Speaker 1: So we're looking at using HR metrics and analytics to enhance decision-making in organizations. Interestingly, the definition of analytics is the topic that we're dealing with today because in simple terms, to a layman, analytics has to do with pieces of data to draw heeding insights to aid decision-making. So anytime we're talking about analytics, we're looking at the ability to analyze data, then be able to draw heeding insight from the data, and by virtue of the heeding insights you have been able to bring out of your data, it would be able to help you for decision-making. Now, by extension, we are narrowing down to say how does HR analytics, HR metrics, how does it help organizations to make better decisions? So by extension, when we're talking about HR analytics, HR analytics is a data-driven approach to managing people at work. So when we're looking at the management of the people process, when we take a data approach to that, then what we're doing is we're doing HR analytics. Now, if I'm to give a little bit of definition to that, and I'll be borrowing from a authority when it comes to analytics in HR, that's AIHR, they define HR analytics, which is also known as people analytics. So it's important that I start to clarify that when you see the word HR analytics, people analytics, workforce analytics, talent analytics, they are used interchangeably. Though when we get into some technicalities, some individuals who want to say that they are not the same thing, but for the sake of our conversation today, I'm going to be taking HR analytics, talent analytics, people analytics, workforce analytics, to mean the same thing. So when you see me use those words, I am referring to the same thing. So HR analytics, also known as people analytics, workforce analytics, or talent analytics revolves around analyzing people problems, using data to answer the critical questions about the organization. So when we have a problem within the organization, and we want to solve that problem, not from a subjective point of view, not from a view of, I think, I thought, or whatever, not from an emotional standpoint, but to say, okay, so you are making suggestions, and management is asking the question, so why should we do this? What's the data to show for it? It's the same way that when an organization wants to increase salaries for employees, they often do what we call a remuneration benchmarking or remuneration survey, because they want to know what is happening in the market, so that they'll be able to create a data approach to answering the question of a salary increase. So anytime we're looking at a data-driven approach to managing people at work, what we're doing is HR analytics. An interesting thing is this, we all do, analytics has been with us, but maybe we have not been conscious of it till date. Now, when we now start to talk about people, HR, it's very critical that we look at a few things. Number one, HR analytics, people analytics, workforce analytics, I said we can use all of these words interchangeably, when it is effectively used, it gives HR the ability to provide practical insight to aid business decision. Now, this will lead to something, when we use HR analytics very well, that's how it is going to aid decision making, and by extension, it can lead to commercial gain for the organization. And interestingly is this, the shifts of HR embracing analytics and using it for business decisions that leads to commercial gain, will actually give HR entry to obtain the more I sit at the table. So every time everybody says it, that's the most, the word that we hear a lot, HR needs a seat at the table. HR needs a seat at the table, but HR is still traditional. HR is still acting like dinosaurs. HR is still acting on gut feeling. So we think we should employ X and Y, and the question is why? And HR is saying, I just feel that we should give the guy a promotion. And the management is asking why? No data, no performance score, no analysis over a certain period, no nine box metrics, talking about the IPOs, nothing is on ground. And HR is just saying, I think this individual has stayed on the role for three years, we should promote the guy. There is no data to show. And that is one of the reasons why HR will not get that seat at the table. If HR does not embrace HR analytics to support the decisions they are going to be making. Very, very critical. I hope that I have to take my time to mention that. So the critical cardinal point of our conversation today is, if we effectively embrace HR analytics, it is very critical. No, okay. So let me give you this example. The business, the language of business is data. One of the reasons why the financial controllers of this world, the sales guys of this world, we continue to be at the heart of the business is because they are speaking data. They're speaking bottom line. They are speaking how the sales they make is going to affect the organization. The financial guy is doing all the financial analysis, and that's to do with data, data numbers. And here we are in HR, we still want to be speaking our phonetics and the rest. No, the business has moved on. They want you to start to speak data. Unfortunately, HR analytics, people analytics is there to support the decisions you want to make. All you need to do is that we are sitting on a lot of data, and we need to start to invest the data. We need to understand the kind of data we are sitting on. Then we now need to start to describe that data. We're going to get into the various types of analytics in a bit so that we can be able to present it in a data visualization form to make a case even for the business. For HR to have that much eye seat at the table, then HR analytics need to be taken at the forefront. Then when the next time you are going for your HR, you're presenting an HR report, you're presenting a lot of data, you're seeing your employee age, you're seeing the demographics, you're seeing where everybody fall into, you're speaking the numbers, you're showing them all of the various metrics that you need to track, which tends to tell you about the effectiveness and the efficiency of the HR process. And you start to now say, yes, if we're able to do this with this number, then this is what would happen X, Y, Z down the line, because you're using HR analytics in the right way. So it's very critical for HR to have that seat at the table. HR analytics need to be effectively used. In 2020, Gartner released a white paper, which they titled Analytics Driven Talent Strategy. Now I'm going to take an extract from that report. It says that senior business leaders increasingly look to human resource HR leaders to develop the expertise and capability they need to drive the digital ambitions of the enterprise. When we start to talk about digital ambition of the enterprise, we're talking about transformation. We're talking about application of data analytics because we're in the fourth industrial revolution. And HR is being looked up to by the business leaders. That's the expectation of the business leader. They want HR to drive it. As a matter of fact, most business transformation would require HR. So if we're trying to do a digital transformation, the question everybody is going to be asked is how digitally savvy are our employees? For transformation to be done, senior business leaders are looking up to HR. Why? Because they see data as a leech pin of HR decision, which means for decisions to be taken, it needs to be premised on data. There's no way, there's no way you can run away from it. Your decisions as HR professional need to be premised on data. You need to have a support for every initiative that you're trying to implement within the organization. Because HR analytics cannot be meaningful without appropriate data for analysis. So if you don't have data, then there's nothing you can do, even in HR.