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Humdex
- Dec 1, 2020
- 4 min read

Must HR be data-led if they want to be business critical?

Find out for free in our Humdex Next Generation-HR global study report.

Testing a theory

Many of you will already know that Humdex has recently been very busy gathering information, via a global study, with an aim to help people professionals and leaders with future planning.

At Humdex we believe that data is a key part to understanding the present, the past and in planning for the future, but how does this data play a part in the formation of a successful prospective workforce? More information was needed here and an intrinsic part in our search for answers was to test the theory that:

"HR Professionals must be more data-led if they want to be business critical"

The results of the study are now available to download as a report for FREE. This report is packed with insights gathered from over 100 senior HR and business professionals, across 17 countries and multiple company sizes.

Request your copy of the report on our research and studies page HERE

Together with our expert for strategic feedback partner, EUCUSA, the Next Generation-HR study creates a quantitative map of the experience and perspectives of business leaders.

Discussing the findings live

To celebrate the results of this study being made publicly available we sat down with a globally renowned and varied panel of experts to discuss the data implications and participate in a live Q&A.

We were truly humbled to have such an amazing panel use their grey matter to test our theory and results.

Read more about the panel members in an previous article we published here.

We were then humbled for a second time by the level of interest and the positive feedback we are receiving for this data. The live panel discussion was conducted on November 24th and hosted by non-profit organisation LEAD, please enjoy a recording of the event below (we apologise for some of the connection issues some of our panel faced at times, these are thankfully short in duration):

Panel Q&A round 2

We were not able to get round to all the questions asked by the audience in time, however we were able to get some pf the panel to answer a few more after the show.

Q - In terms of diversity and inclusion, the business case has been made. It has been made again and again, and yet, women’s representation in corporate leadership has stalled. Racial wealth disparities are widening. What are the bottlenecks?

Dr. Deb Cohen - The question of why diversity efforts have not been as effective as the positive business case for D & I would suggest is a good one. On the one hand, it is quite encouraging to hear executives and HR leaders talk about their support for D & I, the result of this support; however, has not moved the needle to the degree necessary or desired. One challenge is that while organizations have invested time, effort and funding, it is often done with a generic brush that does not take into account the nuances every organization has with respect to the demographics of their workforce. In addition, requiring employees and managers to take training is not always effective in motivating employees and managers. Bottom line is that leadership buy-in needs to provide genuine guidance and values, not just funding; employee development needs to be implemented carefully and customized to the organizations key levers and be consistently delivered. Organizations can’t command that bias be stopped, they have to understand where bias may come from, why it exists and how best to address it. It’s less of a bottleneck and perhaps more of misplaced efforts and investments.

Q - What is your advice/guidance to a new manager (early career) on how to view HR? How do we in the business function help HR come into the more strategic?

Temi Dalley - In today’s ever-changing world, it is becoming increasingly evident that HR is an enabler. An early career manager, for instance, is in dire need of support on how to balance the needs of the business with the expectations of their teams. HR has a huge role to play in enabling line managers to get the best out of their people as the best strategies can be derailed by a dysfunctional culture.

Today’s strategic HR leaders are demonstrating tremendous leadership and facilitating the change and transformation, we need to see to drive innovation and business results while making workplaces great for all employees. The bedrock of continuous impact for HR then becomes hinged on levels of collaboration and engagement with the business.

Indeed, the realities of work today have further shown that there is no business without people. Simply put, HR is the Business and the need for a seat at the table should be viewed as integral not a privilege.

Alex Fleming - My advice to someone who is a new manager on how to view HR is to see them as both a supporting function and also as a team who can assist with curating and implementing strategy. To support HR professionals in becoming more strategic I recommend that HR managers stay focused on how HR impacts business results, not just in in terms of cost efficiencies but also in driving revenue generation through productivity. It is important HR professionals have strong commercial knowledge of how their work and function impacts the wider business and that they are enablers to success. Base decisions and advice on data and be outcome focused at all times.

Thank you again to our panel for lending us your considerable brain power. If you do care about your future workforce and how data plays a part in its success, we do recommend that you download the Humdex Next Generation-HR report and encourage you to contact us with your questions.

We work hard at keeping up to date and informed on the latest trends and news affecting the world of people analytics, diversity and inclusion & strategic workforce planning. If you would like to know more about the work we do, then please contact us.

Author -Scott Brent

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Humdex
- Oct 16, 2020
- 6 min read

Meet the panel: It's time to define the future of people data in a successful and diverse workforce

Find out more about the powerful panel of international experts who are going to discuss the results of our global study.

Time to discuss the implications of our global study

As you will have seen on here recently, Humdex has been very busy conducting an open global study to find out which data really makes a difference, and what is really needed from in the future to help us achieve the dream workforce. We have been collecting the perspectives and expectations of business drivers for different countries, backgrounds and functions, gathered from people-professionals and business leaders across the globe.

Very soon we will be ready to share our results with you all, so be sure to participate in the study if you wish to have your thoughts included, and to properly celebrate the release of these insights Humdex is going to conduct an online panel discussion with some impressive intellectual and accomplished personalities. This globally renowned panel will discuss, debate and dissect the findings live on the LEAD EU network for free. We do not like to do anything by halves here at Humdex.

Register for the online discussion on November 24th 12:00 GMT here. Become a member with LEAD EU for free (LEAD Network is fully managed by volunteers; active members committed to making a difference and drive their mission) and watch all of their past and future content.

Meet the Panel

Who are the powerful panel of international experts who are going to discuss the results of our study?

1 - Temi Dalley - Chief Human Resources Officer at Sterling Bank Plc.

Temi Dalley is an adept HR leader with nearly two decades of experience – locally and internationally. She is a seasoned professional with an exceptional reputation in strategic leadership, people management, business acumen, driving transformational change among others.

As the Chief Human Resources Officer at Sterling Bank Plc., she is responsible for building a competent and agile workforce to meet the rapidly changing demands of today’s workplace. She leads a team of Human Capital experts whose mission is to create a truly humane and enabling work environment in the digital age, fueling Sterling Bank’s differentiation in the business landscape.

Temi has a first degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria, M.A in Human Resource Management from the Middlesex Business School, UK, and also a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), UK, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, Nigeria (CIPM), among other professional bodies.

Listed among the 101 Most Influential Global HR leaders by the HRD World Congress (2018) and 2020 HR Leader of the year by the HR people Magazine Awards, Temi is keen on driving innovation and future-focused best practices that enhances the HR profession and sustainable organizational success.

2 - Alex Flemming- President of Staffing and Solutions and Country Head, the Adecco Group UK & Ireland.

Alex Fleming was appointed Country Head of the UK and Ireland alongside her role as President of Staffing and Solutions for the Adecco Group UK and Ireland in April 2018. As part of her remit, Alex leads three of the UK’s most prestigious workforce solutions brands: Adecco, Office Angels and Pontoon.

Alex began her career as a recruitment consultant for the Adecco Group UK&I in September 1997 at the Adecco Clapham branch. London-based Branch Manager and Regional Manager roles soon followed, until she took on the role of Adecco Operations Director in 2009. In 2011, Alex assumed responsibility for managing the Adecco and Spring businesses overseeing the commercial development of 50 offices in London and the South.

In 2013, Alex was promoted to Managing Director of Adecco and Spring Personnel in the UK and Ireland. In 2016, Alex also took on responsibility for the Adecco onsite division managing over 50 large strategic accounts – Adecco Corporate. As of 1 September 2016, she became the President of General Staffing, bringing Office Angels into her remit and managing over 180 offices across the UK&I. In 2018 she assumed responsibility for Pontoon, the MSP and RPO solutions offering to large organisations.

Alex was promoted to Country Head of the UK&I in April 2018, where she’s responsible for driving strategic direction, innovation and new growth opportunities. She champions diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and is a strong advocate for bridging the gap between education and work, by introducing young people to the world of work from an early age and partnering with educational establishments.

3 - Dr. Deb Cohen, Phd- President Deb Cohen LLC.

An author, trainer and management consultant with more than 25 years of experience advising, speaking and guiding nonprofit, academic and for-profit entities. Her latest book, Developing Management Proficiency: A Self-directed Learning Approach (2020), focuses on how managers can develop their management competence through self-directed efforts.

Deb is a Distinguished Principal Research Fellow with The Conference Board and is an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University teaching MBA courses in Strategic HR. A subject matter expert in HR, management and organizational behaviour, Cohen’s expertise lies in creating and executing new initiatives that support and develop organization strategy. She is a skilful facilitator, speaker, trainer and researcher. She has been called upon as an Expert Witness in employment cases.

As a former SVP with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Cohen was responsible for a 50-person Division covering knowledge services, original research, and the development of a profession-wide competency model. Under her direction, research services were transformed into a significant revenue stream, a curriculum guide for the HR profession was established and a competency model that forms the basis for a world-wide certification credential was created. As a member of the Executive Team, Deb helped develop, guide and evaluate programs across the organization.

She received her Ph.D. in Management and Human Resources and her Master's Degree in Labor and Human Resources both from The Ohio State University. She is a certified Senior HR professional with the designation SHRM-SCP.

Deb is also the author of Developing Proficiency in HR: 7 Self-directed Activities for HR Professionals, a book that focuses on self-development in HR (2016). She is co-author of the (2015) book Defining HR Success: 9 Critical Competencies for HR Professionals and a co-editor for a (2013) book entitled Developing and Enhancing Teamwork in Organizations: Evidence-based Best Practices and Guidelines. Prior to joining SHRM, Dr. Cohen spent 15 years as an academician teaching HRM at George Washington and George Mason Universities. Dr. Cohen has published over 50 articles and book chapters and has been published in such journals as Academy of Management Journal, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Management, and the Journal of Business Ethics.

4 - Dr. Charles-Henri Besseyre des Horts, Phd - Emeritus Professor HEC Paris

Holds two Doctorates (University of Aix-Marseille and University of California at Los Angeles) and an Emeritus Professor at HEC Paris. Charles-Henri has been, between September 2003 and September 2008, Director of the research chair HEC-Toshiba "Nomadism and Mobile Technology" and between September 2012 and July 2015, Director of the research chair HEC-Webhelp “Human Capital and Performance”. He has taught during 26 years in all HEC programs: HEC MS in Management (Grande Ecole), HEC MBA, HEC Doctorate, HEC Executive programs.

He has created and managed the MS HEC Exed Strategic HR Management. His research works focus on change management of enterprises and organizations in relationship with the digital revolution, relationships between human capital and firm performance. He has published numerous articles and more than 15 books including the last two most recent ones as co-author: l’IA au service des RH (Dunod, September 2020) and Le Management par la Confiance (Eyrolles, September 2020). He is the President of AGRH (Francophone Association of HR Academics, 1000 members, 15 Francophone countries) since October 2017. He has been and is actively involved in international consulting and training activities in more than 30 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. He is, on a part-time basis, the Corporate Relations Director of FNEGE (French National Foundation for Management Education) and Senior Advisor of Korn Ferry France.

Healthy debates

We know that these individuals will have a healthy debate about the results and help us all ask the right questions of ourselves, our colleagues, the current and future workforce and even society. We want to know what does it take to be truly inclusive and diverse and how can data help businesses to make the right decisions to help us plan the future workforce?

There is still time to have your views included in the study

To take part in our anonymous open study, it takes only 10 minutes, using the link HERE

Find out more about the study HERE

We work hard at keeping up to date and informed on the latest trends and news affecting the world of people analytics & strategic workforce planning. If you would like to know more about the work we do, then please contact us.