'fundamentally change' human resources services
• How COVID-19 is changing the role of the chief human resources officer
• How HR can adopt and scale AI to keep up with rapidly evolving technology