HR Data Analytics

SPRING/SUMMER 2017

Resource

Shaping Organizational Excellence

About This Issue.................................2

Leader Spotlight: John Silverthorn....10

President's Message..........................3

Leveraging Technological Skills.......12

The Digital HR Era.............................4

Photo Gallery....................................14

Privacy Considerations.......................8

New CHRLs & Chapter Awards.......18

2 · HR Data Analytics

About This Issue Catherine Claridge, CHRL, Editor Shaping Organizational Excellence

Board of Directors PRESIDENT Morgan Kerby VICE PRESIDENT Ernest Ogunleye, Chartered MCIPD MEMBERSHIP AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Catherine Claridge, CHRL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Tisha Lorincz, CHRL TREASURER Don Sinclair, CHRL

Editorial Committee

Jennifer Campbell Rosanna Keys, CHRL

Resource Magazine - HRPA Durham Chapter Mailing Address: 105 Consumers Drive, Whitby, ON L1N 1C4 Phone: 905-721-9564 Fax: 647-689-2264 Circulation: 750 electronic copies circulated three times per year with limited press run. Hard copy available upon request. Articles may not be reproduced without prior written permission. Statements, opinions and points of view expressed by contributing writers do not necessarily represent those of HRPA Durham Chapter. While care is taken, Resource Magazine assumes no responsibility for errors or the return of unsolicited materials. Resource Magazine is not responsible for advertising claims made in its pages or inserts; however, we will not knowingly accept for publication, ads, articles, or inserts that contain false statements or defame others.

Resource Magazine reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. Credit for advertisement limited to space error occupies. The information contained in this publication is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice.

Design: SMillerArt.com

Editing: LynneYryku@gmail.com

It's hard to believe we're already wrapping up another program year, yet here we are nearing the end of spring. This year has been chock full of exciting programs and events, and we're about to finalize the planning for another exciting season of key professional development events and tools to support your dynamic HR careers.

We are still riding high following our recent Annual Business Meeting, which saw almost 100 members in attendance, including our MPP Tracy MacCharles, who presented the Durham Chapter with a certificate congratulating us on our Annual Business Meeting, as well as the award winners and new CHRLs for their accomplishments. We also enjoyed hosting the incomparable Michael "Pinball" Clemons, whose compelling keynote and energizing presence were very well received. We've got highlights from this wonderful event, along with many other things, to share with you in this issue.

A growing trend and important focus for today's HR professional is that of data analytics—the theme for this issue of Resource. Inside we have the insightful and informative piece, “The Digital HR Era,” by Melissa Campeau.

It describes how modern HR involves embracing digital potential to deliver agility, competitiveness and an edge.

The Student's Perspective column provides a recent graduate's lens on the topic and how it is being approached by recent HR cohorts as they enter the workforce. We have

also brought you a special interview with an HR leader, John Silverthorn, SVP, Talent Management, with CIBC. John's approachable style and humble leadership will inspire you to strive for new challenges, both personal and professional.

Speaking of HR data, our membership has been growing, and I'm proud to say the Durham Chapter is now at over 900 members. As we approach the 1000-member mark, and the transition from medium- to large-sized chapter, we're preparing for the new set of guidelines and operating requirements that will accompany this re-categorization.

Also, as the population of our region increases, our membership will naturally follow suit, so we are closely monitoring the evolution of the industries and demographic data across Durham Region to keep you posted on any notable developments.

With the close of this program year we also have the end of Board terms, and our President, Morgan Kerby, will be stepping down as acting head of the chapter. In her last update as Chapter President, Morgan is sharing her parting thoughts. Updates from incoming President Ernest Ogunleye will commence with the fall issue.

Happy reading, and enjoy your summer!

Resource: Shaping Organizational Excellence · Spring/Summer 2017 · 3

From the President’s Desk:

Passing the Torch Morgan Kerby, President

As the cliché goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

It couldn’t be more true than in this instance.

Two years ago, I was elected as your President. At the end of my term, as I prepare to pass the torch to our chapter's new leader, I find myself reflecting on the work we had in front of us back then—which at the time seemed insurmountable.

We had one new Board member and one standing member.

We had to build the rest of the Board from there, and what a dynamic and talented team of HR professionals we gathered together!

The HRPA Durham Chapter Board of Directors and volunteers have worked very hard for you, our members, and the community. Their leadership and stellar performance have enabled us to flourish, and I couldn’t be more proud.

We have increased our membership, growing from 800 to 900 members during my tenure, and we have received the Award of Excellence for Retention for two years in a row.

We are continually building affinity relationships through our partnerships with the Greater Oshawa and Whitby Chambers of Commerce, the local colleges and universities, as well as the Business Advisory Centre of Durham.

We have participated in functions such as Connect Women and Threads for Life, and various events hosted by the Chambers. By doing so, we have increased our visibility as HR leaders in our community.

The feedback on our professional development programs has been over the top. Our events regularly sell out, and members tell us we hit the mark in terms of ensuring their development is meaningful and relevant. We have had some dynamic talent speak at our events, such as Dr. JP Pawliw-Fry and Linda Morgan. We have offered certifications such as Mental Health First Aid Training, and our ever-popular Employment Law Conference. Most recently, at our Annual Business Meeting (which you will

see more of in this issue), we had approximately 100 members in attendance to hear from the inspirational Michael “Pinball” Clemons!

In 2016, we relaunched our Mentorship Program, and it has been a huge success. In just one year, we are up to 85 participants and fell just short of the Mentorship Award by a couple of partnerships! I’m confident it will be achieved in 2017.

The relationships with our local post-secondary institutions continue to thrive. We value the next generation of HR talent and are working to help develop our students by hosting CKE info sessions, and providing Association grants, awards and scholarships.

We have enhanced our communications and revitalized our Resource Magazine to rave reviews. We have also expanded our presence and engagement levels on social media.

At the end of the day, our goal is to provide value to you, our members, by providing best-in-class opportunities. I am pleased to say that based on your feedback, we have succeeded in creating a culture of excellence where we continue to raise the bar in meeting your needs.

There are so many people for me to thank for our success, and I thank you all from my heart. Our members, volunteers, community and esteemed Board of Directors, as well as past Board members and Presidents such as Lee Davies, Mary Norton, Peter Taylor, Gary Gannon and Leyland Muss, just to name a few. Rebecca Lauzon, our chapter's administrator and historian for over 26 years, I can’t thank you enough for the extreme dedication and loyalty you have demonstrated to this organization.

It has been an honour and a privilege being your President.

I am deeply humbled to work with such an incredible Board of Directors. Your knowledge, professionalism, incredible passion and steadfast commitment is unmatched. I have lead and learned from each and every one of you. This has been an incredible experience for me, and I am grateful to have met and worked with so many amazing people in the Durham Region.

I would like to wish incoming President, Ernest Ogunleye, the very best of luck. As Past President, I will be here to support him, and I look forward to continued success!

I wish everyone a wonderful summer. Take time to rejuvenate, laugh, love and enjoy life.

4 · HR Data Analytics

The Digital HR Era

Modern HR means embracing digital potential to deliver agility, competitiveness and an edge Melissa Campeau

Digital technology isn’t the future; it’s the present. Mobile and cloud-based technologies are part of employees’ everyday lives, but in many cases, their workplaces haven’t caught up. Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends 2016 report found 79% of HR leaders surveyed believe the move toward digital HR is “very important” or “important” for their organizations. But of Canadian respondents, 79% also said their organizations aren’t ready to embrace digital HR, and only 9% said they have a “very good” understanding of the bestin-class in digital HR. Those numbers represent a critical challenge for HR. But for organizations able to harness the potential of digital HR, there’s also a tremendous opportunity to impact engagement, culture, productivity, recruitment and more.

Diving into transformative change can be less daunting with best-practice examples from those who’ve made the successful leap. According to the Hackett Group, world-class HR organizations (those that rank in the top quartile by efficiency metrics as

well as effectiveness metrics) are exceptionally good at five key things when it comes to digital HR: embracing digital transformation, keeping service customer-centric, using analytics in decision-making, ensuring resources support value projects and not just transactions, and reskilling the HR function.

Embracing Digital Transformation

They also make significant use of cloud-based services, with many planning greater adoption levels in the next two years; talent acquisition and learning management applications have the highest adoption rates when it comes to the cloud, followed by onboarding, collaboration and social networking.

“People say, ‘I’m all for digital transformation,’ but they’ve got to think big picture,” said Harry Osle, Global HR Solutions Practice Leader with the Hackett Group. “They can’t be afraid to invest in HR. They have to understand what their technical footprint is today, what their optimum technical footprint is tomorrow, and then you

Research by the Hackett Group found world-class HR organizations spend more on technology, in part to drive levels of process automation that are two to four times greater than typical companies in key HR areas (but they made up for the spending elsewhere: overall, they spent 23% less than typical companies).

This enables them to devote more time to talent management and other higher-value Harry Osle, The Hackett Group work.

“Another CHRO might say, ‘I have a tremendous need to increase my budget for technology because I want to automate these three or four things.’

That’s a person who is thinking longer term.”

Resource: Shaping Organizational Excellence · Spring/Summer 2017 · 5

have to think in terms of investment to get there, rather than costs.

“This is very important because I’ll sit down with a CHRO and they’ll tell me, ‘It’s incredible how much this HR technology is costing me,’” said Osle.

“That’s an individual who is just looking at technology as a sunk cost rather than as an enabler. Another CHRO might say, ‘I have a tremendous need to increase my budget for technology because I want to automate these three or four dimensions of my delivery model.’ That’s a person who is thinking longer term.”

Keeping Service Customer-Centric That digital spend should move organizations in the direction of the environment employees are looking for: mobile, app-based and fully integrated.

“The most critical thing is that employees entering the workforce today are expecting to be able to mirror that instant convenient digital experience they have at home,” said Karen Forward, Partner, People and Organization Consulting Leader at PwC. That’s a missed opportunity in terms of performance. “With millennials, 78% of them believe technology makes them more effective at work.”

Most businesses aren’t there yet, however. The Deloitte global report notes that 94% of respondents think their organizations aren’t very good at creating systems or processes that treat employees as customers. Among world-class HR organizations, though, the Hackett Group notes significantly higher use of both manager and employee self-service because they’ve created capabilities with the customer experience in mind. The company points to one example where the organization redesigned the recruiting and candidate onboarding process with easy-to-locate-and-digest information, available from a user’s desktop or mobile device.

At PwC, the company has made its performance management process more engaging through the use of digital technology.

“We are spending significantly less time on performance management processes,” said Forward. “Our employees are able to do performance management on their devices now. It’s really simplified. The beauty of it, for employees as well as managers, is this data is gathered in real time throughout the year and summarized quickly whenever we need it. The data points are much more succinct; it’s fast and it’s easy.”

With any process, well-designed tech tools created with the customer in mind can make a task more interesting.

management, and only 18% are using HR data for recruiting and sourcing.

The Hackett Group found world-class HR organizations, by contrast, had built sophisticated information architecture that could provide data to better inform decisions about human capital. These organizations were able to analyze which skills and competencies actually drive high performance, and which skills will be in high demand in the future to enable planning. To improve retention, they could examine which staff were at highest risk of leaving the organization. To benefit recruiting, they could pinpoint the best sources of quality hires. And to enhance leadership, they could determine the most beneficial assignments and learning experiences.

“It’s a little bit of a chicken and egg problem. You need to invest in those transactional aspects of HR—benefits, compensation and so on—in order to be able to focus on the higher value activities.”

Harry Osle, The Hackett Group “The tools we use now actually make it engaging to navigate the HR processes,” said Forward. “The other thing is accessibility; digital and mobile are enabling how people are operating and they’re able to engage at times that are convenient to them.”

Using Analytics in Decision-Making When it comes to analytics, a recent survey by PwC found 52% of companies worldwide don’t have a dedicated HR analytics team. The Deloitte global survey found that while 72% of respondents recognize people analytics as important or very important, only 23% of companies report having quality HR data to support HR analytics, just 24% are using analytics for performance

Rogers Communications has incorporated analytics into decision-making, including data from such systems as PeopleSoft, SuccessFactors and Vemo.

“It’s not easy to bring all of these pieces together, but combining the data has a significant impact on the business,” said Tony Cimino, SVP Human Resources – Total Rewards at Rogers. “The insights allow us to enhance performance and productivity within the workplace and drive the Rogers plan forward. We can quickly deliver reports, analyses and predictive models that have a true impact on the business.”

Data, according to Osle, needs to be tailored to meet the needs of each group. “HR needs to define what those analytics should be for each business

6 · HR Data Analytics

unit because not every unit is looking for the same analytics. Then they need to be able to provide that in a timely way. A lot of organizations are using applications where business units can pick up this info on their notepads, iPads and phones.”

Ensuring Resources Support Value Projects Freeing up HR to focus on higher-value activities such as talent management and data analysis means divesting people of processes and details that can be automated.

“It’s a little bit of a chicken and egg problem,” said Osle. “You need to invest in those transactional aspects of HR—benefits, compensation and so on—in order to be able to focus on the higher value activities.”

“Self-serve technology and mobile apps have greatly reduced the amount of time the HR team spends on administrative tasks at Rogers,” said Cimino.

“This allows us to focus on strategic partnerships and to serve as a valued partner within the business. Naturally, some of these gains are offset by the need to administer and maintain these complex systems, but this is becoming easier with cloud-based solutions.”

Reskilling the HR Function As HR business shifts, one of the biggest challenges will be adapting the strengths and abilities of people to meet the changing demands of work.

Management will look to HR to help implement the changes needed to become more agile and innovative.

The Hackett Group notes that worldclass HR organizations are better equipped to do this. On average, they have 20% more staff focused on leading business change, and employ more professionals with fewer managers, which indicates a staff with the ability to do more high-value work.

“Technology enables HR professionals to focus on outcomes and solutions

instead of transactions,” said Cimino.

That doesn’t mean core HR skills will be devalued, though. “HR professionals still need to have great people skills. But we also need to be proficient with technology and skilled at interpreting data so that we can help the business succeed.”

Understanding how HR data and technology can help drive business will a big part of modern HR. “We need a deep understanding of the businesses we support so that we can help our business partners make better decisions for the company and for our employees,” said Cimino.

“Strategic insight will be in high demand. HR needs to know what an organization’s critical jobs are, who’s filling those jobs tomorrow, whether there’s a recruiting pipeline for those jobs, how to identify A-players, develop B-players and exit C-players,” said Osle.

“If that skill set’s not there, that means you need to completely reskill that professional. So development is important, and also being smart about the recruits you bring into the organization.”

Where to Invest? And How Much is Enough?

Investing in technology comes with a price tag, although there’s not necessarily a direct correlation between cost and degree of success.

“A lot of organizations spend a lot of money, but that doesn’t mean they’re world-class,” said Osle. “They could be fourth quartile. Just because they’re spending a lot of money doesn’t mean they’re spending it wisely. It’s about optimizing your spend and looking at whether you have the right technology footprint to be able to deliver services in an efficient and effective way. Are employees and the management team being serviced in an efficient and effective way?”

Some organizations may need to spend on building a solid foundation.

“To get the foundation for a digital experience, a starting point is moving from legacy to cloud systems, and moving to a platform that integrates mobile, social, analytics and cloud,” said Aaron Groulx, Partner, Human

Resource: Shaping Organizational Excellence · Spring/Summer 2017 · 7

not to want to look in the mirror, but if you benchmark on a consistent basis and against world-class metrics, then you have a great way of understanding where you’re at and where you need to be going.”

Strategic, Agile and Necessary Digital transformation is nearly inevitable for organizations wanting to stay current, efficient and competitive. In short order, half of most workplaces will be made up of millennials. Digital is their language, and the more quickly organizations embrace digital ways of working and managing talent, the more effectively they’ll be able to connect with this generation.

The real trick for HR will be finding ways to be strategic and thoughtful, but also relatively quick and agile.

Capital at Deloitte. “With a good core cloud technology, your data should be more accurate, your processes are simple and you’ve actually enabled mobile—making sure that you are transacting and delivering the experience mobile first.”

explained Osle. “Over time, organizations who invest in technology see their costs stay stable or reduced.

Even more importantly, they have a very high propensity to increase the value to the organization.”

When that’s in place, HR can consider what areas would best serve the organization’s needs and make the biggest impact.

Measuring Progress

“There’s not an HR or IT executive I talk to who doesn’t want to be doing a really cool platform for mobile and other digital projects, and they absolutely inject digital thinking into their strategy. But the roadmaps are too long and they need to be more agile in their approach,” said Groulx. “Without agility, it’s a long wait for a solution.”

As with most ventures, measurement is key to steering improvement.

Your employees, though, are ready and waiting.

“You have to consistently benchmark cost, employee engagement and stakeholder response,” said Osle.

“When you look at whether you’re delivering services and leveraging best practices, getting good engagement scores and good stakeholder scores, then I think that’s something that starts to paint a picture. Organizations tend

“My advice to HR is just go faster,” said Groulx. “Be a little bolder with this.

Get more agile in how you actually handle and conceptualize this. Do a minimum viable product and fail fast.

You’ll be better off.

“You need to look at things like recruitment processes, as well as social, mobile, analytics and cloud,” said Forward. “It’s really about how we are improving the employee experience.”

Spending strategically on technology is simply a smart investment,

World-class HR organizations…have 20% more staff focused on leading business change, and employ more professionals with fewer managers, which indicates a staff with the ability to do more high-value work.

“I think technology fundamentally changes how HR is going to deliver services,” he added. “It’s changing the way everything is done.”

Melissa Campeau is a writer based in Toronto.

This article was originally published in the January 2017 edition of HR Professional magazine, published by Lester Communications Inc. for the Human Resources Professionals Association. It is reprinted with permission.

8 · HR Data Analytics

Privacy Considerations and Workplace Data Analytics Michelle MacGillivray and Zeinab Yousif, Miller Thomson LLP

Data analytics, or “Big Data” as it is sometimes referred to, is about analyzing large volumes of data to identify underlying patterns and correlations, and predict future outcomes. The new frontier for data analytics in the workplace. Organizations are increasingly adopting data analytics for a number of HR purposes, including improving recruitment processes, managing the workforce by analyzing and targeting operational efficiencies, and using real-time data to identify employee engagement and retention strategies.

In order to stay competitive, organizations should seize the opportunities presented by workplace data analytics. However, they should also keep in mind that the use of data analytics in HR must be balanced with the privacy interests of employees. When done right, data analytics is an indispensable tool for improving the workplace. When done wrong, it can expose organizations to significant adverse consequences.

Consider, for example, a workplace where surveillance is constant, employees’ movements are tracked by devices that record and transmit their interactions, and software can scan employee emails and calendar entries. It is easy to imagine how such an environment could cause anxiety and discontent among employees.

Moreover, we have observed a rise in claims of breach of privacy with the introduction of the tort of intrusion on

Resource: Shaping Organizational Excellence ¡ Spring/Summer 2017 ¡ 9

seclusion and, more recently, the tort of public disclosure of embarrassing private facts. Data analytics undertaken improperly may lead to similar allegations of breach of privacy.

To help, we have compiled a list of tips for organizations venturing into HR data analytics: 1. Identify and refine the purpose at the outset. Before collecting any data, identify the likely outcomes and why they matter. In other words, the organization should have a clear and important objective. Once the objective is identified, it will inform what data is being sought, how the data will be analyzed, and the kind of changes or recommendations that will be made as a result.

2. Consider the confidential nature of the data at every stage. Is the information sensitive or confidential?

Can confidential information be screened out of the process? What about anonymity? Employers should remember that data analytics is about establishing patterns and correlations.

It’s not about any specific employee.

Employers should consider whether data can be collected on an anonymous basis. If anonymity is incom-

patible with the project, employers may wish to consider an opt-in or opt-out mechanism for documenting employee consent for the collection of personal data. For example, an opt-in mechanism may be more appropriate where the data collected is of a particularly sensitive nature.

Many employers will have obtained broadly worded consent from their employees at the outset of the employment relationship, but we recommend revisiting this consent and considering whether further consent is required when data is collected or used for analytics.

3. Embrace clear and transparent communication. Employers should consider how to best communicate the purpose of the project. An absence of clear and open communication can lead to skepticism, confusion and even apprehension. As noted above, a clearly stated objective is integral for data analytics. The team or person leading the data analytics project should be able to explain why the data is being collected and analyzed. The organization should also be clear and transparent regarding the nature of the data being collected, whether it will be anonymized, how to opt-in or opt-out, and whether and how the employer will maintain any nonanonymized personal information.

5. Secure the information. Information should be maintained in a safe and secure manner and in compliance with applicable laws. With sensitive information, organizations should consider putting in place policies governing how the information will be secured, who will have access to it and the circumstances under which it may be accessed.

4. Obtain valid consent. Employers should obtain consent from employees for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

6. Consider the pros and cons of using third parties. Engaging third parties to perform data analytics may be appropriate in certain circumstances. For example, using a third party can provide the employer with a way to collect, clean and anonymize data to produce aggregated results while allaying concerns regarding how personal information collected will be used by the employer.

We hope that this list will help you navigate data analytics carefully and in a manner which balances the goals of the organization with respect for employee privacy. While organizations should not shy away from using data analytics, they must remain attuned to their privacy obligations and consider them at every stage.

Michelle MacGillivray and Zeinab Yousif are labour and employment lawyers at Miller Thomson.

Miller Thomson provides comprehensive Canadian business and legal help to businesses of every size and in every sector, as well as entrepreneurs and individuals. With a team of close to 550 lawyers, Miller Thomson has locations in communities across Canada. www.millerthomson.com

10 · HR Data Analytics

LEADER SPOTLIGHT: JOHN SILVERTHORN

John Silverthorn is Senior Vice President, Talent Management, for CIBC. In this capacity, he has responsibility for Talent Acquisition, Diversity and Inclusion, Learning and Development, Executive Resources, Workforce Analytics, Talent Strategies and Employee Engagement . He also stewards CIBC’s focus on Corporate Culture. Prior to joining CIBC in September 2006, John spent over 20 years with IBM, where he held a variety of senior HR leadership positions in both Canada and the United States, and across IBM’s services, consulting and sales organizations.

Resource Magazine spoke with him about his career path, his role as a leader, the changing face of HR as well as what the future may hold for HR professionals.

RM: How did you enter the HR industry?

JS: I did an undergrad in Economics. I didn't really know what I wanted to do at that point in time. This was early enough [in the industry] when you could actually go on and do an MBA without having had practical outside experience.

So I went straight in to do my MBA, with a concentration in Information Systems and HR. After graduation, I worked for a brief nine months with the provincial government as a programmer—but I quickly figured out that wasn’t for me. I had a colleague who'd joined IBM, and they were looking for somebody in HR with a business background. They narrowed it down to [selecting someone with] an MBA, so I started 30 years ago in HR with IBM, in Pensions.

Long before going in to do my MBA, I was a resident care aid for young adults with cerebral palsy. I did that job from the time I was 18 right through university. As a resident care aid, you're doing everything (…) feeding, toileting,

Resource: Shaping Organizational Excellence · Spring/Summer 2017 · 11

bathing, companionship. These were very bright individuals trapped in bodies that didn't do what they wanted them to do. I figured out I didn't want to be a social worker, but I realized I enjoyed working with peoplerelated matters, so that's how I “fell” into HR 30 years ago.

RM: Who is the person you considered a role model early in your career, and how did that person impact your life?

JS: I've seen a tremendous shift in HR from a gender perspective. When I joined HR at IBM, there was only one woman in management. Everybody else was male. I was introduced about three years into my HR career to an individual by the name of Anita Ross, who came in as a Director (…) a very senior person in the HR group. She was a PhD graduate out of Winnipeg who had studied languages. She was sophisticated (…) just an amazing person. I spent many hours just talking with her and learning through her, and she ultimately became my mentor.

She became the Head of HR for IBM Canada, and through a series of moves, I ended up working directly for her. It was an interesting relationship. She took me under her wing, and was a good sounding board and counsel. I was always looking for her to give me the answer, and she never would, which was frustrating as hell (laughs).

She did what a good mentor does: she made sure I was asking myself the right questions and working my way through the answers even though they were difficult. I had an ongoing mentoring relationship with her well into my forties. She taught me that there are many different sides to a problem or situation, and you have to immerse yourself in understanding the different points of view. She also taught me that sometimes it can be a lonely job, as sometimes you're taking positions that aren't popular.

RM: According to a recent study, 40% of global employers reported talent shortages in their organizations. How well poised do you feel that CIBC is to navigate through this shortage?

JS: I think the “war for talent,” as it's being described, has been going on for a long period of time. It's not that you can't find talent (…) [it's that you need to] find the right people who fit into your organization from a cultural perspective who have the skills and capability to perform the tasks that you're asking them to do.

I think CIBC today is well positioned. It's an organization that continues to evolve. The culture now is quite different from the culture when I joined the organization 10 years ago. We've got the best CEO in the financial services industry, in my opinion, who is a deep, caring individual. It's one person, but one who influences 44,000 lives. [As a result,] there are people at a very senior level very interested in CIBC as an organization to work with who wouldn't have talked to us in the past.

I also think we have a lovely connection to the community, which I'm quite proud of. Anyone who's ridden the subway on the Sunday of the Run for the Cure and you're surrounded by pink t-shirts (…) that is a powerful experience. The Miracle Day that our Capital Markets group runs [is another example]. [These initiatives are] a sustained focus, which I feel is really powerful.

Continued on page 16...

By the Numbers

33%

of HR teams surveyed are using some form of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to deliver HR solutions, and 41% are actively building mobile apps to deliver HR services.

(2017 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends: www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/human-capital/ articles/introduction-human-capital-trends.html)

71%

of companies surveyed see people analytics as a high priority in their organizations; however, only 8% report they have usable data, only 9% believe they have a good understanding of which talent dimensions drive performance in their organizations, and only 15% have broadly deployed HR and talent scorecards for line managers.

(2017 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends: www2. deloitte.com/global/en/pages/human-capital/articles/ introduction-human-capital-trends.html)

64%

of financial executives surveyed do not use HR analytics in their decision-making, or its use is sporadic.

(Measuring HR: Moving Beyond Number Crunching: www.ceridian.ca/en/resources/whitepapers/ measuring-hr-number-crunching.html)

Approx

33%

of finance executives said they fully trust the data received from their HR team in making business decisions.

(Measuring HR: Moving Beyond Number Crunching: www.ceridian.ca/en/resources/whitepapers/ measuring-hr-number-crunching.html)

12 ¡ HR Data Analytics

Student’s Perspective:

The New HR Professional: Leveraging Technological Skills in a Data-Driven Workforce

Ayren Connor

Resource: Shaping Organizational Excellence · Spring/Summer 2017 · 13

W

hat is HR Data Analytics?

HR data analytics is a powerful tool. It enables professionals to understand and analyze data, and apply analytical techniques to HR processes to gain insight into their organization’s people and how they are creating value to make better decisions and improve performance. It is most often done using data compiled in a software program.

HRM students are realizing how data is fast becoming integrated into all areas of HR as data analytics, specifically big data analytics, is becoming more sophisticated and comprehensive. Big data is the “volume, variety and velocity of data that resides in most companies,” says HR expert Cathy Missildine. “Big data analytics for HR is the process of looking at big data in search of trends, patterns, correlations and insights about human behavior.” 1 Businesses are looking at this data to identify trends and make forecasts regarding their organizational strategies.

Why Do We Need It? HR data analytics helps HR professionals take the guess work out of decision-making. Advancements in technology and processes allow companies to gather broader, more accurate data to help them reach their overall organizational goals and objectives. Thus, HR data analytics is a means for HR to better align its strategy with that of the organization and prove its value.

For example, the Harvard Review reports that 71% of CEOs believe human capital is the most significant factor in economic success.2 Since more than half of an organization’s costs are often attributed to salaries, HR analytics is useful to measure the performance of employees in a meaningful way to help CEOs determine their return on their investment in their employees.

Companies can go further by using data to determine the likelihood of a candidate’s success before they even start work through the use of data gathered on previous hires.

For example, a company can determine whether education level/institution can predict success or whether something else, such as a resume with no typos, is a bigger predictor of success. This can help HR departments make better hiring decisions based on data rather than relying on existing beliefs or “gut feel.” 3 Talent management is a significant area of HR. Its main goal is to get the right person in the right job at the right time. Utilizing top technological resources helps professionals make better hiring decisions and implement effective

succession planning to improve retention and assist top employees with their career development. From the moment a candidate applies and throughout their tenure, HR data analytics is instrumental in managing human capital, greatly contributing to the organization’s competitiveness and success.

HR data analytics is therefore not only important, but essential in today's global market.

Why is This Important for New HR Professionals?

The landscape of the HR profession is rapidly changing. It is becoming more highly regarded as vital to an organization, and the requirements to succeed as an HR professional are increasing. As HR data analytics becomes more mainstream, new graduates need to ensure they are knowledgeable about its value and are able to work with it. Companies are looking for HR professionals who not only have the knowledge of key HR concepts but are also comfortable with technology and able to interpret data.

Fortunately, the vast majority of new HR graduates are already comfortable with technology and up to date on current innovations. They can and must leverage this knowledge to become well versed in HR data analytics and related software programs. In doing so, they will be able to carve out a space for themselves in today’s competitive and global workforce.

The advantages of HR data analytics are many. Some of the most important include the ability for HR managers to develop better, more relevant business strategies, and back up or improve proposed and existing policies and programs.

It is more important than ever for HR managers to align HR practices with the overarching goals of their organizations. Thus, if emerging HR professionals understand data analytics and possess technological savvy, they can certainly compete in today's data-driven workforce and make themselves invaluable members of the team.

Missildine, Cathy. “Big Data and HR: Why HR Needs to Enter the Game,” July 2015. Retrieved May 2017: www.halogensoftware.com/ blog/big-data-and-hr-why-hr-needs-to-enter-the-game 1

2

Ibid.

Bersin, Josh. “Big Data in Human Resources: Talent Analytics (People Analytics) Comes of Age,” February 2013. Retrieved May 2017: www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2013/02/17/bigdata-in-human-resources-talent-analytics-comes-of-age/#21666dbf4cd0 3

Ayren Connor is a graduate of the Human Resource Management certificate program at Durham College and expects to obtain her CHRP in June 2017. She is currently Service and Training Manager at Old Navy.

14 · HR Data Analytics

PHOTO GALLERY

Volunteer Engagement Team, Ayren and Jenny 2016–2017 Chapter Board

Volunteers Lindsay and Susan

Lifetime Achievement winner, Leyland, with 2016 winner, Mary

PD Director Tisha

Pinball helps Mary with some reading light

CKE Study Group on April 24

Volunteers Bob, Jasmin and Erin

Alyssa and Jennifer

Resource: Shaping Organizational Excellence ¡ Spring/Summer 2017 ¡ 15

Laura Williams

Pinball and Ernest

Incoming and Outgoing Presidents, Ernest and Morgan

Morgan and Pinball

Morgan mingling with members at ABM

Enjoying a chuckle at the podium at ABM

Cynthia Ingram on accommodating LGBQT in the workplace on April 5

Pinball keynote

Chatting with showcase vendors

16 · HR Data Analytics Continued from page 11

When you talk to clients of our bank, what you'll see is people feel a connection [to the bank]. There's almost a possessiveness about it. I think those things all set us up well for acquiring talent despite the challenges that might be out there.

RM: What are the most important decisions you face daily as a leader in the organization?

JS: People decisions are always the most important—making sure we've got the right people on the right tasks and they have the support they need to be successful at what they do. We often talk about fit for a role. I've seen examples of people who've been historically good contributors, and they get in the wrong role and you start to see their performance atrophy. You realize it's not that they suddenly changed; it's just that they don't have the fit they once had.

As leaders, if we're doing our job right, the decisions that we face are far more grey than they are black and white.

More often than not the decisions I'm trying to make are quite grey. It's trying to make decisions on an imperfect set of information and facts that aren't as thorough and robust as you'd like them to be, and you have to make a judgment call. The fortunate thing when you have 30 years of HR experience is you've got lots of past decisions to call on. I've got examples of things that didn't work (laughs), and you learn more from those experiences.

The beautiful thing about people is that outcomes are not predictable with certainty, but you learn through judgment and experience that there's a higher degree of probability you can predict what an outcome may look like. For example, most people wouldn't be upset if you gave them a salary increase.

RM: We see companies like WestJet starting to put their talent before profits. What are your thoughts on this trend?

JS: It's hard to make a profit if you don't have talented people. At the end of the day, the organization that can

attract the best talent is going to win 100% of the time over the organization that can't assemble great talent. I'm not sure we're putting talent ahead of profits as much as we're recognizing that profit is an outcome (…) it's not the starting point.

I think it's absolutely critical that organizations recognize that talented people and talented leadership are what it takes to be successful. The ability to attract talent is a core, critical component of any leader. We talk about being familiar and aware of people in your organization. It's equally important to be aware of people that are in your industry and have skills they can bring to the table. In our recruiting groups, we use referral programs to encourage employees to constantly be out on the search for talent and attracting them to the organization.

RM: What are some of the changes and trends you see coming in HR that you're most excited about?

JS: When people say to me they're interested in HR but have never worked in HR, I'll often ask the question, "Why are you interested in HR?" They'll say, "Because I love working with people," and I'll say, "We don't do much of that" (laughs). The reality is many of our HR jobs require you to be financially and data numerate (…) you have to understand numbers because of the cost of human capital. You need to be comfortable with spreadsheets like Excel, and know how to manipulate and manage data. Anyone who aspires to being an HR Generalist [could] spend

Resource: Shaping Organizational Excellence · Spring/Summer 2017 · 17

the last four months of the year being up to your eyeballs in managing financial numbers in terms of bonuses, payments and base salary increases.

I think understanding numbers are critically important, but what I see emerging, which I think is quite exciting, is a deeper level of understanding on analytics (…) a deeper requirement to understand how we define and pull information from data as opposed to simply report on data. When we report on turnover being X and compare that to an industry benchmark, that's interesting, but that's not what people want to know. They want to know why people are leaving. Better yet, what other predictors are there for knowing when people leave, and how can we anticipate that? This whole notion of the data science and the social science to understand how to interpret data that we have at our fingertips, and how to translate that in a predictive way in terms of what we can expect to see happen. I won't say it's emerging (…) I think it's here, and that to me is one of the exciting new areas of HR that I think is terribly important. Knowing how we can take advantage of social media and being able to use that [data] from a talent acquisition space is very important.

The other area that's been very exciting for me in the last little while is change management. In that there was often a school of thought that in order to direct change in the organization, it really needs to come from the top down. It needs to have strong sponsorship. You need to create a burning platform so that people don't want to accept the status quo because it's worse than the unknown (…) what the change might look like. So we try to create these false crises in order to be able to get people to change.

We've seen some very powerful change happening where change is actually happening at the top and the bottom at the same time. We're engag-

ing volunteer armies of individuals who were brought together because they have a common cause and a common purpose that they're working on, and the speed with which they'll accelerate the change is tremendous. It's built on a platform of positive energy versus negative energy. To me, that's a fascinating new world of change management, which I'm witnessing firsthand as I'm watching some of the work we're doing right now at CIBC instilling a strong client focus mindset across 44,000 people. Not just the front line—everybody having that kind of focus. I think that's exciting.

Some of the old topics that people keep coming back to like career paths—people are still quite interested in "How can I get ahead?" and "What's the path for me to follow?" Having an understanding of the “web” of careers versus understanding the “path” of careers is another exciting area that is evolving within HR—the ability to be able to navigate what careers can look like for an individual.

I think a lot of the tools in our trade are getting better and better. They're becoming more automated (…) easier to work with. Self-service is easier than it was before. The administrative tasks that have often been associated with HR are getting to be less and less part of the role, and more about adding meaning to what we do. I think tying our focus and efforts and strategies directly to our business strategy is core to that.

I still hear people talking about a “seat at the table” and stuff like that, and my experience is there's an open seat there for us to sit in. It's not that we're trying to belly our way up to the bar now (…) there's an expectation that we're there working hand in hand with our leaders as part of their team. I hear the conversations now at executive tables, and it's not like "We need to get HR to do this"; it's "Oh, Mark's working

on that." So it's more an integrated part of the team versus a support role. It's [already happening] in the background.

RM: What is your overall long-term vision and philosophy for the HR function?

JS: (laughs) I don't know that I have one! I think critical in our roles is to be relevant and to make a difference, and driving the bottom line that the organization is looking for in serving the various shareholders that we have from our communities and our clients and employees. For us to be successful is to continue to serve that in the best way we can through the lens that we focus on prominently, which is the employee lens. I think the world-class HR organizations will be the ones viewed as being a strategic partner in helping bring that to life (…) and they’re an integral part of the team. As HR professionals, we all have a clear alignment to the role we play in helping make that happen. I think the strategic vision for HR is the outcome of what we deliver and how we contribute to the bottom line for the organization.

Everybody wants to feel valued. To me, that value is all about what we are doing every hour, every day, every week throughout the year in terms of creating value for the organization and making a strategic difference in terms of how we make our organization successful. The difference with what we do is we have that lens we're looking through that's constantly about how you bring talent, employees and leaders, and how you make the culture and environment such that it all blends together. Sometimes that soft underbelly of the environment and how it comes together can get lost unless professionals like us stand up and help steward it to make sure that it's all gelling and working correctly.

18 · HR Data Analytics

Congratulations on Achieving Professional Excellence!

The HRPA Durham Chapter would like to recognize

• Pam Deuzeman, CHRL

the professionals who recently completed the Certified

• Debbie Farrow, CHRL

Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation. The

• Jamie Lawson, CHRL

CHRL validates your knowledge of HR, and workplace

• Justin Leeman, CHRL

and employment law, as well as your ability to apply

• Sophie MacLean, CHRL

this knowledge to business solutions. It also demon-

• Kelly Obal, CHRL

strates your commitment to career-long learning and ethical practice.

• Stephanie Ott, CHRL • Izabela Wielgosz, CHRL

2017 Chapter Awards

The 2017 Chapter Awards were presented in early May to recognize two HR professionals who have made significant contributions to the profession, their workplaces and the elevation of the practice of HR management. Congratulations to our winners!

• Outstanding CHRL Award: Catherine Claridge, CHRL • Lifetime Achievement Award: Leyland Muss, CHRL Chapter award winners Leyland and Catherine