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48 min read
Richard Rosenow
Insights from Practitioners: Where Are We Heading This Year? The field of People Analytics continues to grow and so does the conference circuit! To help practitioners and HR leaders navigate the crowded landscape, we put together our second annual People Analytics Conference survey for professionals to find out which events they plan to attend in 2025 and which ones they would attend and prioritize if budgets were limitless (one can dream!). Responses from ~120 professionals reaffirm the importance of conferences for advancing knowledge, networking, and shaping the future of People Analytics. Alert! Live Webinar February 18th Join Richard Rosenow from One Model and Cole Napper from Lightcast as they discuss the most popular People Analytics events this year. Register for Live Webinar Quicklinks: 2025 Events PA Meetup Groups Find One Model in Person Top Conferences Practitioners Are Attending in 2025 The first question we asked respondents was "Which conferences are you planning to attend in 2025". The responses were varied as the conference circuit is diverse, but there were a few standouts! We've rank ordered the top five responses below: 1. Local People Analytics Meetups Attending: 42% of respondents (up from ~33% in 2024) Why It’s Popular: You can’t beat a meetup. This year’s survey proved that meetups have taken hold in the People Analytics space, springing up across the US from their start in NYC to the Bay Area to many other cities like Columbus and Salt Lake City. Globally there’s also been an explosion of new events from Sweden to Brisbane and Nigeria to Latin America. These grassroots gatherings are the heart of community-driven professional development. With minimal costs and maximum networking opportunities, meetups are perfect for both early career professionals looking to enter the field and seasoned practitioners looking to share experiences and ideas. About This Conference: While each meetup is run locally by a different volunteer team, People Analytics meetups generally offer a community feel and collaborative space for People Analytics professionals to exchange practical insights. They’re especially beneficial for those who may not have the budget or time to attend larger, national conferences. Communities in NYC and the Bay Area lead the pack in maturity and tenure (10+ years running for some!), but many other cities have run with the format and meetups are spreading rapidly to other cities worldwide. Repeat or New: Local meetups saw a surge in attendance on our 2024 survey and continued that growth in 2025. More info: Make sure to visit SPA’s meetup list to see if there’s a meetup in a city near you. And if you can’t find one, reach out to me (Richard) and I’d be happy to connect you with some friends in the area. People Analytics people are everywhere now. 2. SIOP 2025 - Denver Attending: ~30% of respondents Why It’s Popular: In terms of “official” conferences, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) annual conference continues to draw the attention of respondents to this survey from People Analytics professionals with its robust mix of academic research and practical insights. Known for fostering connections between IO Psychology and People Analytics, this conference is a must-attend for leaders seeking evidence-based approaches to workforce challenges. About This Conference: Scheduled this year from 4/2 to 4/5 in Denver, Colorado, SIOP is a massive gathering of over 5,000 attendees. Sessions span diverse topics, from AI ethics to leadership assessments. The format includes as many as 10 concurrent sessions per hour, along with posters to see, masterclasses to attend, and people to meet – all of which creates an atmosphere of exciting FOMO. For People Analytics professionals, SIOP bridges academic rigor and workplace application, making it an unparalleled learning experience. Important note:Everyone can attend SIOP! There’s a rumor that it is only for IO Psychology PhDs and that’s just not the case. I’ve got an MBA background and have attended for two years running now (and they haven’t thrown me out yet). I can’t recommend this conference enough to anyone interested in deep conversations about applications of analytics to the workplace. Repeat or New: SIOP was the most attended conference in 2024, and its popularity shows no signs of waning. More info: SIOP Annual Conference Bonus info: My 2023 SIOP travelogue 3. People Analytics World NYC & People Analytics World London Attending: ~26% of respondents Why It’s Popular: People Analytics World (PAW) has been the premier stage in Europe for People Analytics for ten years running and, with groundfall in NYC in 2024, the event has officially gone global. This event is the true home for practitioners in People Analytics and has the feel of a family reunion and a team brainstorm all mixed together. It’s the perfect blend of networking, learning, and practical applications for People Analytics. About This Conference: The events are scheduled for London (4/29 to 4/30) and New York City (10/15 to 10/16). The PAW conference is run by the Tucana team (who additionally run some fantastic SWP events globally). People Analytics World NYC and London both combine global thought leadership with practitioner-led insights. Known for their deep dives into storytelling with data, scaling analytics, and cross-functional collaboration, this event caters to mature analytics teams who want to stay in touch with what’s going on across the industry. Repeat or New: PAW London had a great showing in last year’s event survey and the NYC conference debuted in late 2024, building on Tucana’s strong legacy with its London event. More info: People Analytics World 4. TALREOS Chicago Attending: 21% of respondents Why It’s Popular: Cited as a “hidden gem” in 2024, TALREOS Chicago (Talent Analytics Leadership Roundtable & Economic Opportunity Summit) had a breakout year with People Analytics professionals. Praised for its round-table “Chatham House Rule” approach to dialogue and strong controls over vendor involvement, this conference has quietly become a must-attend destination for People Analytics leaders of advanced teams who want to meet peers and dive deep into analytics and the future of work. About This Conference: Scheduled for June 4-6 in Chicago, TALREOS has been running for over 10 years out of Northwestern as part of the Workforce Science Project. It offers a balance of practical workshops and thought-provoking keynotes. The smaller size and invite-only nature of the event fosters meaningful networking and provides attendees with actionable frameworks they can implement immediately. Repeat or New: TALREOS appeared on the radar in last year's survey and has quickly gained momentum. With more practitioners prioritizing it in 2025, it’s transitioning from a “hidden gem” to a recognized pillar of the People Analytics community. More info: TALREOS 5. Wharton People Analytics Conference Attending: 17% of respondents Why It’s Popular: Led by Matthew Bidwell and a team of renowned academics, the Wharton People Analytics Conference offers a unique blend of strategic insights for HR leaders and groundbreaking academic contributions. Consistently ranked as a favorite among People Analytics professionals, the conference is known for its rigorous content and engaging sessions. A standout feature is the annual People Analytics Case Competition, which continues to be a highlight for participants and attendees alike. About This Conference: Scheduled for April 10-11, 2025 at the University of Pennsylvania, this two-day event features a diverse lineup of speakers, including experts from academia and industry. The conference offers sessions on the latest advances in People Analytics, complemented by networking opportunities with students, academics, and industry professionals. Highlights include keynote addresses, panel discussions, and competitions that showcase innovative research and applications in the field. Repeat or New: Wharton was a top wish-list event in 2024, and this year’s data shows its appeal has only grown. I hope to see you there this year! More info: Wharton People Analytics What’s on the Wish List? Even when budgets are tight, practitioners still dream big. Here are the events topping their aspirational lists (where they wish they could attend if budget wasn’t an issue): 1. People Analytics World NYC & People Analytics World London Wish List Interest: 31% of respondents Why It’s Desired: As covered above, People Analytics World (PAW) is a tremendous event series. After a sold-out and breakout year in New York City, PAW has swept up the People Analytics space with excitement. I was delighted to see this one top the charts this year and I hope all of you who wanted to attend are able to get your budget approved! About This Conference: The London event is scheduled for 4/29 to 4/30 and New York City from 10/15 to 10/16. The PAW conference is run by the Tucana team (who additionally run some fantastic SWP events globally). People Analytics World NYC and London both combine global thought leadership with practitioner-led insights. Known for their deep dives into storytelling with data, scaling analytics, and cross-functional collaboration, this event caters to mature analytics teams who want to stay in touch with what’s going on across the industry. Repeat or New?: This conference was a top wish-list item in 2024 and has proven to be highly sought-after in 2025. More info: People Analytics World 2. Wharton People Analytics Conference Wish List Interest: 27% of respondents Why It’s Desired: Covered above as well! For the second year running, Wharton appears prominently on the wish list for People Analytics leaders. The history and long-running presence of this conference has firmly established it in the People Analytics world as a pillar of the conference circuit. About This Conference: Scheduled for April 10-11, 2025 at the University of Pennsylvania, this two-day event features a diverse lineup of speakers, including experts from academia and industry. The conference offers sessions on the latest advances in people analytics, complemented by networking opportunities with students, academics, and industry professionals. Highlights include keynote addresses, panel discussions, and competitions that showcase innovative research and applications in the field. Repeat or New?: A repeat favorite from 2024, Wharton remains one of the most highly sought after conferences in the field. More info: Wharton People Analytics 3. HR Technology Conference Wish List Interest: 19% of respondents Why It’s Desired: The HR Technology Conference (HR Tech) stands out as a pinnacle event for those looking to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving realm of HR tech. From AI-driven talent management solutions to cutting-edge analytics platforms, the showcase of emerging trends draws both tech-savvy HR leaders and People Analytics professionals alike. It’s a one-stop-shop for learning everything you need to know to stay on top of HR technology advances or, if you’re feeling bold, to purchase your entire HR Tech stack. About This Conference: Scheduled for September 16-18, 2025 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, the HR Technology Conference offers hands-on access to the latest technologies from over 500 leading and emerging providers. With over 200 sessions, attendees can discover industry trends and gain actionable strategies to leverage technology for success in various HR functions. The conference also provides numerous networking opportunities with peers and industry experts. Repeat or New?: HR Tech featured as a must-attend conference in the 2024 survey and repeats here in 2025 More info: HR Technology Conference 4. HR Analytics Summit London Wish List Interest: 17% of respondents. Why It’s Desired: The HR Analytics Summit London has become a pivotal event for professionals eager to harness the power of data in HR. With a focus on practical applications of People Analytics, the summit addresses critical areas such as employee engagement, HR operations, and the future of work. Attendees are drawn to its comprehensive agenda, featuring inspiring keynotes, interactive panels, and deep-dive workshops led by industry thought leaders. About This Conference: Scheduled for September 4, 2025 in London, the HR Analytics Summit offers a turbo-charged day of learning and networking. The conference brings together over 300 HR and workforce leaders from a variety of industries with 20+ expert speakers. Sessions delve into innovative approaches to workforce analytics, empowering strategic decision-making processes to tackle pressing issues in human capital management. The event also emphasizes the ethical use of AI in HR, balancing data-driven insights with human empathy. Notably, 5% of all ticket sales are donated to the charity Mind, reflecting the summit's commitment to mental well-being. Repeat or New?: A newcomer to the list for 2025 and an exciting one to watch going forward! Website: HR Analytics Summit London 5. Insight222 Global Executive Retreat Wish List Interest: 15% of respondents Why It’s Desired: The Insight222 Global Executive Retreat is highly coveted among HR executives and People Analytics leaders for its exclusive, invite-only format. Offering meticulously curated sessions, the retreat offers deep dives into strategic topics, fostering an environment where executives can "Think, Reflect, and Plan" their future initiatives. Participants value the opportunity to engage with top-tier business speakers and peers in a distraction-free setting, enhancing their leadership journey. About This Conference: The retreat is held annually at spectacular venues, such as the historic Duin & Kruidberg estate near Amsterdam. It features a select number of in-depth discussions and workshop-style activities led by world-class speakers. The 2024 theme, "The Changing Role of the People Analytics Executive," focused on the evolving influence of People Analytics leaders within organizations (2025 theme TBD). Attendees gain strategic insights, engage in peer learning, and develop actionable plans to drive value in their roles. Repeat or New: A consistent favorite on the wish list for many People Analytics leaders, the Insight222 Global Executive Retreat continues to attract senior leaders seeking a premier, immersive experience in the People Analytics domain. More info: Insight222 Global Executive Retreat And these are just the top 5 from each category! The survey was close and there are MANY more incredible events in our space. Please jump to the end of the blog to see the full list of conferences included in the study. Each one represents incredible community, sessions, and exciting ideas and experiences. New (and Noteworthy) Conferences for 2025 As the People Analytics conference landscape continues to expand, 2025 introduces some exciting developments, from fresh additions to reimagined formats. These events stand out as either brand-new opportunities or evolving platforms that are reshaping the way HR and People Analytics professionals engage with the community. RedThread Research's ELEVATE Conference New for 2025: This year marks the debut of ELEVATE, a highly anticipated conference led by industry thought leaders Stacia Garr, Dani Johnson, and the team at RedThread Research. Known for their influential insights and industry research on talent, learning, and People Analytics, this event is going to be incredible. Why Attend: ELEVATE aims to deliver an intimate, invite-only, high-value experience by bringing together industry thought leaders, actionable insights, and forward-thinking strategies with an emphasis on a Director+ audience. About the Conference: Scheduled for June 17–19, 2025 at Snowbird, Utah, Elevate promises a mix of interactive sessions, collaborative problem-solving, and exclusive research findings. The conference is deliberately designed to spark innovation and build stronger bridges between data, decision-making, and people. Learn More: Find details and join the waitlist HERE! SIOP Leading Edge Consortium (LEC): People Analytics New for 2025: Chaired by Cole Napper and Stephanie Murphy, this year’s SIOP LEC focuses on People Analytics, providing a deep dive into the strategic and operational challenges facing today’s analytics teams. Why Attend: The LEC’s smaller, specialized format encourages targeted conversations and emphasizes practical applications. Attendees can expect to engage directly with experts, participate in robust discussions, and leave with actionable strategies tailored to their unique challenges. About the Conference: Scheduled for Oct 23-24th in Atlanta, Georgia the LEC combines SIOP’s academic rigor with emerging trends in People Analytics. The event brings together researchers and practitioners for a collaborative exchange of ideas, making it an essential gathering for teams looking to refine their approaches and elevate their impact. Learn More: Keep an eye on SIOP LEC Cole Napper shares, "The SIOP Leading Edge Consortium is focused on People Analytics this year. It has a stellar lineup of speakers (soon to be revealed), and is welcome to I/O psychologists and non-I/O psychologists alike. It should be one of the most practical, scientific yet fun conferences to date - chaired by myself and Stephanie Murphy." UT Austin Voice Conference 2025 New for 2025: Making its debut this year, the Employee Voice Conference at UT Austin is an exclusive, invite-only gathering led by Ethan Burris. Hosted at the McCombs School of Business, this inaugural event brings together leading academics, VP Talent/CHROs, and People Analytics leaders to explore cutting-edge employee voice research and practice. Why Attend: Compared to other conferences, there is significant focus on building bridges across boundaries. Attendees will participate in intimate roundtables, thought-provoking discussions, and carefully curated sessions designed to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration. With a highly targeted attendee list, participants gain unparalleled access to peers and thought leaders who are driving innovation in employee voice strategies. About the Conference: Scheduled for April 17–18, 2025 in Austin, Texas, the event focuses on understanding methods and advances in employee feedback and innovations around employee listening. A joint-effort founding team of academics and leaders from across the space have come together to innovate within this conference ensuring actionable insights and meaningful relationship-building opportunities. Learn More: Follow announcements from UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business or reach out to Ethan Burris for updates. A few seats are remaining, so if you have a passion for employee listening, be sure to reach out! These events offer unique opportunities to gain fresh insights, connect with leading thinkers, and stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of People Analytics. Whether you’re attending for the second iteration of a rising star or diving into a brand-new experience, these conferences are set to make a lasting impression in 2025. Insights from Practitioners: Enhancing the Conference Experience This year, we also included two new questions in our survey to uncover deeper insights into why professionals attend conferences and how organizers can improve the overall experience. 1. Why do professionals attend conferences? 2. What do you wish conference organizers knew (from practitioners) Here’s what we learned from the responses: Why Do Professionals Attend Conferences? Networking emerged as the dominant reason for attending conferences, with respondents emphasizing the value of connecting with peers, exchanging ideas, and learning from others in the People Analytics community. Beyond that, learning and staying on top of industry trends were also top priorities. Here’s a breakdown of the common themes: Networking and Collaboration: Many professionals highlighted the importance of meeting others in the field to exchange ideas, build relationships, and discover potential collaborators. Conferences provide unique opportunities to engage with peers facing similar challenges and working on similar initiatives. Learning and Staying Current: Respondents consistently mentioned the need to stay informed about the latest trends, research, and technologies in People Analytics. Many seek practical solutions, detailed use cases, and innovative ideas to bring back to their organizations. Sharing Knowledge and Giving Back: Several practitioners also view conferences as a platform to share their expertise, present their work, and contribute to the growth of the field. Professional Growth and Inspiration: The excitement of gaining new perspectives and sparking fresh ideas was another frequently cited reason. Attendees look for moments of inspiration that push their thinking and help them grow professionally. Discovering Emerging Tech and Best Practices: Keeping an eye on emerging technologies, methodologies, and strategies remains a key goal for many attendees. Key Takeaway: Conferences are not just about presentations—they are critical hubs for community building, knowledge sharing, and inspiration. Make sure to build in time for networking sessions or conference organized networking events. What Practitioners Wish Conference Organizers Knew When asked how conferences could improve, attendees provided thoughtful and candid feedback. These insights highlight areas where organizers can refine the experience to better serve the needs of the People Analytics Community Here’s a breakdown of the common themes: Networking is Key Similar to above, respondents want more intentional, well-designed networking opportunities. Suggestions included planned 1:1 matchups, structured group discussions, and color-coded badges to help identify peers with similar roles or goals. Longer lunch breaks, dedicated networking periods, and informal social activities were also suggested to facilitate meaningful connections. Balance Content with Connection Many participants expressed a desire for fewer sessions and more opportunities to connect with others. "Less content and more connection" was a recurring theme. Hands-on interactive sessions and workshops were highly valued over traditional panels or theory-heavy presentations. Accessibility and Inclusivity Virtual attendance options were a popular request, with many noting the value of hybrid formats for professionals with limited budgets or travel constraints. Suggestions included offering livestreams, post-conference breakout access, or on-demand recordings at a reduced cost. Respondents also emphasized the need for conferences to cater to neurodivergent attendees, introverts, and individuals from underrepresented groups through thoughtful design, diverse speakers, and accessible content. Thoughtful Vendor Participation A common frustration was the prevalence of vendor-led presentations that felt like sales pitches. Attendees vastly prefer sessions, even from vendors, that focus on sharing insights, research findings, and practical applications rather than direct product promotion. Demonstrations that show rather than tell, along with panels featuring practitioner voices, were seen as more effective. Content Design and Variety Respondents want more practical case studies, detailed use cases, and real-world examples, especially from industries like manufacturing and low-margin businesses. There was also a desire for broader representation in speakers, both in terms of backgrounds and company sizes, to better reflect the diversity of the field. Pre-Conference Resources Pre-shared attendee lists, session itineraries, and other preparatory materials were highlighted as valuable tools for more intentional networking and better conference planning. Acknowledge Real-World Constraints Budgeting challenges were frequently mentioned, with many participants noting that their organizations approve conference budgets the year prior. Providing earlier information on dates, costs, and speakers would help attendees secure funding. Some respondents also mentioned a sense of "conference fatigue," suggesting that organizers consider consolidating events or ensuring differentiation in their offerings. Key Takeaway: Conference organizers have an opportunity to create more inclusive, impactful, and engaging experiences by prioritizing networking, balancing content, and addressing accessibility and budget challenges. Conclusion: Building a Better Conference Experience The feedback from this year’s survey offers a roadmap for conference organizers looking to elevate their events. By focusing on community building, providing diverse and practical content, and addressing accessibility concerns, conferences can better serve the evolving needs of People Analytics professionals. For practitioners, these insights reinforce the importance of carefully selecting events that align with their goals—whether it’s connecting with peers, learning about the latest innovations, or gaining inspiration for new challenges. Takeaways for 2025 The People Analytics conference circuit is more dynamic than ever. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or a practitioner just starting your analytics journey, there’s a conference tailored to your needs. From the academic rigor of Wharton to the accessibility of local meetups, these events offer a mix of inspiration, networking, and actionable insights. If your budget is tight, prioritize meetups and virtual sessions; if you’re looking for deeper insights, conferences like SIOP and People Analytics World are worth the investment. What’s Next? If you’re attending any of these conferences, we’d love to connect and hear about your experiences. And if you’re still deciding which events to prioritize, I hope this guide can be your roadmap for 2025. And if you’re on the fence, reach out to me (Richard) and let me know what you’re thinking and hoping to achieve! I’d be happy to weigh in with experiences from the field. See you out there! Connect with us in person in 2025? Tell us which events you plan to attend and let's meet up! What to stay in the loop? Follow One Model on LinkedIn Follow Richard on LinkedIn Events list from Survey (non-vendor specific events that were included in the survey or mentioned in survey results) People Analytics Summit Toronto - February 26-27, 2025 - Toronto, Canada - Link HR Data Analytics and AI Summit - March 4, 2025 - Atlanta - Link HR West 2025 - March 11-12, 2025 - Oakland Marriott City Center, Oakland, CA, USA - Link Transform US - Las Vegas - March 17-19 - Link SHRM Talent Conference & Expo 2025 - March 24-26, 2025 - Music City Center, Nashville, TN, USA - Link SIOP 2025 Annual Conference - April 2-5, 2025 - Denver, CO, USA - Link Wharton People Analytics Conference - April 10-11, 2025 - Philadelphia, PA, USA - Link UT Austin Voice Conference - April 17–18 - Austin, TX, USA - Link TBD People Analytics World - London (Tucana) - April 29-30, 2025 - London, UK - Link Unleash America - May 6-8, 2025 - Las Vegas, NV, USA - Link TALREOS Chicago - June 4-6 - Chicago, IL, USA - Link RedThread Research: ELEVATE - June 17-19 - Snowbird, Utah, USA - Link People Analytics Exchange (Minneapolis) - June 24-25, 2025 - Minneapolis, MN, USA - Link SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2025 - June 22-25, 2025 - San Diego - Link AHRI National Conference - August 19-21, 2025 - Sydney, Australia - Link HR Analytics Summit London - September 4, 2025 - London, UK - Link HR Technology Conference (Las Vegas) - September 16-18, 2025 - Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV, USA - Link HR L&D Tech Fest - September 22-23, 2025 - Sydney, Australia - Link Gartner ReimagineHR Conference (London) - October 7-9, 2025 - London, UK - Link People Analytics World - NYC (Tucana) - October 15-16, 2025 - New York City, NY, USA - Link Unleash World (Paris) - October 21-22, 2025 - Paris, France - Link SIOP Leading Edge Consortium: People Analytics - October 23-24, 2025 - Atlanta, GA - Link Gartner ReimagineHR Conference (Orlando) - October 27-29, 2025 - Orlando, FL, USA - Link Nordic People Analytics Summit - November 2025 (Exact dates TBA) - Stockholm, Sweden - Link Gartner ReimagineHR Conference (Sydney) - November 17-18, 2025 - Sydney, Australia - Link Dates TBD: CIPD People Analytics - UK - TBD - London, UK - Link Insight222 Global Executive Retreat - TBD - TBD - Link Learning Forum People Analytics Council - TBD - TBD - Link Which events did we miss? Send Richard an email at Richard.Rosenow@onemodel.co (Note: we do not include single vendor (hosted by one vendor) or tech sales events in this review of conferences) 2025 People Analytics Meetup Groups And now time for the meetups! These meetups happen frequently throughout the year, so the best way to be involved and stay involved is to connect with their local site / meetup / LinkedIn group. Where we can, we’ve included some details about how to connect and when there was not a site yet available, we’ve added in local organizers. Definitive list from the Society for People Analytics: https://societyforpeopleanalytics.org/meet-ups Brisbane (AU): (Link to event) New York: https://lnkd.in/gbfu_Mjc (Jeremy Shapiro / Stela Lupushor) Bay Area: https://lnkd.in/gnrgRBnH (Annika Schultz / Mariah Norell) Chicago: https://lnkd.in/ghgc3EDb - (Chris Broderick) Philadelphia: https://lnkd.in/g-bWmX5y - (Fiona Jamison, Ph.D.) Pittsburgh: https://lnkd.in/eCdP7KFC (Ken Clar / Richard Rosenow) Minneapolis: https://lnkd.in/eS2aUH3W (Stephanie Murphy, Ph.D. / Mark H. Hanson) Seattle: Bennet Voorhees / Marcus Baker / Philip Arkcoll Denver: Kelsie L. Colley, M.S. ABD / Zach Williams / Gabriela Mauch Boston: Hallie Bregman, PhD / Noel Perez, PMP Dallas: Jordan Hartley, MS-HRM / Cole Napper Austin: Ethan Burris / Roxanne Laczo, PhD Houston: Amy Frost Stevenson, PhD / Jugnu Sharma, SHRM-CP Atlanta: Sue Lam Nashville: Dan George Orlando: James Gallman / Danielle Rumble, MBA Omaha: Justin Arends Salt Lake City: Willis Jensen Toronto: Danielle Bushen / Konstantin Tskhay, PhD Washington DC: Rewina Bedemariam Portland: Rosanna Van Horn
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Featured
17 min read
Richard Rosenow
The landscape of People Analytics and HR Technology is rapidly evolving and staying on top of the latest trends and insights is crucial for professionals in this field. To understand where other experts are turning for their insights and inspiration in 2024, we surveyed people analytics practitioners. Our aim? To discover which conferences are on their radar - the ones they plan to attend and those they aspire to make it to someday. Let's dive into the results of this survey, revealing what's hot on the conference circuit this year! Who's in the Spotlight? Role of Respondents We had a diverse group of practitioners from a number of disciplines, but a vast majority were working on or for people analytics teams and projects (100+ of the responses). A handful of HR tech and HR Ops leaders who did not have People Analytics teams also replied. We had a small number of vendors/consultants and academics take the survey as well. While these groups were not the primary focus of our analysis, their presence reflects the conferences' role in business development, networking, and the diverse perspectives in the field today. Seniority Breakdown Director+: A third of the respondents held positions at the director level or higher. This substantial representation emphasizes the strategic importance these conferences hold for senior decision-makers. Manager / Sr. Manager: Approximately a quarter of respondents were in managerial roles (either Manager or Senior Manager). It's worth noting that in many developing people analytics teams, these roles might be the highest-ranking members as the function evolves. Individual Contributor: The remaining respondents (~40%) identified themselves as Individual Contributors, constituting the most represented group. This not only underscores the active interest and participation of operational-level professionals in people analytics conferences but also accurately reflects the structure of seniority within People Analytics teams. Naturally, due to organizational design, there will be more Individual Contributor representation than Director/Manager. Company Size Breakdown 20,000+ Employees: This is the largest segment, comprising about half of the respondents. It suggests that major corporations view these conferences as crucial for their people analytics strategies and initiatives. These are also likely the teams with available budgets for professional development. 5,000-20,000 Employees / 1,000-5,000 Employees: Roughly 20% of respondents belong to each of these ranges. This underscores the importance of these conferences for large organizations that have established people analytics functions but aren't as big as the largest corporations. Less than 1,000 Employees (a. <1,000): The smallest segment unsurprisingly comes from smaller organizations. We’ve heard that in these organizations, employees often have multiple roles or teams that they balance, making it difficult to find time to attend these conferences. Top Conferences on the Radar Drumroll please, here are the top planned conferences! Planned Conferences Four conferences were identified by more than 20% of practitioner respondents as events they would attend. Several other conferences fell within the 10-15% range. However, for simplicity, we've only listed conferences that garnered 20% interest or higher below. There are indeed many excellent conferences (more listed below), but these are the standouts this year: SIOP Chicago Roughly 1/3 of those who replied to the survey planned to attend SIOP! This stood out by far from the other conferences. For some in the people analytics space, this may come as a surprise, but for those who have attended SIOP in the past, this makes a lot of sense. SIOP attendees are loyal. SIOP is the annual gathering of the Society for IO Psychology professionals (but open to anyone interested) and sees upwards of 5,000 IO Psychologists descend on a new city each year for four days of intensive conference activities. With around 10 concurrent sessions every hour, there is content for everyone, leading to a healthy dose of FOMO. Specifically, SIOP provides a fantastic experience for people analytics leaders and practitioners. I had the opportunity to attend SIOP in 2023, and it was memorable for its rigorous debates, insightful discussions, and excellent networking opportunities. The sessions I attended on AI ethics, employee listening, recruiting analytics, and assessments were some of the best in-person content I've experienced. Additionally, the impromptu conversations in the hallways with new and old friends were incredibly valuable. If you’d like to learn more about SIOP and how a People Analytics team may benefit, please read my review here: A People Analytics Journey to SIOP! I am thrilled to attend again in 2024 and have the privilege of presenting a Machine Learning Operations masterclass with Rob Stilson and Derek Mracek (more details to follow). If you're planning to attend, please let me know! Local PA Meetups Chosen by a third of respondents and in a close second to SIOP, local meetups interest is still going strong (and it feels like it’s rising). NYC and Bay Area still lead the pack as the earliest meetups and strongest communities, but we’ve seen dozens of meetups spring up (in the US at least) over the past few years (including Pittsburgh here in my backyard!). As part of participating in this survey, I'll be connecting people with others in their local community to initiate more meetups. So, stay tuned for updates. People analytics can often feel isolating for small teams. Therefore, I urge everyone reading this to take note of your local meetup and try to attend if possible! We've also included a comprehensive list of known local meetups at the end of this blog post (jump to end of blog) Wharton People Analytics With approximately a quarter of respondents, Wharton stands out as one of the few conferences in the US solely dedicated to people analytics and not affiliated with a vendor. Now in its 11th year in 2024, the Wharton conference is academically rich and rigorous. Although I haven't personally attended before, I'm looking forward to participating in March this year! HR Technology Conference and Exposition (Las Vegas) Rounding out the top four, a quarter of respondents indicated that HR Tech in Vegas is the place to be, underscoring both how significant technology choices are to People Analytics teams, but also the density of talent that makes its way to Vegas for HR Tech. With nearly 10k attendees, the vendor floor is a spectacle and an exciting way to see the showcase of technology supporting the people analytics and broader HR space. If you’re a PA leader who also oversees or interacts with Tech, it’s a must-attend event each year. Wish List Dreams We also asked respondents which conferences were on the practitioners' wish lists. Four conferences stood out that People Analytics practitioners wish they could attend: Wharton People Analytics A repeat from the list above, about half of the respondents wish they could attend the Wharton People Analytics conference. As mentioned, Wharton has been a staple in the community for well over a decade now. It’s unclear why more folk can’t make it to Wharton PAC, but I’ll make sure to take rigorous notes later this year and will report back on insights and takeaways. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to hear more throughout the year! People Analytics World - London (Tucana) Well over a third of respondents wish they could attend People Analytics World London. PAW London is a dedicated gathering of people analytics practitioners put together by Tucana. It’s a staple in the field and always draws mature people analytics teams and world-class speakers. Tucana has also recently branched out to supporting workforce planning and a number of other events globally and is a leading provider supporting the PA community. Definitely one to try to attend if you can! Insight222 Global Executive Retreat Nearly a quarter of respondents wish they could attend the Insight222 Executive Retreats, but compared to many others on these lists, these executive retreats are invite only. Insight222 is the premier membership organization for people analytics teams and from what I hear, these events are meticulously planned, organized, and executed. Bravo to the Insight222 teams for curating these experiences and if you ever change your mind about speakers from outside vendors coming to speak… you know where to find me. Gartner ReimagineHR Rounding out the top 4 is Gartner ReimagineHR. Gartner ReimagineHR is a premier conference for HR leadership with a specific focus on CHROs and CHRO directs. The quality of conversation is high and the maturity of teams is elevated. I missed this one in 2023, but after hearing reports from folk who attended, it’s not one I’ll miss again. Looking forward to attending this one in 2024 too. Those are the most popular events, but many world-class events were not mentioned. We've compiled our list below and appreciate all who submitted people analytics conferences. If you found this helpful, please let us know. If it proves beneficial, we'll compile a similar list again next year. One Model + Lightcast + Worklytics = The Talent Intelligence & People Analytics Summit And we here at One Model have got some of our own events coming together in 2024! The main one to highlight is a roadshow we’re putting together with our friends at Lightcast and Worklytics. The Talent Intelligence & People Analytics Summit is traveling to a few select cities in the US across 2024, starting with Austin, Texas on February 7th! It’s not too late to register. Finally, I hope to see you out there in 2024! Make sure to follow me and the One Model page to stay connected to us out in the field! 2024 events Follow One Model on LinkedIn and check out our events page. Transform US | 11-13 March 2024 | Las Vegas Wharton People Analytics | 14-15 March 2024 | Philadelphia SIOP Annual Conference | 17-20 April 2024 | Chicago People Analytics World - London | 24-25 April 2024 | London Unleash America (Las Vegas) | 7-9 May 2024 | Las Vegas 9th Annual People Analytics Summit (Toronto) | 14-15 May 2024 | Toronto TALREOS | 16-17 May 2024 | Chicago Irresistable 2024 (Bersin) | 20-23 May 2024 | Los Angeles Oracle Ascend | 17-20 June 2024 | Las Vegas SHRM Annual Conference & Expo | 23-26 June 2024 | Chicago People Analytics Exchange (IQPC) | 25-27 June 2024 | Minneapolis HR Analytics Summit (London) | 4 September 2024 | London Workday Rising | 16-19 September 2024 | Las Vegas HR Technology Conference and Exposition (US) | 24-27 September 2024 | Las Vegas Unleash World (Paris) | 16-17 October 2024 | Paris SuccessConnect (SAP) | 28–30 October, 2024 | Lisbon Gartner Reimagine (Orlando) | 28-30 October 2024 | Orlando HR Analytics and AI Summit (Berlin) | 24-26 November 2024 | Berlin Is the wait too long? You don't need to wait till the next event to talk to One Model (although we're excited to see you in person). Connect with us today. 2024 Meetups And now time for the meetups! These meetups happen frequently throughout the year, so the best wya to be involved and stay involved is to connect with their local site / meetup / LinkedIn group. Where we can, we’ve included some details about how to connect and when there was not a site yet available, we’ve added in local organizers. Brisbane (AU): March 27th at 8pm AEST (Link to event) New York: https://lnkd.in/gbfu_Mjc (Jeremy Shapiro / Stela Lupushor) Bay Area: https://lnkd.in/gnrgRBnH (Annika Schultz / Mariah Norell) Chicago: https://lnkd.in/ghgc3EDb - (Chris Broderick) Philadelphia: https://lnkd.in/g-bWmX5y - (Fiona Jamison, Ph.D.) Pittsburgh: https://lnkd.in/eCdP7KFC (Ken Clar / Richard Rosenow) Minneapolis: https://lnkd.in/eS2aUH3W (Stephanie Murphy, Ph.D. / Mark H. Hanson) Seattle: Bennet Voorhees / Marcus Baker / Philip Arkcoll Denver: Kelsie L. Colley, M.S. ABD / Zach Williams / Gabriela Mauch Boston: Hallie Bregman, PhD / Noel Perez, PMP Dallas: Jordan Hartley, MS-HRM / Cole Napper Austin: Ethan Burris / Roxanne Laczo, PhD Houston: Amy Frost Stevenson, PhD / Jugnu Sharma, SHRM-CP Atlanta: Sue Lam Nashville: Dan George Orlando: James Gallman / Danielle Rumble, MBA Omaha: Justin Arends Salt Lake City: Willis Jensen Toronto: Danielle Bushen / Konstantin Tskhay, PhD Washington DC: Rewina Bedemariam Portland: Rosanna Van Horn
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Featured
13 min read
Nicholas Garbis
At some point, every successful People Analytics team will develop a meaningful partnership with the Finance organization. Unfortunately, this partnership is usually not easily achieved and it's quite normal for initial alignment efforts to last for a couple of years (or more!). We are delighted to repost this insightful blog post authored by Nicholas Garbis on May 4, 2021. Revisiting his valuable insights will help us all foster a deeper understanding of how HR and Finance can collaborate more effectively. A new or maturing People Analytics team may fail to recognize the effort level required and not prioritize the work needed to establish this critical partnership with Finance. They do so at their own peril. The day will inevitably arrive when a great analytics product from the PA team will be dismissed by senior leaders when they see the foundational headcount numbers do not match. The PA team will be lacking in a clear explanation that is supported by the CFO and Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) leaders. But why is this the case? And how can HR and People Analytics teams do a better job of establishing the partnership? Analyzing the analytics conflicts between finance and HR Lack of alignment on workforce data At the heart of the issue is a lack of alignment on the most basic workforce metric: headcount. Both Finance and HR teams are often sharing headcount data with senior leaders. In many companies, the numbers are different. This creates distrust and frustration, and I will contend that, given Finance’s influence in most organizations, the HR team is on the losing end of these collisions. End result is that the organization spends time debating the figures (at a granular level) and misses the opportunity to make talent decisions that support the various company strategies (eg, growth, innovation, cultural reinvention, cost optimization). While headcount is at the foundation, there are several other areas where such disconnects arise and create similar challenges: workforce costs, contingent workers, position management, re-organizations, workforce budgets/plans, movements, etc... Solving the basic headcount alignment is the first step in setting the partnership. Source of the Disconnect: "Headcount Dialects" and "Dialectical Thinking" The disconnect in headcount figures is nearly always one of definition. Strange as it may sound, Finance and HR do not naturally count the workforce in the same way. It's as if there is a 'headcount dialect" that each needs to learn in order to communicate with the other. Therefore, if they have not spent some intentional, focused time on aligning definitions and processes, they will continue to collide with each other (and HR will fail to gain the trust needed to build an analytics/evidence-based culture around workforce decisions). The dialectical thinking challenge is for Finance and HR to recognize that the same data can be presented in (at least) two different ways and both can be simultaneously accurate. It is for the organization to determine which definition is considered "correct" for each anticipated use case (and then stick to that plan). Primary disconnection points Two primary areas of disconnect are the definition of the term “headcount” and whether a cost or organizational hierarchy is being used. Definition of “Headcount”: There are several components of this, underscoring the need for alignment when it comes to finance headcount vs HR headcount. Using Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) or Employee Count: Employees that are working less than full-time are often in the system with FTE values of 1.0 (full-time), 0.5 (half-time), and every range of fraction in between. The Employee Count, on the other hand, will count each employee as 1 (sometimes lightly referred to as a “nose count” to distinguish it from the FTE values). In some companies, interns/co-op employees are in the system with FTE value of 0, even though they are being paid. Determining Which Status Codes are to be Included: Employees are captured in the HR system as being active or inactive, on short-term or long-term leave of absence (LOA, “garden leave”), and any number of custom values that are used to align with the HR processes. In many companies, the FTE values are updated to align with the change in status. Agreeing on which status codes are counted in "headcount" is required for setting the foundation. Organization versus Cost Hierarchy: The headcount data can be rolled up (and broken down) in at least two ways: based on the organization/supervisor hierarchy structure or based on the cost center/financial hierarchy. Each has its unique value, and neither is wrong -- they are simply two representations of the same underlying data. It’s quite common that insufficient time has been spent in aligning, reconciling, and validating these hierarchies and determining which one should be used in which situations. Organization Hierarchy: This is sometimes called the “supervisory hierarchy” and represents “who reports to whom” up the chain of command to the CEO. This hierarchy is representative of how work is being managed and how the workforce is structured. Each supervisor, regardless of who is paying for their team members, is responsible for the productivity, engagement, performance, development, and usually the compensation decisions, too. Viewing headcount through the organization hierarchy will provide headcount values (indicating the number of resources) for each business unit, each central function, etc... The organization hierarchy is appropriate for understanding how work is being done, performance is being managed, the effectiveness of leaders and teams, and all other human capital management concerns. It is also useful in some cost-related analyses such as evaluation and optimization of span-of-control and organization layers. Cost Hierarchy: This is sometimes referred to as “who is paying for whom” and is rarely in perfect alignment with the organization hierarchy. There is a good reason for this, as there are situations when a position in one part of the organization (eg, research & development) is being funded by another (eg, a product or region business unit). In these cases, one leader is paying for the work and the work is being managed by a supervisor within another leader's organization. I have seen "cross-billing" situations going as high as 20% of a given organization. When headcount is shown in a cost hierarchy, it indicates what will hit the general ledger and the financial reporting of the business units. It has a valid and proper place, but it is mostly about accounting, budgeting, and financial planning. Which business unit is right? The truth is that as long as you have all the workforce data accurately captured in the system, everything is right. This sounds trite, but it puts emphasis on the task at hand which is to determine a shared understanding and establish rules for what will be counted and how, which situations will use which variations, and what agreed-upon labeling will be in place for charts/tables shared with others. Some organizations that have a culture of compliance and governance could set this up as part of an HR data governance effort (where headcount and other workforce metrics would be defined, managed, and communicated). Going further, there is a need beyond the Finance and HR/People Analytics leader to socialize whatever is determined as these running rules across the Finance and HR organizations. These teams all need to be aligned. How does One Model help finance and HR collaborate? With a People Analytics solution like One Model in place, the conversations between HR and Finance can be had with much more clarity and speed. This becomes easier because, within One Model all of the workforce data is captured, data quality is managed, and all related dimensions (eg, hierarchies, employee attributes) are available for analysis. Two examples of content that is specifically designed to facilitate the Finance-HR alignment discussions are: Headcount Storyboard. Setting up a storyboard which shows headcount represented in multiple ways: FTEs versus employee counts, variations of which statuses are included/excluded, etc. This information becomes readily comparable with the metric definitions only a click away. Even better, the storyboard can be shared with the Finance and HR partners in the discussion to explore on their own after the session. One Model is the best tool for counting headcount over time. Hierarchy Storyboard. Providing views of the headcount as seen using the supervisor and cost hierarchies side-by-side will help to emphasize that both are simultaneously correct (ie, the grand total is exactly the same). This can also provide an opportunity to investigate some of the situations where the cost and organizational hierarchy are not aligned. In many cases, these situations can be understood. Still, occasionally there are errors from previous reorganizations/transfers which resulted in costing information not being updated for a given employee (or group of employees). With the data in front of the teams, the discussion can move from “Which one is right?” to “Which way should be used when we meet with leaders next time?” When you have One Model, you can bring HR and Finance together faster and more easily ... and that helps you to accelerate your people analytics journey. Need Help Talking to Finance? Let us know you'd like to chat.
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Featured
7 min read
Ryan Sauve
The financial services industry has undergone seismic shifts in recent years, from pandemic-driven changes to remote workforces and economic turmoil to increased emphasis on employee diversity. Financial services HR departments have their hands full as they navigate these unprecedented challenges while striving to ensure employees are kept up-to-date with rapidly evolving markets and technology. Financial services are also notably one of the most important drivers of economic growth and stability and employ millions of people in different roles — from front-line customer service to back-office data entry. Banks, investment banks, and insurance companies (among other financial services) are complex and require various technical and human skills for these roles. Despite this complexity, they have traditionally been managed with little understanding or insight into their workforce, relying on outdated HR systems and manual processes which do not capture the nuances of people’s performance. Until now. To successfully meet the demand for continual reskilling, many finance companies are investing in data visualization and people analytics software to navigate the skills gap, a hybrid work environment, and an ever-changing economic landscape. HR in the World of Finance With the financial industry's pivotal role in steering our economic system, it is of paramount importance to consider HR. Unlike other industries where land, capital, and enterprise are commonly found as equal players alongside labor; within the financial space, there is an outsized reliance on its workforce whether trading, consulting, or selling. This fact has made effective HR work vital in seeing these organizations thrive. By connecting with employees at all levels, from executive board members right through to senior managers (along with those “backstage” workers who ensure things run smoothly), HR ensures efficient working operations necessary for success today and into tomorrow. In general, the most successful companies will be ones that are employees-centric. This means even greater pressure on HR departments. In fact, a recent survey revealed that 64% expect more strain due to increased hybrid work environments, with 18% expecting a significant increase in their workload. As such, people analytics in finance will be a priority for many companies in 2023 and beyond. Hearing From Your Knowledge Workers at Scale A Workplace Culture 2018 report found that 71% of professionals say they would be willing to take a pay cut to work for a company that has a mission they believe in and shared values. In addition, 70% of U.S. workers would not work at a company if they had to tolerate a negative workplace culture. Financial services people analytics provides an opportunity for organizations to gain meaningful insights into their workforce. It allows them to understand how their employees work best and how they can improve engagement levels to drive business performance. People analytics in finance can provide insights into employee performance, engagement levels, and attrition rates, allowing companies to predict how best to deploy their staff to achieve desired outcomes. Identify Burnout and Avoiding Costly Attrition People analytics in the finance services industry is also helping organizations understand their workforce better, enabling them to identify potential burnout risks and intervene before it’s too late. By identifying struggling employees or those at risk of leaving, these firms can take preventative measures such as providing additional support or re-orienting tasks to help avoid costly attrition. Manage Resources and Improve Business Outcomes Financial services companies often have high revenue per employeeaverages due to the complexity of their operations and the specialized skillsets required to perform them. Financial institutions such as banks, investment bankers, and insurance companies require a wide range of technical and human skills to function properly. Financial services are also expensive for customers, meaning that these firms can charge more for their services than other industries. This allows these firms to generate higher revenues from fewer employees than other sectors. Therefore, attrition is more closely related to Business Outcomes than other industries. We’re also under pressure to ensure that our business is fair and equitable. As our industry tends to be more regulated having diversity metrics had hand and even tracking them ensures that we’re hitting the mark. That is exactly why we see so many financial services industries maturing in people analytics faster. I believe this is because they can easily see how this makes them more competitive and improve their bottom line. Nurturing Employee Knowledge and Skills People analytics can also play an important role in helping financial services organizations nurture the knowledge of their employees and ensure they are performing at their peak. By layering talent profiles, learning development metrics and employee backgrounds, firms can create and monitor targeted training programs and development plans to ensure that teams have the right skillsets to meet the ever-evolving demands of the industry. They can even compare trained employees to untrained employees and see how the segments are performing! Finding Top Performers and Improving Retention Strategies Bank HR, in particular, has a great deal to gain from financial services people analytics, as it can be used to identify potential high-performers and groom them for critical roles in the organization. Everyone should have a succession plan. Furthermore, banks can use predictive modeling to identify employees that are at risk of leaving or being poached by competitors, allowing the institution to intervene quickly with retention strategies. Analyzing Data to Understand Customer Experience People analytics can also help finance companies better understand the customer experience by allowing them to correlate employee performance with customer satisfaction. By analyzing data from customer feedback surveys, organizations can identify areas where customers may not be receiving the best service or areas where further staff training might be beneficial. Leveraging HR in the Finance Industry Overall, people analytics provides financial services organizations with a new way to gain insights into their workforce, allowing them to make more informed decisions about how best to utilize their resources and improve overall business outcomes. This helps promote a culture of collaboration and innovation within the organization, as well as providing valuable data to inform decisions about talent acquisition, promotion, and succession planning. By leveraging people analytics strategically, firms can ensure their workforce is able to meet the challenges and opportunities of their dynamic markets. Let’s Talk Finances! Connect with us today.
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Featured
2 min read
Chris Butler
One Model took home the Small Business Category of the Queensland Premier's Export Awards held last night at Brisbane City Hall. The award was presented by Queensland Premier and Minister for Trade, Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk MP and Minister for Employment, Small Business, Training and Skills Development, Hon Dianne Farmer MP. “We are delighted to receive this award given the quality of entrepreneurs and small business owners in Queensland,” One Model CEO, Chris Butler said. “It is a tribute to the exceptional team we have in Brisbane and the world leading people analytics product One Model has built.” “From our first client, One Model has been an export focussed business. With the profile boost this award gives us, we look forward to continuing to grow our export markets of the United States, Europe and Asia,” Mr Butler said. Following this win, One Model is now a finalist in the 59th Australian Export Awards to be held in Canberra on Thursday 25 November 2021. One Model was founded in Texas in 2015, by South-east Queensland locals Chris Butler, Matthew Wilton and David Wilson. One Model generates over 90% of its revenue from export markets, primarily the United States. One Model was also nominated in the Advanced Technologies Award Category. One Model would like to congratulate Shorthand for winning this award as well as our fellow finalists across both categories - Healthcare Logic, Tactiv (Advanced Technologies Category), iCoolSport, Oper8 Global, Ryan Aerospace and Solar Bollard Lighting (Small Business Category). The One Model team would like to thank Trade and Investment Queensland for their ongoing support. To learn more about One Model's innovative people analytics platform or our company's exports, please feel free to reach out to Bruce Chadburn at bruce.chadburn@onemodel.co. PICTURE - One Model Co-Founders Chris Butler, Matthew Wilton and David Wilson with Queensland Premier, Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk MP and the other award winners.
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Featured
15 min read
Chris Butler
The public sector is rapidly evolving, is your people analytics strategy fit for purpose and can it meet the increasing demands of a modern public sector? In this blog, we will highlight the unique challenges that public sector stakeholders face when implementing a people analytics strategy. In light of those challenges, we will then outline how to best design and implement a modern people analytics strategy in the public service. When it comes to people analytics, the public sector faces a number of unique challenges; The public sector is the largest and most complex workforce of any employer in Australia. A workforce that bridges everything from white collar professionals to front line staff and every police officer, teacher and social worker in between. Public sector workforces are geographically dispersed with operations across multiple capital cities in the case of the Commonwealth Government, or a mix of city and regional staff in the case of both state and federal governments. The public service operates a multitude of HR systems acquired over a long time, leading to challenges of data access and interoperability. Important public service HR data may also be held in manual non-automated spreadsheets prone to error and security risk. A complex industrial relations and entitlements framework, details of which are generally held in different datasets. Constant machinery of government (MoG) changes demand both organisational and technological agility by public servants to keep delivering key services (as well as the delivery of ongoing and accurate HR reporting). The public sector faces increased competition for talent, both within the public service and externally with the private sector. Citizen and political pressure for new services and methods of government service provision is at an all time high - so not only are your critical stakeholders your customers, they are your voters as well. Cyber security and accessibility issues that are unique to the public sector. This all comes under the pressure of constant cost constraints that require bureaucracies to do more with limited budgets. As a result - understanding and best utilising limited human capital resources is crucial for the public sector at both a state and federal level. Now that we have isolated the unique people analytics challenges of the public sector, how do HR professionals within the public service begin the process of implementing a people analytics strategy? 1. Data Orchestration “Bringing all of your HR data together.” The first stage of any successful people analytics programme is data orchestration, without having access to all of your relevant people data feeds in one place, it is almost impossible to develop a universal perspective of your workforce. Having a unified analytical environment is critical as it allows HR to; Develop a single source of truth for the data you hold on employees. Cross reference employee data within and between departments to adequately benchmark and compare workforces to drive team-level, department-level and public service wide insights. Establish targeted interventions and not one-size-fits-all solutions. For example, a contact centre is going to have very different metric results than your corporate groups like Finance or Legal. Blend data between systems to uncover previously hidden insights. Uncover issues such as underpayments that develop when different systems don’t communicate. Using people analytics to mitigate instances of underpayment is covered extensively in this blog. Provide a clean and organised HR data foundation from which to generate predictive insights. Have the capacity to export modelled data to an enterprise data warehouse or another analytical environment (PowerBI, Tableau etc). Allow HR via people analytics to support the Enterprise data mesh - covered in more detail in this blog post. People data orchestration in the public sector is complicated by the reliance on legacy systems, as well as the constant changes in structure driven by machinery of government reforms. Successful data orchestration can only be achieved through an intimate knowledge of the source HR systems and a demonstrated capacity to extract information from those systems and then model that information in a unified environment. This takes significant technology knowledge, such as bespoke API integrations for cloud based systems and proven experience working with on premise systems. It also requires subject matter expertise in the nuances of HR data. It can not be easily implemented without the right partners. Ideally, the end solution should be a fully flexible open analytics infrastructure to future proof the public sector and allow for the ingestion of data from new people data systems as they arise (such as new LMS or pulse survey products) while also facilitating the migration of data from legacy systems to more modern cloud based platforms. 2. Data Governance “Establishing the framework to manage your data.” Now that all of your data is in one place, it is important you develop a robust framework for how to manage that data - in our view this has two parts - data definition and data access. Data Definition Having consolidated multiple sources of data in one environment, the next step is metric definition, which is critical to being able to convert the disparate data sets that you have assembled into coherent, understandable language. It is all well and good to have your data in one place, but if you have 5 different definitions of what an FTE means from the five different systems you are aggregating then the benefits you receive from your data orchestration phase will be marginal. Comprehensive metric definitions with clear explanations are needed to ensure your data is properly orchestrated and organisation-wide stakeholders have confidence that data is standardised and can be trusted. Data Access HR data is some of the most complex and sensitive a government holds, so existing HR data management practices based on spreadsheets that can be easily distributed to non-approved stakeholders both inside and outside of your organisation are no longer fit for purpose. Since your people analytics data is coming from multiple systems you need to provide an overarching security framework that controls who gets access to what information and why. This framework must based on logical rules, aligned to broader departmental privacy policies and flexible enough to accommodate organisational change and to scale to your entire department or agency regardless of its size. Critically, there needs to be a high level of automation and scalability to use role based security as a mechanism for safely sharing data to decision makers. Today’s spreadsheet based world relies on limiting data sharing, which also limits effective data driven decision making. Finally, these role based security access frameworks need to be scalable so each new user or change in structure doesn’t require days of manual work from your team to ensure both access and compliance. 3. Secure People Analytics Distribution “Delivering people analytics content to your internal stakeholders.” The next step, once you have consolidated your data and established an appropriate data governance framework, is to present and distribute this data to your internal stakeholders. This is what we refer to as the distribution phase of your people analytics implementation. We established in the last section that for privacy and security reasons, different stakeholders require access to varying levels of information. The distribution phase goes one step further and places access within the prism of what individual stakeholders need in order to successfully do their jobs. For example, the information and insights necessary for a Departmental Secretary and a HR business partner to do their jobs are wildly different and therefore should be tailored to their particular needs. So, organisation wide metrics and reports in the case of the Departmental Secretary and team or individual level metrics for the HR BP or line manager. This is further complicated by disclosure requirements and reporting unique to the public service. This includes; Media requests regarding public servant pay and conditions Statutory reporting requirements for annual state of the public service reports Submissions to and appearances before parliamentary committees Disclosure to independent oversight inquiries or agencies As a result, public sector HR leaders are required to walk a tightrope of both breadth and specificity. So how do we recommend you do this? Offer a baseline of standardised metrics for the whole organisation. Tailor that baseline based on role-based access requirements, so stakeholders only see information that is relevant to drive data driven decision making. Deliver those insights at scale - the wider the stakeholder group consuming your outputs the better. Ensure those outputs are timely and relevant - daily or weekly updates are recommended. Be able to justify your insights and offer access to raw data, calculations and metric definitions. Continually educate your stakeholders about best practice people analytics. Increase reporting sophistication based on the people analytics maturity of your stakeholders - simple reporting for entry level stakeholders, more complicated predictive insights for the more advanced. To get the most out of your people analytics strategy you need to deliver two things; Role based access to the widest stakeholder group across your department, the wider the group of employees that have access to detailed datasets the easier it will be to deliver data driven decision making. Support your team with a change management programme to grow their analytical capability over the course of time. 4. Extracting Value from your Data “Using AI + Data Science to generate predictive insights.” Now we get to the fun part - using data science to supercharge your analysis and generate predictive insights. However, to quote the great theologian and people analytics pioneer - Spiderman - “With great power comes great responsibility.” Most data science work today is performed by a very small number of people using arcane knowledge and coding in technologies like R or Python. It is not scalable and rarely shared. The use of machine learning capabilities with people data requires a thoughtful approach that considers the following; Does your AI explain its decisions? Could the decisions your machine learning environment recommends withstand the scrutiny of a parliamentary committee? Do you adhere to ethical AI frameworks and decision making? What effort has been made to detect and remove bias? Does harnessing predictive insights require a data scientist or can it be used by everyday stakeholders within your department? Will your use of AI adhere to current or future standards, such as those recently proposed by the European Commission? To learn more about the European Commission proposal regarding new rules for AI, click here. In integrating the use of machine learning into your people analytics programme, you must ensure that models are transparent and can be explained to both your internal and external stakeholders. 5. Using People Analytics to Support Public Sector Reform “Public sector HR driving data-driven decision making.” A people analytics strategy does not exist in isolation, it is a crucial aspect of any departmental strategy. However, in speaking to our public sector HR colleagues - they often feel that their priorities are sidelined or they don’t have the resources to argue for their importance. A lot of this has to do with the absence of integrated datasets and outputs to justify HR prioritisation and investment. We see people analytics and the successful aggregation of disparate data sets as the way that HR can drive their people priorities forward. If HR can present an integrated and trusted dataset, that allows comparison and cross validation with data from other verticals including finance, community engagement, procurement and IT. This gives HR the capability to be central to overall decision making and support broader departmental corporate strategies from the ground up. We have written extensively about the importance of data driven decision making in HR and using people analytics to support enterprise strategy, this content can be found on our blog here - www.onemodel.co/blog Why you should invest in people analytics and what One Model can do to help. The framework of a successful public sector people analytics project outlined above is the capability that the One Model platform delivers. From data orchestration to predictive insights, One Model delivers a complete HR Analytics Capability. The better you understand your workforce, the more ambitious the reform agendas you can fulfil. One Model is set up to not only orchestrate your data to help the public service understand the challenges of today, but through our proprietary OneAI platform - to help you build the public service of the future. One Model’s public sector clients are some of our most innovative and pragmatic, we love working with them. At One Model, we are constantly engaging with the public sector about best practice people analytics - last year, our Chief Product Officer - Tony Ashton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-ashton/) - himself a former Commonwealth HR public servant appeared on the NSW Public Service Commission’s The Spark podcast to discuss how the public sector can use people data to make better workforce decisions. That podcast can be found here. Let’s start a conversation If you work in a public service department or agency and are interested in learning more about how the One Model solution can help you get the most out of your workforce, my email is patrick.mcgrath@onemodel.co
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