Introduction HR Technology Supplement
Editor’s note
As s consumers, we are bombarded
and experiences sold to us at every
turn. Billboards tell us how to reach
our ideal weight, Tube adverts tell
us to take a left or right out of the
station to find the nearest bar,
social media tells us what
to read…
The business – and HR – world
is no different. You’re told to buy
this software to keep employees
happy, use this system to keep
data secure, choose this tool to minimise bias in
hiring… which makes navigating the space
something of an assault on the senses – a heady mix
of shiny, flashing lights all trying to grab your
attention at the same time.
And so we felt there was no better way to showcase
this in this year’s technology supplement than with a
futuristic Blade Runner-esque cityscape theme,
where promises of what new HR tech could do for
your organisation draw you in like the lure of neon
billboards in the commotion of Piccadilly Circus or
Times Square. Travel through the lights, and
prescriptive analytics, cyber security and people
analytics all leap out at you.
We have never been faced with so much
choice. And yet as our feature on prescriptive
analytics shows (p8), we have perhaps also never
been faced with so little choice. Just as Netflix tells
you what series or film you might enjoy, HR tech can
now tell you when to have a catch-up with a team
member or that it’s time to give a pay rise to
someone who is a flight risk. While it may sound
unnerving, this next step on the journey after
a result are being led “down dead ends
and rabbit holes and
Wonderland
getting the building blocks of a people
analytics team in place HR can get back
on track.
Of course behind the bright lights of
every city there is a dark side. And this HR
futurescape is no different. Cyber attacks threaten
the most seemingly secure organisations, and HR
could be the weak link in the chain (p22).
Throwing money at the wrong solution is another
danger. Which makes running pilots before you roll
out HR technology critical (p28). Seeking advice
beyond HR can also help. Our piece on p18 hears
from other functions – heads of marketing,
procurement and finance transformation – about
their digital journeys and lessons for HR.
So new tech is springing up at an ever-faster rate.
But it’s not as simple as just throwing out last year’s
solution for the next. It takes time to launch the right
tech, engage your workforce with it, and build the
right team to support and use it. It’s a journey – one
we hope this supplement will provide some clarity
on, to help you navigate all those blinding lights.
Rachel Sharp
Deputy editor
HR magazine
Contents
About us
Editor
Jenny Roper
020 7501 6341
Deputy editor
Rachel Sharp
020 7501 6773
News reporter
Rachel Muller-
Heyndyk
020 3874 9235
Sub-editor
Thirza Tooes
Publisher
Darryl Danielli
Sales manager
Edith Barrett
020 7501 6716
Art director
VeeSun Ho
Group awards
manager
Edward Wyre
Studio manager
Carolyn Allen
Production assistant
Larry Oakes
Production manager
Jon Redmayne
Circulation manager
Chris Jones
Production director
Richard Hamshere
Managing director
Jon Benson
Contributors
Suzy Bashford,
Rob Gray
Email
fi rst.surname@
markallengroup.com
Illustrations throughout:
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@KJA-artists.com
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8,861
July 2018 – June 2019
The paper used within this
publication has been sourced from
Chain-of-Custody certified
manufacturers, operating within
international environmental standards,
to ensure sustainable sourcing of the
raw materials, sustainable production
and to minimise our carbon footprint.
with new products, services
descriptive and predictive analytics
could have great potential.
However, as our feature on people
analytics teams explores, some may be
a step behind (p14). As Alec Levenson
says, many focus too narrowly on HR
rather than business challenges, and as
Alice in
Wonderland kind of adventures”. By
4
How to ensure
employees
engage with new
HR tech
8
Is prescriptive
analytics the holy
grail for HR?
14
Building a people
analytics team
that can solve
business issues
18
Lessons in
digitalisation from
other functions
22
What HR can do to
protect itself – and
its sensitive data –
from cyber attacks
26
Taking automation
of HR processes
up a gear
28
How to pilot a tech
system to test its
suitability for your
organisation
30
Why HRBPs are
critical to HR
tech adoption
hrmagazine.co.uk October 2019 HR 3
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