HR needs to start speaking to the business in its language, says Fosway’s David Perring

Fosway Group, Europe’s leading HR industry analyst, was founded almost 30 years ago.

Since the beginning, the analyst firm has always been data-led, and focused on the HR sector. However, a decade ago, Fosway decided to go one step further, and undertake a new type of research, called HR Realities.

“There isn’t anybody who can hold up that mirror to HR” about what is working, what isn’t working, and help them to cut through the technology hype.

HR Realities is all about filling that void, by doing “HR Listening” with the help of data, as David Perring, Chief Insights Officer at Fosway, shares in an exclusive UNLEASH interview.

“If you don’t measure it, you can’t understand it, you can’t do something about it”.

Back in 2014, Fosway decided to partner with UNLEASH on this HR Realities endeavor.

What drove Fosway to partner with UNLEASH “was the quality of the community [and] the international focus”, as well as “UNLEASH’s style as an event [which] is all about prompting conversation in the community”, explains Perring.

He adds: “UNLEASH has been great at enabling CHROs and other business leaders to say, this is what we’re doing, and this is why we’re doing it, and this is why it’s working.”

All of the above was a “perfect combination from our point of view”, notes Perring.

Fast forward to 2024, UNLEASH is supporting Fosway with the survey itself – there’s still time to take part – and is thrilled that Fosway’s CEO will be sharing some interim results of HR Realities 2024-2025 at our Paris show, UNLEASH World, in October.

Ahead of the event, the Editorial team sat down with Fosway’s Perring to get a sneak preview of the 2024-2025 results and reflect on how they differ from last year’s findings. What are the topics and trends that HR leaders need to pay attention to as they look towards 2025?

A sneak peak into 2024-2025 HR Realities findings

Unsurprisingly, AI is a huge focus of HR Realities 2024-2025; “it was a big story last year, and it is only growing”, notes Perring.

Only 27% of respondents said that AI had little or no impact on them in HR, and just 10% haven’t done anything with AI.

It is clear that HR leaders are starting to see the influence of AI, even if they are still trying to figure out what is hype.

Interestingly, Fosway is seeing AI being implemented “in each little silo of HR”, rather than broad brush that is “coming top down across HR”.

HR is specifically focused on particular AI use cases and processes, with the aim of improving employee experience in some way.

While AI was a consistent HR priority in both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 reports, there were some changes over the year.

While availability of skills was the top business challenge in 2023, business performance moved up slightly to be the biggest challenge in 2024.

Perring is clear that “it is not as though business performance has ever been out of fashion”, but there is a real sense in HR this year of “the importance of driving business value”.

“People are maybe thinking a little bit more about readiness for tomorrow,” he adds.

Along the same vein, although the 2023-2024 report did find that HR was really focusing on the “importance of analytics”, this year was about how data and insights can help the HR function become even more of a strategic business partner.

Perring notes: “We’re moving towards the next frontier of wanting total people intelligence,” where HR has a true understanding of people processes, as well as employee experience.

Currently, the data analytics world remains quite siloed, explains Perring.

“Actually connecting the different siloes of HR, understanding the impact on business outcomes, is one of the key directions” into next year.

Perring concludes that for HR to really be a strategic partner that drives business value, HR leaders need to start speaking “to the business in its own language”.

“We’re probably still in the world of HR talking its own language.”

Fosway’s HR Realities at UNLEASH World 2024

Are you a HR leader who wants help in figuring how to build a HR function that is truly fit for the future?

Fosway’s CEO David Wilson will be sharing a first in-depth look at the findings from the HR Realities 2024-2025 at our Paris show, UNLEASH World, on Wednesday 16 October.

The session will give HR leaders a measure of where they are today, and give them the insights to move in the right direction tomorrow.

If we don’t understand what’s been successful for others, don’t have a benchmark of ourselves about how successful or progressive we are, we don’t really know how we’re doing”, concludes Perring.

Wilson’s session is all about sparking conversation, and getting HR leaders to reflect on their past, and find the best solution to their problems fast.

It’s not too late to take part in the HR Realities research, or to join us in Paris and get access to Fosway’s interim data – you can grab a pass to the show here!

Take part today!