- So we're here with Erik van Vulpen
from Analytics in HR.
Erik, can you introduce yourself?
- Yeah, of course.
I'm Erik van Vulpen, I'm the founder of Analytics in HR.
We started about two and something years ago
just writing about how to do
people analytics in the most practical way
and that has grown quite a bit.
We launched the HR Analytics Academy
because a lot of people started asking us,
'Hey, where can we learn more about analytics?'
And that has been the journey.
- If we look into the HR analytics space
what are the main things that you see
happening there at the moment?
- Oh, that's a good question.
There's a lot happening.
- All right.
- And we can talk about it for hours.
I think the main three things that are happening is that
companies see the importance of analytics.
Analytics has kind of blown up in the past few years
and companies really see the importance of data-driven HR.
However companies are struggling with
implementing analytics.
A lot of companies try to get their data on a certain level,
try to get descriptive reporting so they know
what's going on with the organization.
But companies are still struggling with
really getting the most value out of their data.
- All right.
- So yeah, you can have a dashboard
and you can see what your turnover is
or you can see what the percentage of unwanted turnover is,
the high potentials that are leaving
that you really don't want to leave.
But the question is still what do you do with this.
Making that next step is something
that companies are really struggling with at the moment.
- So we're talking about, when you say the next step,
we're talking about going from descriptive
to predictive? Or?
- Yeah, that's exactly it.
Going from having a dashboard with data
that you can just look at and maybe
learn something from, but it's just a static data
from today and yesterday and the year before this,
towards, 'hey, what will happen in the future?'
Because if you can anticipate or predict
what will happen in the future, you know,
you will get value.
You can anticipate, you can create policies
that will also impact the future.
So those predictions are something
that companies are striving for.
- Yes.
- Logically, because that's where the real value is,
but it's still very hard to achieve.
- All right. And I believe you mentioned
two other ones, right?
- Yeah, not sure. I think the second one
that we're really seeing is
the appetite for analytics is really great
and a lot of people are now trying to actively
develop the skills to do analytics
within their own organization.
And that has been an uptake
that I think shows that the market is now ready
for, 'hey, we know that analytics adds value,
we have a perception of what's going on,
now how do we start doing it?'
A third trend we're really seeing
is an uptake in interest in more advanced techniques.
Something that's talked about a lot
is now continuous listening.
Some book I read not too long ago,
they only used structural equation modeling,
a very advanced statistical technique.
There's also in the scientific literature
more and more written about more advanced techniques
that we can apply in analytics.
I think that also gives us hope
that even though a lot of companies
as I said are struggling with getting
from reporting to real analytics,
there's in the analytics space actually
a lot of progress being made
with scientific research, with books,
with business literature that goes more
towards the advanced approaches.
- When we talk about people analytics,
what are the big themes
that you're expecting to see in 2019?
- That's a good question.
Every year they say that the next year
will be the year of people analytics.
I've never made that prediction.
But I think 2019 might actually be--
- All right.
- the year of people analytics.
I think there are some major trends going on.
Adoption of people analytics will continue,
the importance of metrics will also continue to grow,
simply in terms of importance.
And I think one major trend that we're seeing
a lot of people talking about continuous listening,
about continuous analytics.
I think the view on people analytics will be more
holistic in a way and holistic is always
a very very, you know, floaty kind of word.
What are you talking about when you speak about
holistic people analytics.
It's really the notion of people analytics
doesn't happen in isolation, that it needs,
you need strategic leadership, you need influence,
you need to implement your analytics findings.
The integration within the larger organization,
the culture change in the organizations
will be very important.
And one last part that hooks into this
is digital HR.
The notion that all your systems produce
the data that you do your analytics on.
So if we design those systems in a better way,
the data that comes out of those will be better,
better structured.
And if we design our systems in a way
that mirrors the employee journey, all the critical points.
Our data will reflect that and then our analytics
will be much more focused on adding value,
will be much more accurate.
And I think that's also one of the major trends
that I expect in 2019 will,
that we'll see in 2019.
- All right. Thank you very much, Erik.
- My pleasure, Neelie.