While we
shouldn’t
expect
HRBPs to
be data
experts...
advocating
for tech will
be crucial
The HRBPs’ pivotal role in
Be an advocate for technology or get left behind, says
Agilisys’ head of HR business partnering CLAIRE SPURDELL
HR technology is moving at an
ever-rapid pace. Most HR teams
have already evolved from personnel
departments, with Excel spreadsheets
containing masses of employee
information and antiquated paper files,
into functions that use a core HR and
payroll system as a minimum. But the
possibilities that HR tech offers are
becoming so much more than this. We
now have technology that can support
every aspect of the employee lifecycle
and truly transform our practice.
However, our use of technology
can be boiled down to one of three
simple reasons:
1 To gather data to make better,
informed people decisions;
2To automate processes through AI
and robotics; or
3To enhance customer interaction
with, and experience of, HR.
HRBPs have long been told to
become more commercial, more data
driven and more recently, more
focused on employee brand. Too often
the temptation has been to make the
role so generalist and all-encompassing
that it is untenable. However, when
looking at HR technology adoption,
HRBPs play a pivotal role in each of
these three areas.
If we take the first area of gathering
data to make people decisions, this lies
at the heart of what constitutes a
relevant and impactful HRBP service.
And the possibilities are endless in this
space. For example, using predictive
analytics is a gamechanger in
supporting leaders to make better,
more informed decisions instead of
relying on generic, broad-sweeping
initiatives to target engagement and
retention. Access to this data is only
possible through technology: using
technology solutions for resourcing,
engagement, performance and
learning, alongside traditional HR
technology to capture length of service,
age and gender can all lead to advanced
developments in predicting flight risk
and trajectory within an organisation.
Without this, predicting flight risks is
nigh on impossible unless you have a
perceptive manager, or an obviously
disgruntled employee – neither of
which is ideal.
Make the most of this opportunity
and such technology could transform
how HRBPs operate over the next ten
years. While we shouldn’t expect
HRBPs to be data experts,
understanding the integrity of data and
advocating for technology to support
this agenda will be crucial here.
Secondly while automation might
appear to be most beneficial to the
back-office processes within HR, it has
the potential to enhance the quality of
the HRBP service by allowing HRBPs
to take a more strategic focus. I’m sure
I’m not the only one who has
laboriously pored over Excel
spreadsheets at remuneration time,
trying to make figures add up to a
number. If we continue with
remuneration as an example, the valueadd
role of the HRBP isn’t to make sure
the maths is correct.
We should be looking at how
performance should influence reward,
and spotting any unconscious bias
through analysis of gender or ethnicity
pay gaps.
We should be using predictive
analytics to tackle underlying flight risk
issues through analysis against pay
benchmarking, internally and
externally. This just isn’t possible with
an Excel spreadsheet – even for a
business partner with better and more
sophisticated formulas than me.
HRBPs should be advocating for
technology that will allow them to add
the strategic value the role demands
instead of being the administrative
driving force behind a process.
This leads directly onto the third
area and the role of the HRBP as
gatekeeper to accessing services that
enhance
experience of, HR. The need for
remuneration technology doesn’t add
as much impact in an organisation
where pay is dictated by pay scales and
spine points. The technology we
introduce needs to meet the business
demand to justify the expense, either
through better people outcomes, or
reduced costs, which is why HRBPs are
perfectly placed to advocate for this. In
this capacity, they need to be able to
articulate business demand to help the
experts translate that into technology
and process. Which means HRBPs
must understand what technology will
have the biggest impact on the rest of
the business’ perception of HR, and on
employee experience.
With the HRBP role then critical to
the three types of HR technology
adoption, how can they advocate for
technology solutions without having a
core understanding of the technology
and its impact on their service?
The simple answer is, they can’t. We
shouldn’t expect HRBPs to be
technology specialists, but they must
understand how their service, as well as
their business areas, can embrace and
develop technology. And given their
critical position they must understand
this perhaps more than most in HR.
Much like HR needed to evolve
from ‘personnel’ the HRBP now
needs to evolve into a digitallyenabled
professional to remain
relevant. After all, wouldn’t it be a
sign of success if we were able to
use data to really drive management
decisions that saw tangible benefits
in retention, turnover and impactful
people decisions? If not, I better
start learning some better
Excel formulas… HR
HR technology
customer interaction with, and
HR Technology Supplement Opinion
30 HR October 2019 hrmagazine.co.uk
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