How to develop the HR skills of the future

A number of people were attracted to HR because it was one of the few careers that required no data skills whatsoever and then all of a sudden the world changed around them...

HR doesn't just need to do digital, it needs to be digital, it simply has to. Put another way, HR must become more digital and analytical to deliver greater business value.

This episode of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast is a break from our usual format. It features a panel discussion which took place at the recent People Analytics and Future of Work conference in San Francisco.

The discussion, which I moderated, was titled 'HR Skills of the Future and how to develop them'. The Panel features:

• Heather Whiteman, who lectures on people analytics at UC Berkeley, having spent six years previously as Global Head of People Strategy, Analytics, Learning and Operations at GE Digital.
• RJ Milnor who is the Global Head of People Analytics at Uber and is a previous guest on the Digital HR Leaders Podcast, and;
• Ian Bailie, Managing Director of myHRfuture who previously held various roles at Cisco around Workforce Planning, People Analytics and Talent Acquisition operations, and is a co-author of the HR Skills of the Future report from myHRfuture.

You can listen by clicking on the image below or by visiting the podcast website here.

The topics the panel and I cover include:

• The skills business leaders and CHRO’s are increasingly needing from their HR professionals
• The evolution in learning and how it has been delivered to HR
• The ways to help HR professionals feel more comfortable and confident having data-driven conversations
• How HR professionals can strike a balance in developing both soft and hard skills

This episode is a must listen for CHRO’s, Chief Learning Officers, Heads of Organisational Design, those working in a workforce planning or people analytics role, and indeed anyone interested in the skills HR professionals require now and in the future.

It's not about everyone in HR needing to become a data analyst but more about how to become a data translator - the person who can connect the power of data with what we know and what we do in HR

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

To listen to the Podcast and read the transcript of the discussion with Heather, RJ and Ian, head over to myHRfuture by clicking on this link: How to develop the HR Skills of the Future.

WATCH THE VIDEO

As well as the podcast, a short video from the panel discussion on the six skills that HR needs to develop in the future was recorded and is available on the myHRfuture YouTube channel.

GET INVOLVED

If you enjoyed listening to this week's podcast episode, I'd be grateful if you could take the following steps:

1. Please subscribe to the Digital HR Leaders podcast and weekly newsletter to make sure you don’t miss an episode.
2. Please take the time to rate the show on iTunes. We rely on your feedback and support to make the podcast, so this is very helpful!
3. Who would you like to see me interview in future episodes? Let me know in the comments below.
4. Lastly, don’t forget to share on social media with your friends and colleagues, your support is always greatly appreciated!

THANK YOU

A huge thank you to Heather, RJ and Ian for providing their invaluable insights. You can connect with Heather on LinkedIn and follow Heather on Twitter, you can also connect with RJ on LinkedIn as well as connect with Ian on LinkedIn and follow Ian on Twitter.

A huge thank you also to Al Adamsen and his team at PAFOW for allowing us to create this podcast from the panel discussion.

People Analytics and the Future of Work (affectionately known as PAFOW), is a conference taking place in four cities in 2020: San Francisco 29-31 January, Sydney 3-4 March, London 29-30 April and New York 17-18 of November. I will be co-chairing the conference with Al. If you would like to come along, to find out more please head over to pafow.net or click on the image below for more details on the London show where speakers include Josh Bersin, Frida Polli, Jonathan Ferrar and Brydie Lear. Get a 15% discount on tickets with my code DG15.

CATCH UP ON THE DIGITAL HR LEADERS PODCAST

If you haven't listened to all of the episodes of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast, you can catch up now by clicking on the links below. Series 7 of the Podcast launches on 10th March where my guest will be Piyush Mathur, Global Head, Workforce Analytics, Data Strategy and Governance at Johnson & Johnson, and one of the foremost leaders in the people analytics field.

• EP 30: Katy Gray - How Arup uses reward data to drive behavioural change
• EP 29: Uri Ort - What is the future of talent assessment?
• EP 28: Zara Nanu - The role of People Analytics in Gender Pay Analysis
• EP 27: Julia Shaw - How can technology reduce bias in the workplace
• EP 26: Stela Lupushor - How HR can be a Catalyst for Change
• BONUS EPISODE: Volker Jacobs - How to scale Employee Experience
• EP 25: Julie Digby - How HR Drives Transformation and Org Design at Mars
• EP 24: RJ Milnor - How McKesson uses ONA to identify what drives high performance in sales
• EP 23: Rupert Morrison - Rethinking Workforce Planning & Organisation Design
• EP 22: Dawn Klinghoffer - The Evolution of People Analytics at Microsoft
• EP 21: John Boudreau - Reinventing Jobs: The Future of Work and it's impact on HR
• EP 20: Tanuj Kapilashrami - How Standard Chartered designed an exceptional Employee Experience
• EP 19: Anna Tavis: What is Agile HR and how are companies adopting it?
• EP 18: Sarah Johnson: How to use employee surveys to create strategic value
• EP 17: Leena Nair - How HR drives business value at Unilever
• EP 16: Keith McNulty - HR 3.0: more data driven, more agile and more business focused
• EP 15: Jason Corsello - The Shift From HR Tech to Work Tech
• EP 14: Jill Larsen - How does the CHRO successfully partner with the CEO
• EP 13: Frida Polli - How AI and Behavioural Science can reduce bias in recruiting
• EP 12: Ian O'Keefe - The Workforce Analytics journey at JP Morgan Chase
• EP 11: Dave Ulrich - The role of HR in the Digital Age
• EP 10: Jordan Pettman - How Nestlé uses People Analytics to measure Gender Pay Gap and Equity
• EP 9: Catalina Schveninger - The Evolution of Corporate Learning at Vodafone
• EP 8: Richard Collins - How is Automation, AI and Analytics changing recruiting?
• EP 7: Katarina Berg - Spotify's CHRO on Leading HR in a digital world
• EP 6: Nick Holley - How HR can become more business relevant 
• EP 5: Eden Britt - How to build a People Analytics team in a global organisation | The People Analytics journey at HSBC 
• EP 4: Yvette Cameron - How Blockchain will disrupt the Future of Work and HR Technology 
• EP 3: Didier Elzinga - How to Create a Culture First Company 
• EP 2: Edward Houghton - The Head of Research at the CIPD on Driving Business Performance with People Data 
• EP 1: Sharon Doherty - How to transform HR to be more digital and building a culture of diversity

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David is a globally respected writer, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work. As an Executive Director at Insight222, he helps global organisations create more cultural and economic value through the wise and ethical use of people data and analytics. Prior to joining Insight222 and taking up a board advisor role at TrustSphere, David was the Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM Watson Talent. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations embark upon and accelerate their people analytics journeys. 

SEE ME SPEAK AT THESE EVENTS IN 2020

I’ll be chairing and/or speaking about people analytics, data-driven HR and the Nine Dimensions for Excellence in People Analytics model at the following events until the end of May 2020.

• 11-12 Mar - The People Analytics Program Peer Group Meeting, Amsterdam (hosted by ING - for Insight222 clients only)
• 16-17 Mar – HR Core Lab – Leading with Talent Analytics, Barcelona
• 24-25 Mar – UNLEASH Spring, London
• 27 Apr - Employee Experience Summit, Vienna
• 29-30 Apr – PAFOW London
• 19-20 May - The People Analytics Program Peer Group Meeting, Seattle (hosted by Microsoft - for Insight222 clients only)