HR as Business Facilitator – People Analytics Driving the P&L

HR must move from 'business partner' to 'business facilitator' by speaking the language of the income statement. Jamie Durling unveils the productivity‑management framework he has deployed at Dolce & Gabbana and Moncler, blending store sales, revenue per FTE and contribution‑margin KPIs into staffing algorithms that lifted EBITDA without adding headcount. Delegates will see the before‑and‑after numbers, the governance model that bound HR, Finance and Store Operations to one financial truth, and the cultural pitfalls that can derail adoption. You will leave with a five‑step playbook, KPI glossary and lessons ready for your next planning cycle.

• Reframing HR from partner to facilitator with explicit P&L accountability.
• Selecting productivity metrics – revenue/FTE, contribution margin/FTE, sales per hour.
• Building and validating a financial staffing algorithm that optimises schedules.
• Case studies: Dolce & Gabbana and Moncler, showing margin and EBITDA uplift.
• Governance model linking HR, Finance and Store Operations around one dataset.
• Common pitfalls – data latency, cultural resistance and KPI overload.
• Five‑step playbook to replicate the approach in any industry.

• Quantify HR actions in revenue and margin terms that Finance accepts.
• Calculate and track core productivity metrics for any sales organisation.
• Design staffing schedules that balance cost, service and profit.
• Establish joint HR‑Finance governance for data sharing and decision making.
• Anticipate and mitigate adoption pitfalls to accelerate return on investment.

Jamie Durling

VP HR, Americas & South Africa · Dolce & Gabbana

Luxury retail is locked in a margin squeeze from rising labour costs and volatile footfall. Boards demand proof that headcount decisions translate into revenue, yet HR data rarely appears in FP&A decks. A productivity‑anchored staffing model shows how people analytics can safeguard sales while protecting margin – a play every sector now needs. With AI raising expectations of leaner operations, the timing is critical.