Why people data analytics is poised to drive big changes in 2023

I remember being so excited to start my first full-time job. I had just completed my bachelor’s degree and was fortunate enough to be hired into the role of National Traineeships Coordinator at Linfox. It was not aligned to my degree, but I saw it as a stepping stone and a learning opportunity.

Once I settled in, I started looking at the organisational chart in more detail. I began at the top and worked my way down. All these people with all their titles, so many levels above me. I was curious about where they commenced in their career and how they discovered what they wanted to do. I remember seeing announcements about movements, and promotions, and started looking for the people mentioned. I did not covet what they had, I was just trying to carve my own pathway and I did not really know then what I was interested in doing, and I did not really know who to talk to about my development beyond what I needed to do for my role.

When talent marketplace and employee experience became topics of conversation, I looked back at my journey. Shortly after my first full time role, my manager decided to leave, and this created an opportunity for me to step into her role. From completing incentive forms and filing certificates, my role changed to National Traineeships Manager and soon I was training someone else to fill in my coordinator role. Shortly after that, out of nowhere, I was enrolled into the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment course and became an IT Trainer.

Not long after, I went on parental leave, and when I returned, there was an opportunity for me to become a data analyst which quickly changed into a Senior Business Analyst role. When we implemented a human resources information system (HRIS), I asked for a secondment in the team as I was learning about SAP HCM in my master’s degree, and soon I became a HRIS Analyst.

In the decades that followed, I had changed roles and worked on various projects. I completed a master’s degree in Business ERP Systems. It felt to me like a giant experiment to discover where my passion lies. For the last 10 years, I have stuck to the people systems space and in the last four years, I ventured into the education industry when I was asked to develop and teach the SAP SuccessFactors curriculum by Victoria University.

All this was done mostly because I had put my hand up whenever there was opportunity to challenge myself and learn something new. I knew that I did not want to be static, but except when I stepped into the HRIS Analyst role, I felt like I was waiting for opportunities and most of my movements were reactive. Had I known where my skills and passion could take me, perhaps I would have been more proactive. What were the possibilities?

“Imagine empowering leaders and individuals with insights that will drive them to make decisions that will move themselves, and their organisation forward.” – Jelvie Grech, People Systems Lead, REA Group.

This is why I want to stir up conversations about people data analytics. For so long, anything to do with people data and insights seem to just sit with HR and for a long time, it made sense. However, I believe we can optimise it if we make it available to the whole organisation. This is where I know we will fully realise the benefits of people systems.

Imagine empowering leaders and individuals with insights that will drive them to make decisions that will move themselves, and their organisation forward. A graduate can see their pathway and where they can contribute from their first year and beyond. It would create such a sense of belonging and purpose. A leader can be more informed about their resources, to take their team to the next level.

There will be a shift in our conversations, all movements will be intentional and less reactive, each learning experience will result in skills and competencies that will align to people strategy, and every individual will see where they fit in the organisation today and in the years to come. If we are to convince people that they belong, they need to see the possibilities, and this is why people data analytics is poised to drive “big change” in 2023. We are ready!

About the Author: Jelvie Grech is People Systems Lead at REA Group. Join her at HR Tech Festival Asia 2023 on May 10 at 2.30pm (SGT), where she will explain why people data analytics is poised to drive big changes for organisations in 2023.