The buzz: “The budgets are opening up to HR and they’re going digital with everything” (Laura Zifchak, PeopleDoc). It’s the time of year for HR to reflect and move forward.

The buzz: “HR can’t evade talent analytics any longer and the function must be willing to adapt and evolve” (Aaron McEwan]. Despite HR’s pronounced interest in analytics, an “execution gap” exists between intent and action.

The buzz: “Whether you see it or not, data exfiltration is a real risk for most organizations” (McAfee: Grad Theft Data). McAfee research shows that more than 40% of data breaches could be attributed to company insiders, i.e., employees.

The buzz: “Millennial expectations are shaping where technology is going and where the modern worker will be” (Amber Hyatt, SilkRoad technologyadvice.com/blog/human-resources/11-insights-from-hr-tech-2015).

The buzz: “I’m not the woman president of Harvard. I’m the president of Harvard” (Drew Gilpin Faust at WEF 2015). The World Economic Forum has been studying global readiness for gender because it’s as much an economic problem as a global talent necessity.

The buzz: “For employees, chatbots deliver an unmatched level of employee experience, from real time answers for HR questions to personalized learning and development” (Jeanne Meister).

The buzz: “…take dramatic technological change as an invitation to reflect about who we are and how we see the world” (Klaus Schwab). What’s most remarkable about business in the 4th Industrial Revolution? The blurring lines between people and technology.

The buzz: “If HR wants to continue to play a critical role in helping businesses anticipate and manage organizational change, it must have technology at its core” (Meghan M. Biro).

The buzz: “We live in a global village. No country can live in isolation of others like Robinson Crusoe” (Li Keqiang). You can’t be global without being local.

The buzz: Nearly 11% of the workforce is made up of full-time agile workers…39% of ‘permanent’ non-agile workers said they are likely to take a positon in the future in that category.” (Randstad Workplace 2025 report).