At HR Tech, we invited attendees to stop by our booth and answer a simple question: What single workforce data challenge would you like to solve faster?
The responses were candid, practical, and surprisingly consistent.
After reviewing all the submissions, several clear themes emerged: overall, HR leaders are not struggling with a lack of data—they’re struggling with turning that data into trusted, actionable insight.
1) HR Doesn’t Necessarily Need More Reports
Many conversations around HR technology focus on dashboards, analytics, and reporting. But participants repeatedly pointed to a more fundamental challenge:
They don’t fully trust the data they already have.
Quality rather than quantity is the order of the day, and many respondents cited concerns around data quality. One specific issue mentioned by multiple individuals involved the challenges they experienced in validating their workforce metrics before presenting them to leadership—after all, key decision-makers won’t make consequential decisions based on figures they don’t trust, and HR professionals need to be ready to defend the rigor behind the reports they provide.
This goes for all kinds of data across your business: before organizations can leverage AI, predictive analytics, or advanced workforce planning, they need to have confidence in the underlying data.
2) The Search for a Single Source of Truth
Another recurring theme was the challenge of consolidating workforce data.
Participants referenced issues such as:
- Managing multiple data sources
- Connecting information across systems
- Establishing strong data governance
Many organizations continue to operate across a complex landscape of HCM platforms, ATS solutions, payroll systems, learning platforms, and compensation tools. Bringing those data sources together remains a significant challenge.
When workforce data lives in multiple places, answering even basic questions can become time-consuming and frustrating.
CATCH THIS Q&A | ‘Q&A—How to Get Ready for 2027 and Make Sense of a Fractured EEO Landscape’
3) Spreadsheets Are Still Everywhere
Despite significant investments in HR technology, the responses we received suggest that spreadsheets remain deeply embedded in workforce reporting processes. One particularly blunt response declared: “I hate spreadsheets.”
The message is clear: manual work continues to consume valuable HR resources.
Spreadsheets are often where data from multiple systems eventually comes together. Unfortunately, they also introduce version control issues, validation challenges, and opportunities for error.
The result is a substantial amount of time spent gathering, reconciling, and validating data before any analysis can begin.
4) Compliance and Regulatory Reporting Challenges Have Not Gone Away
Many attendees highlighted compliance and regulatory reporting needs. Despite recent executive orders (such as EO 14281, ‘Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy,’ and subsequent announcements from federal agencies (such as the DOJ’s claim that disparate impact liability is unconstitutional), the collection and strategic use of workforce data remains a pillar of regulatory preparedness.
In fact, the overall sentiment of those we surveyed was that reporting for compliance and regulatory reasons hasn’t become less important—it has actually become more of a focus as federal and state requirements become increasingly complex and nuanced. In total, as reporting requirements continue to evolve, organizations need greater confidence that their workforce data is accurate, complete, and defensible.
READ MORE ON THIS SUBJECT | ‘The New EEOC Reality: Can You Produce the New Employment Decision Data They Demand?’
What These Responses Tell Us
The strongest signal from our HR Tech conversations is that organizations are seeking trusted workforce intelligence.
They want to:
✅ Combine data from multiple systems
✅ Improve data quality and governance
✅ Reduce spreadsheet dependency
✅ Accelerate workforce planning decisions
✅ Better understand compliance and other workforce-related risks
✅ Deliver trusted insights to leadership with confidence
The challenge isn’t always collecting workforce data—many organizations already have plenty of it. Instead, the challenge is transforming fragmented information into a reliable foundation for strategic decision-making.
FURTHER INSIGHTS FROM HR PROFESSIONALS | ‘6 Major Insights From HR.com’s State of Legal and Compliance 2026’
Looking Ahead
As workforce analytics, pay equity initiatives, and AI-supported decision-making continue to evolve, data trustworthiness will become even more important. Organizations that can establish a single, reliable view of their workforce will be better positioned to answer the questions that matter most:
- Where are our workforce risks?
- Where are we losing talent, and why?
- How can we make better, defensible people decisions faster?
The answers already exist within the data. The real opportunity is making that data trusted, connected, and actionable.
What workforce data question do you wish you could answer faster? We’d love to help you find the answers you seek. Learn more about Affirmity’s workforce analytics and compliance platform, then contact us today to get started!
About the Author
Grace Mazar oversees marketing at Affirmity with direct responsibility for go-to-market strategy, product marketing and positioning, demand generation, events, and digital marketing.
A seasoned B2B marketing leader with over 20 years of experience, Grace applies her deep industry knowledge and proven outcomes-based marketing tactics to reach and influence targeted audiences.