Episode 131

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Published on:

25th Jun 2024

Why Data-Driven HR is Essential in Today's Workplace with Rob Briner

This episode of the HR L&D Podcast is sponsored by Deel, the all-in-one Global People Platform that simplifies how you manage the entire global team lifecycle. Hire and onboard talent in over 150 countries in minutes. Run payroll in over 100 countries with one click. Offer competitive benefits, equipment, and equity from a single dashboard. From contractors, direct employees, EOR, and more, you can manage them all in one place with Deel.

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Welcome to The HR L&D Podcast, your go-to source for transformative insights in the HR and L&D space. 

I'm Nick Day, CEO at JGA Recruitment, A specialist HR Recruitment Search Firm and today we are joined by Professor Rob Briner, an expert in Evidence-Based HR (EBHR) and Associate Research Director at the Corporate Research Forum.


As an influential figure in organisational psychology and as a professor at Queen Mary University of London, Rob's insights have shaped the field of People Management in a number of significant ways, which we’ll explore during the course of today’s show.


A recipient of numerous awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from HR Magazine, Rob is also the Scientific Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Management. 


Here are some key learnings from the episode:

  • Evidence-Based HR (EBHR): The concept of EBHR is based on using multiple sources of evidence, structured approaches, and high-quality, relevant data, originating from practices in medicine.
  • Challenges and Benefits of EBHR: EBHR faces challenges like new fads and the need for quick fixes, but it enhances decision-making and HR credibility when aligned with business goals.
  • Application of EBHR in Practice: Effective EBHR involves identifying business problems first and using real-world examples from Uber and Shell to illustrate its application.
  • The Role of AI in HR: AI can analyze large HR datasets but requires human judgment to interpret results and make informed decisions based on high-quality data.
  • Addressing Fear and Resistance: Overcoming fear in HR involves embracing failures as learning opportunities and fostering a culture of questioning and critical thinking.



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Connect with Professor Rob Briner:

Email: rob@crforum.co.uk

Website: https://www.crforum.co.uk/


Connect with Nick Day:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/



Of course, if you are an HR or L&D professional listening to this podcast and you have an HR, HRIS or L&D related vacancy that you would love some specialist HR recruitment support with – please also get in touch with me! I would love to help show you what a great HR recruitment experience feels like! You can reach out to me directly at nick@jgarecruitment.com or give me a call – 01727800377.


Thanks for listening folks – I look forward to bringing you the next episode of the HR L&D Podcast real soon!



(00:00) Preview and Introduction to Evidence-Based HR (EBHR)

(02:00) Introducing Professor Rob Briner

(03:14) Defining Human Resources

(04:42) Origins of Evidence-Based HR Practices

(10:18) What Make Evidence-Based HR Unique

(13:34) Challenges in Implementing Evidence-Based HR

(18:40) The Role of AI in HR

(22:19) Overcoming Hurdles in Evidence-Based HR

(28:53) Impact of  Evidence-Based HR on Leadership

(32:19) The Impact of Fear on EBHR Adoption

(35:29) Practical Applications of Evidence-Based HR

(40:50) How to Implement Evidence-Based HR in Your Organization

(42:56) Closing Remarks

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About the Podcast

The HR L&D Podcast
Leadership, recruitment, culture. Conversations with HR's best
HR gets handed the problems nobody else wants to own. The restructure, the grievance, the engagement survey that came back badly. And then gets asked why people are leaving.

I'm Nick Day. I run an HR recruitment agency, which means I spend most of my week on the phone to HR directors, HR leaders and people leaders talking about what the job is actually like rather than what's written on the job spec. This HR Podcast came out of those calls. I kept hearing things worth repeating, and nobody was repeating them.

Every week I sit down with HR leaders, chief people officers, L&D specialists and the occasional academic who has changed how I think about work and people engagement. We get into leadership, and what happens when someone brilliant at the technical side gets promoted into managing humans.

Employee engagement past the survey score. Diversity, equity and inclusion in a climate where saying those words out loud has become a decision in itself. Pay transparency, talent management, reducing bias in hiring, HR digital transformation and the HCM systems everyone is being sold. And of course we cannot forget HR AI tools and platforms that are flooding the landscape as AI in HR becomes a hot topic every people leader is keen to understand and leverage.

Wellbeing comes up constantly, and it usually turns into the same question. Who looks after the HR team.

I'm not an HR practitioner and I don't pretend to be. I'm the person who hires them, which puts me in a useful position. I get to ask the obvious question that everyone in the room already knows the answer to and nobody says.

No script and no polite version. Mostly it's the conversation you'd have with someone doing your job at a different company, if you ever got the chance to sit down with them.

If you work in HR, people management or L&D, or you're building a career in it, start by subscribing to The HR L&D Podcast. We have had guests including Stephen Covey, Alan Stein Jnr, Andrea Wareham and Dr. Thom Mayer among other HR Leaders who are shaping the future of work and leadership.

Need HR staff? I run JGA Recruitment, an HR and payroll recruitment agency. www.jgarecruitment.com or info@jgarecruitment.com

Want to be on the show? Nick@jgadigital.com

If payroll is closer to your world, I also host The Payroll Podcast, the most listened to payroll show in the world.

Topics include HR leadership, workplace culture, retention, people management, employee engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion, DEI strategy, AI for HR, AI recruitment tools, talent management, HR digital transformation, HCM, staff wellbeing, pay transparency, reducing bias, L&D and HR recruitment.

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Nick Day