Editor's Note

From HR getting a seat at the table, to workforce analytics tips, to planning and strategy, we have ensured we provide you all the latest trends in the HR sector. This month we have tried to include even more interesting information pertaining to HR strategy and planning.

What Keeps HR Up At Night: 6 key worries that need attention

If you’re losing sleep over how to balance daily HR challenges with a more strategic talent management approach, you’re not alone. It’s a challenge keeping many HR professionals up at night. A recent SilkRoad survey, What Keeps HR Up at Night? explored the specific concerns driving this challenge. The results from 160 respondents present a snapshot of top concerns and offer a view into what needs the most attention in talent management.

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Integrate Or Leave Stand Alone: Pre-acquisition considerations

A key decision in acquiring a company is whether to integrate it or allow it to continue to operate as a stand-alone entity. Integration may be full or partial, and typically includes migrating to the purchaser’s IT systems, processes and policies, payroll and benefit programs, etc. Companies should consider a number of factors in making this important decision.

HR Acquisition Essentials: Preparing for the challenge of growth through M&A

You’ve met with your leadership team and it has been decided that it is time to start taking your organization to new heights. The strategic decision has been made to pursue some opportunities through acquisition. Do you think you have what it takes?

For Better, Faster HR Analysis: Five must-have links

They are yet to write the book “Workforce Analytics for Dummies.” Until they do, working your way through all the myths and muddle on the web can be very confusing. Meanwhile, you are trying to bring together all of your organization’s data, from siloed systems and make it available across the organization - not an easy task!!

Do Start-ups Need HR?: The typical evolution of HR in organizations

In the first phase, the founder or founders do everything themselves. After a while, when the organization has 20-30 people, a general assistant is hired. She or he does all kind of general tasks. Making sure there are enough desks and computers, coordinating recruitment, ensuring someone cleans the office at the end of the day, receive some customers etc. Around employee number 100, some more specialization is required. A junior HR professional is hired. Or the general assistant is promoted into HR.

Winning The Talent War: It must be the HR department's top priority

After years of strong economic growth across the continent, African organisations face an enormous demand for skills to keep expanding their businesses. A recent survey from EY shows that 70% of African firms are recruiting - yet many report that they are taking longer to fill vacancies and experiencing higher staff turnover. Technical and professional skills are in particularly high demand as African countries race to build out their infrastructure.

Business Transformation: Building critical competencies for transformation success

The human resource function within organizations can play a significant role in developing a strong capability in business transformation. Human resource leaders can draw upon their strategic expertise in change management and talent management in building some of the critical competencies needed for transformation success. Enterprises with a good track record of business and technology transformation success are constantly investing in enhancing business transformation capability.

Trends In People Analytics: Growing impact of people analytics

Talent is top of mind to senior executives, and that is more evident than ever today. Executives are increasingly pressuring HR to produce evidence-based insight on critical talent to develop solutions: Do we have the right talent mix to achieve our business objectives? Can we do more to predict who are going to be the right leaders of the future and what experiences we should give them? Can we identify potential talent flight risks in our most important roles?

People analytics is a new domain for most HR departments, looking to better drive the return on their investments in people. Organizations are quickly recognizing that they need a dedicated people analytics function in order to produce insights from the complex data that is gathered across the employee lifecycle. In a recent pulse survey, a stunning 86% of PwC Saratoga participants reported that creating or maturing their people analytics function is a strategic priority for the next one-to-three years.