Using Data to Shape Your People Insights

We’ve just wrapped up Series 23 of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast at Insight222, which was sponsored by Visier. While the conversation with each of the guests in each episode explored a myriad of different topics, the one common question for each episode was themed around: What does HR need to do to add business value as we hopefully emerge on the other side of the pandemic?

A summary of each episode together with associated links is provided below – please feel free to add your own thoughts on the question for the series in the comments section below: What does HR need to do to add business value in the post-pandemic workplace?

EP1: WHITNEY JOHNSON - How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company

In the first episode of the series, my guest was Whitney Johnson, CEO at Disruption Advisors and author of 'Smart Growth – How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company'.

In our discussion, Whitney provides guidance on how individuals, teams and organisations can realise their potential by charting where they are on Whitney’s reimagined version for learning of the “S curve” model (see FIG 1).

Whitney also provides examples from companies – including Google, Chatbooks, the Philadelphia 76ers and SAP – who have helped retain key talent by keeping them learning, developing, and fully engaged. She also provides guidance for recruiters on when – and how – they can identify people at the right stage of their career path, thoughts on juggling multiple S-curves at the same time, and tips on how to navigate professional development as we continue to build a new world of work, post-pandemic.

Listen to my conversation with Whitney on Apple, Spotify or your podcast app of choice, by visiting the Digital HR Leaders podcast homepage and clicking the corresponding image.

Connect with Whitney on LinkedIn, on Twitter @johnsonwhitney and find out more about her work.

EP2: JORDAN PETTMAN AND TERTIA WIEDENHOF – Linking People Analytics to Business Impact

In the second episode of series 23, - a special live episode recorded live at the People Analytics World conference in London - ?I was joined by Jordan Pettman, Head of Organisation Analytics and Insight at London Stock Exchange Group, and Tertia Wiedenhof, then Head of People Analytics and Insights at Rabobank, to talk about how the pandemic has elevated the field of people analytics and the role of the Chief People Officer.

In our conversation, Tertia, Jordan and I discuss:

• The evolution of and future considerations for hybrid working
• The increased appetite for people analytics and a data-driven culture in HR
• The best way for people analytics teams, HR business partners and managers to successfully work together
• Thoughts on how HR can add business value, as we start to come out of the pandemic

Listen to my conversation with Jordan and Tertia on Apple, Spotify or your podcast app of choice, by visiting the Digital HR Leaders podcast homepage and clicking the corresponding image.

Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn and on Twitter @j_lp, and with Tertia on LinkedIn.

EP3: IAN COOK - How People Shape Data, and How Data Shapes People

HR, as a profession, needs to become more data-literate, be able to think more analytically, talk about the stories around data

Ian Cook, VP of People Analytics Solutions at Visier, joined me for the middle episode of the series. I first met Ian in 2014 at a people analytics conference I chaired in London. His passion for people analytics and the value it can unlock for companies and employees remains undiminished as you’ll hear throughout our conversation, where we discuss:

• The dramatic rise in people analytics and what it means for the practice now that it is in a phase of mass adoption…
• The shift in what business leaders expect from HR when it comes to people analytics
• How to help HR business partners become more data literate
• Powerful examples of people analytics in practice including how Gary Russo helped Providence save $6 million and reduce their resignation rate by 30%
• The concept of “turnover contagion”, and how people analytics can help prevent it

Listen to my conversation with Ian on Apple, Spotify or your podcast app of choice, by visiting the Digital HR Leaders podcast homepage and clicking the corresponding image.

Connect with Ian on LinkedIn and find out more about Visier.

EP4: SHLOMIT GRUMAN NAVOT - How to Lead Hybrid Teams with Clarity and Agility

In the penultimate episode of the series, my guest was Shlomit Gruman Navot, Chief People Officer OLX Group.

With over 20 years’ experience of building organisational strength for global organisations including IBM, SAP and now OLX Group, Shlomit shares how data informed OLX Group’s approaches to hybrid working and internal mobility, as well as insights on culture, leadership and the role of HR, including:

• On leadership during change: “When change happens, you need to look at your behaviours, you need to look at the way you operate as a leader, the way you communicate, your assumption… And change first, before you ask others to change, you have to demonstrate and show the change in yourself.”
• On aligning the work of HR with the business: “Focus on the business and work backwards from that.?So, what do we need to solve for customers? What will be the biggest challenges in the next two or three years? Then make sure that the people function priorities and goals are fully aligned with that.”
• On employee voice: “Clearly understand the voice of the employee or the voice of the ‘customer’ in that case, and bring that into decisions through data and insights Make sure that you're always keeping a balance between what the organisation needs and what is the voice of the customer.”

Listen to my conversation with Shlomit on Apple, Spotify or your podcast app of choice, by visiting the Digital HR Leaders podcast homepage and clicking the corresponding image.

Connect with Shlomit on LinkedIn.

EP5: AMPIE SWANEPOEL AND WERNER MERBOLD - How to Deliver Workforce Insights at Scale

In the final episode of the series, we go on a journey with Standard Bank Group to explore how they are successfully delivering workforce insights at scale. My guests were Ampie Swanepoel and Werner Merbold respectively the Head of Workforce Insights Value Management and the Head of Workforce Insights at Standard Bank Group.

In our conversation, Ampie, Werner and I discuss:

• How they got investment for a technology platform to democratise people data across the organisation
• How they developed a team of meaningful workforce insights champions to support the work of the people analytics team
• The importance of empowering people leaders with data
• Shifting from ‘rear-view mirror’ reporting to predictive workforce analytics that supports use cases in areas such as retention, cost optimisation, diversity and hiring
• How people analytics supported the bank’s return to office strategy.

Listen to my conversation with Ampie and Werner on Apple, Spotify or your podcast app of choice, by visiting the Digital HR Leaders podcast homepage and clicking the corresponding image.

Connect with Ampie on LinkedIn and also Werner on LinkedIn.

WATCH THE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF SERIES 23

As well as the full podcast recording of each episode, there are two videos per episode available on the?myHRfuture YouTube channel.?A playlist collating these videos together can be viewed below – with each guest tackling the common question for the series: What does HR need to do to add business value in the post-pandemic workplace?

THANK YOU

Thanks to all our guests as well as well as Adedamola Adeleke, Ian Cook, Jake Sorofman, and the team at Visier for sponsoring series 23 of the podcast. Additional thanks to Ian Bailie, Manpreet Randhawa and the team at myHRfuture and Insight222 for bringing the podcast to life.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David is a globally respected author, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work.?As Managing Partner and Executive Director at?Insight222, he has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which supports the advancement of people analytics in over 90 global organisations.?Prior to co-founding Insight222 and taking up a board advisor role at?TrustSphere, David accumulated over 20 years experience in the human resources and people analytics fields, including as Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations increase value, impact and focus from the wise and ethical use of people analytics.?David also hosts the?Digital HR Leaders Podcast?and is an instructor for Insight222's?myHRfuture Academy. His book, co-authored with Jonathan Ferrar,?Excellence in People Analytics: How to use Workforce Data to Create Business Value?was published in the summer of 2021.