UNLEASH - Paris 2024 - My Takeaways

What was your highlight of the UNLEASH World 2024 show?         

There are too many.  It was a great show and highlighting a few seems like a exercise in cruelty.  But, if i have to focus in…. 

Of all the things - meeting an incredible passionate group of people, old friends and new friends who have a relentless passion for making work a better place.  It never fails to inspire me the energy and enthusiasm that providers and HR professionals have for enriching the world of work. 

Unleash truly lived up to it’s label and name.  It unleashes a world of thoughts, optimism, and a tsunami of potential.  It can seem overwhelming – but mostly it’s invigorating.  And that’s why it’s an irresistible event for me. 

What were the standout sessions for you? Did any of them cause you to rethink your perspectives on HR tech, and specifically AI, talent for the future (adapting and thriving amid uncertainty) and authentic leadership (the three themes of the show)?          

I didn’t get time to go to the sessions – except the one I had to deliver – as our analyst schedule was so rammed.  It was literally back to back for all of the Fosway team. 

I guess my perspectives crystallized more that changed. 

As analysts around HR tech we get to see a lot of different buyer and seller perspectives around HR tech – and the thing I keep coming back to is how we need to go deep but not lose the connection of one part of the employee life cycle to another.  We can easily get disconnected from taking a complete picture of our people – because we narrow in on one aspect like skills… but as humans, we are so much more than skills.  So keeping a balance between skills and capability and our energy and resilience as individual's and teams is important – we need to stay connected with a whole human – not a one dimensional view – and that can be hard when we think in term of people processes with one dimension / a silo…

From our Fosway session – which dug deep into AI in HR – the thing I took away was the resonance the audience had for the reality that it’s still early days with AI – and most are still finding their feet and even a sense of direction.  It’s growing between our toes in niche areas – and before we know it – each blade of grass will have become a lawn… up to our eyeballs.  But we are still away away from it being everywhere and it’s growing at different paces where the ground is most fertile for innovation. 

There is no need to panic… but we do need purposeful experimentation and to focus on what really matters to the people experience.  Let’s solve the real problems – not just exacerbate the existing ones… 

What makes UNLEASH World different from other HR tech shows?          

The community feel is strong at Unleash and the honesty and candour of the HR professionals is always inspiring.  Listening to how practitioners who are at the top of their game – solving real problems, navigating real politics and doing that with intelligence and grace – makes me feel genuinely proud to be part of this profession. 

There are real experts – life long HR professionals who are doing great things – and that has to be a great source of joy.

How does it provide value for HR leaders – how can the content and the conversations at the show help them drive real change in their businesses?        

We all need space to reflect and be challenged about what we do.  We need space to think and also look at what we do through others eyes. 

Coming to Unleash provides that space.  Space to think deeply, to take on new perspectives and be challenged about how we unleash the potential of our people.  We all need great places to work …  and Unleash provides that playground to think, feel and imagine something better for tomorrow.  And heaven knows we need more thinking about that.

UNLEASH HR TRENDS 2024: Presentation Deck - Navigating HR Realities! Understanding Market Drivers, Enhancing Employee Experience and Leveraging HR Tech.

PowerPoint Presentation