Jarred Consulting

When data-driven culture and a strong human element work hand in hand, it's a powerful force that drives business forward – but it's not just about the numbers. When a system is designed to shore up belonging, safety and mattering, it benefits people in ways that go far beyond the reach of the company. It's a delicate interplay that takes balance, foresight and often an entirely new set of skills. We sent our founder Kerry Jarred to the HR Tech exhibition in London on the 3rd of May to share this message along with her expertise. This is what she had to say:

• Get curious about what your leaders need and how you’re going to meet those needs. The workforce landscape is changing rapidly at the moment and there are a number of factors driving change. Leaders find themselves squeezed between budget constraints and talent shortages as well as shifting workplace demands such as the rise of technology for comms and insight along with hybrid working. If line managers are struggling, we need to not just ask why, we need to learn how best to support them and invest in enhancing their skills.
• Adopt a robustly joined-up approach. Drive impact by intentionally and intelligently building collaboration across your business functions. Aim for a seamless, supercharged, cohesive employee experience whether they’re interacting with internal comms, IT or finance. It’s all about how these elements come together and work together, not simply existing in their own silos. It saves employee time and energy, meaning they’re working in a more positive space.
• The way we use tech is changing, so you should too. Digitisation has taken over much of the paper-shuffling processes of HR but it’s about more than efficiency, it’s changing the function of the department. The combination of tech, data and analysis enables innovation – which takes the department to a different level. As a result, HR teams need to have broader skills as they deliver greater value to internal and external stakeholders. Again, we’re shifting focus from individual competencies to organisational ones.
• Bring data to life. We can use data analytics to articulate trends or put figures alongside each other to find correlations, like measuring leadership effectiveness, for example. When we look to the future, we can use modelling to predict workforce needs and prescribe recommended actions. There's a long way to go for HR teams to feel comfortable working in that way. But it's a huge opportunity for both HR and business leaders, line managers, after everything that has happened in the last few years.

From gaining insight on how to best support our line managers to preempting talent gaps in development strategy, there’s no doubt that the tools at our fingertips give us greater opportunities than ever before. But remembering the human element is paramount. For this insight to turn into change, we need to make sure we’re having data-driven conversations, that our skills are up to date and we keep our overall purpose clear. Enjoy your day