Insights from a People Analytics Leader at Commonwealth Bank

An Interview with Gerhard Diedericks

Gerhard Diedericks is the Head of People Analytics at Commonwealth Bank in Australia. With extensive experience in HR analytics, he is passionate about leveraging people data to drive strategic workforce decisions.

In this interview, Gerhard shares insights on his career journey in people analytics, approaches for delivering business impact, tips on storytelling with data, and his vision for the future of the field. Read on for a glimpse into the mindset and skills that have made Gerhard a leader in advanced HR analytics.

V: How did you get started in people analytics?

Gerhard: My interest in people analytics originated from past work with employee surveys and engagement data. Analysing these surveys statistically to connect insights to outcomes like performance sparked my passion for unlocking workforce insights from people's data. I was intrigued by the potential to dig deeper into factors driving engagement across the organisation and link this quantitatively to business performance. Applying analytical approaches like regression, cluster analysis, and SEM modelling to the survey data was enlightening and made me recognise the immense value of HR analytics. Gradually, through formal training and hands-on work, I built up the well-rounded skillset needed to specialise in people analytics.

V: Share an example of a people analytics project you led that delivered business impact.

Gerhard: When Commonwealth Bank needed to shape flexible working policies after COVID-19, my team provided the analytics support to develop an evidence-base to inform decision-making. This posed the challenge of rapidly generating data-driven insights on a question with huge organisational significance in a very uncertain environment. Using attendance data in Visier, we connected patterns in attendance with performance outcomes, collaboration behaviours, and critical talent factors like attrition and promotion rates. Visier enabled quick multivariate analysis across different slices of the workforce to uncover specific nuances. These statistically validated insights on the pros and cons of remote work informed executive decision-making as they formulated flexible work policies suitable for the post-pandemic reality. The result was a tailored policy that balanced employee flexibility and organisational needs, backed by concrete workforce intelligence.

V: What are the essential skills and mindset required to succeed in people analytics?

Gerhard: Curiosity and learning agility are the most critical traits for people analytics professionals. This field evolves so rapidly that complacency is the enemy. While some people join this profession with solid HR expertise and pick up data skills on the job, others come from analytical backgrounds and build up their HR knowledge over time. Very few possess the complete set of capabilities from day one. More important is having an ongoing focus to expand one's skills and bridge emerging gaps constantly. A growth mindset that embraces challenges and sees skills development as a lifelong journey is vital. Regarding critical strengths, I recommend developing depth in an HR domain, like leadership development, recruitment or learning, while maintaining broad proficiency across the analytical toolkit - data engineering, statistical modelling, visualisation design and storytelling. Well-rounded analytical skills allow you to extract insights from the entire data lifecycle, from sourcing data to presenting findings. However, specialised HR expertise makes the analysis contextual and impactful.

V: How do you make people analytics insights digestible and actionable for business leaders and stakeholders?

Gerhard: When presenting insights, relevance is critical—the analysis needs to connect clearly to a real-world business problem or question on leaders' minds. A common pitfall is pursuing interesting relationships that don't address a business need. Actionability is also crucial—the goal is to drive strategic workforce decisions or changes, not just satisfy curiosity. The analysis should directly point to tangible actions and next steps. Platforms like Visier are invaluable in enabling impactful data storytelling through visual, engaging formats focused on explaining the essential insight. For example, spotlighting parts of a workforce heatmap highlighting retention risks allows leaders to connect data to actions like targeted retention initiatives instantly.

V: How do you stay current with the latest innovations and best practices in people analytics?

Gerhard: Staying adept at the latest people analytics innovations comes down to curiosity to actively explore emerging trends, paired with hands-on self-development. I learn through diverse channels – podcasts, books, webinars, events, peer networks, and vendor briefings. I subscribe to leading people analytics newsletters and visit analytical forums regularly to find new topics bubbling up. Within Commonwealth Bank, I'm fortunate to have access to excellent cross-functional networks of talented professionals pursuing innovations in adjacent domains like customer analytics and financial analytics. However, I believe learning has to be experiential. At least monthly, I dedicate time to upskilling by trying out a new analytical tool or method to stay grounded in the realities of ever-evolving technical capabilities.

V: What is a current trend or topic in people analytics that you think is particularly important right now?

Gerhard: I undoubtedly see artificial intelligence as an essential focus area. The rapid evolution of generative AI tools like ChatGPT highlights the tremendous potential to automate highly complex analytical tasks. This promises to reshape people analytics capabilities. But it also brings new challenges. AI assumes greater data processing responsibilities, so the onus shifts to human analysts to ensure sound data inputs and governance. For example, we cannot be complacent and expect AI systems to compensate for poor quality or biased data automatically. Promoting analytical literacy and critical thinking across the business also becomes more important than ever. With AI generating powerful workforce insights at scale, stakeholders need the skills to interpret results thoughtfully and derive meaningful conclusions. Rather than just taking the system’s output as truth, they must validate against real-world understanding. Preparing people analytics teams and business users for this future powered by AI is a priority.

V: What is the future of people analytics in the next 5-10 years? How will the function continue to evolve?

Gerhard: I foresee analytics becoming increasingly augmented and elevated by advances in artificial intelligence enabled by new generations of generative AI. In essence, the evolution of these technologies will allow people analytics to scale our capabilities dramatically by automating the heavy-lifting parts of the analytical process - data discovery, integration, preparation, basic modelling and pattern identification. This will empower us to uncover insights faster. But it also shifts the constraints. Ensuring complete, high-quality data inputs becomes even more vital because AI systems amplify issues. Promoting analytical literacy throughout the business also grows in importance. With the AI black box generating powerful people insights, leaders must have the discernment and contextual understanding to critically assess results for credibility and usefulness. People analytics experts will need to spend more time guiding stakeholders on the responsible application of AI. Ultimately, by combining human judgment with AI horsepower, people analytics can attain an even more significant business impact. But we must carefully hone our focus on governance and enablement.

V: What do you enjoy most about your role in people analytics? What keeps you motivated and engaged in this work?

Gerhard: People analytics’ constant learning and growth is highly energising. New technologies and data sources continually reshape our capabilities. I enjoy being part of a team passionate about unlocking emerging workforce insights that create value for employees and the broader organisation. People analytics provides endless opportunities for creativity in surfacing analytics that help organisations become more intelligent, agile, and better connected to the workforce. The pace of innovation shows no signs of slowing. There are always new problems to analyse and fresh ideas to try. This learning, experimentation and knowledge-sharing cycle is profoundly rewarding and keeps me fully motivated. I look forward to continually pushing the boundaries of how people analytics can inform better leadership and elevate the employee experience.