The debates are over, the polls are closed and the decision is clear. The board does indeed have a fiduciary responsibility for oversight of workforce culture; it’s not solely the province of management anymore. And that’s a result which the CLO can comfortably report up the corporate ladder and take an active role as board advisor.

The question of board involvement in workforce culture matters has been a subject of dispute since the concept first arose with the advent of the #MeToo movement and greater focus on matters of employee bias and harassment. In 2017, the National Association of Corporate Directors issued a groundbreaking whitepaper that identified the oversight of culture as a key board responsibility, given its inextricable linkage with strategy, CEO selection, and risk oversight.