Highlights:

  • Data sources encompass both public and private domains, with public data accessible through university libraries and government databases, while private data is typically sourced from the Human Resource Information System (HRIS).
  • By visually representing key HR analytics metrics such as headcount, cost-to-hire, and time-to-fill, the dashboard enables swift identification of areas requiring attention, such as enhancing retention or reducing cost-per-hire.

Cognizant of its significant value, data stands as a cornerstone asset within the business realm, aptly leveraged across various departments to propel innovation, shape policies, and attain overarching company objectives. Among these departments, the Human Resources (HR) division particularly harnesses data to refine employee development endeavors and enhance managerial practices.

Appreciating the pivotal role of HR data analytics illuminates the path for organizations to strategically allocate resources towards the formulation and refinement of impactful HR policies. Within the scope of this discourse, we delve into the essence of analytics, exploring its fundamental principles and methodologies.

The strategic imperative of integrating analytics into HR practices is growing as organizations aim to manage their workforces more effectively and efficiently. This nuanced merging of HR and analytics improves decision-making procedures and opens new possibilities for optimizing strategies related to talent acquisition, development, and retention.

What Are HR Analytics? Where do HR Intersect with Analytics?

Analytics in HR is a facet of data analytics tailored specifically to the realm of human resources. It encompasses technologies, statistical techniques, and processes geared toward gathering data from diverse source systems, constructing data models, and communicating insights effectively. A LinkedIn survey from 2020 revealed a significant 242% surge in demand for data analysis skills among HR professionals.

Its core focus lies in analyzing people-related data to empower HR decision-making, leading to enhanced employee retention and performance, thereby optimizing returns on investment in human capital.

HR analytics dashboards serve as a pivotal tool for refining existing HR processes by providing vital insights such as:

  • Tracking the headcount status trend over the quarter/year across various locations.
  • Determining the cost incurred by the company for hiring new employees.
  • Analyzing the attrition trend over time since the last promotion for employees.
  • Identifying demographic drivers, such as qualifications, location, or previous company experience that contribute to high performance among employees.
  • Quantifying the number and percentage of high-performing employees who depart the organization within a specified timeframe.
  • Assessing the correlation between team performance and diversity within the leadership team.
  • Evaluating the impact of capability development on individual and team performance.
  • Investigating the relationship between individual pay levels and individual performance outcomes.

As organizations seek to harness the transformative power of data within their human resources functions, the question arises: how does one embark on this endeavor effectively? Getting started with analytics and reporting involves navigating a landscape where traditional HR practices intersect with cutting-edge data analysis methodologies.

How To Get Started with HR Analytics & Reporting?

Organizations can unleash the potential of their workforce and create the conditions for strategic HR management and well-informed decision-making by embracing this journey. Here is how you can get started:

  1. Establish stakeholder needs to develop an agenda for HR analytics.

Identifying stakeholder requirements is crucial for determining the essential data to collect. This necessitates establishing continuous, proactive partnerships with key stakeholders to grasp the most pressing organizational challenges.

Among human resources stakeholders are executives, line managers, senior HR leaders, HR business partners, employees, and tech vendors. Understanding their perspective aids in pinpointing priority areas. This knowledge enables the creation of a short- or long-term analytics agenda that addresses critical needs effectively. By focusing on key priorities, organizations can streamline their analytics efforts to drive informed decision-making and strategic planning.

  1. Locate data sources, gather, and consolidate all your personnel information.

Data analytics in HR starts with the integration of HR data from various sources, facilitating comprehensive analysis. For instance, juxtaposing annual engagement survey results with performance metrics enables the assessment of how employee engagement influences financial outcomes.

Data sources encompass both public and private domains, with public data accessible through university libraries and government databases, while private data is typically sourced from the Human Resource Information System (HRIS).

Consolidating employee data from disparate sources establishes a unified repository, expediting and economizing decision-making processes. Key sources for diverse data types include:

  • Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS) housing recruitment data, employee demographics, performance metrics, compensation details, and disciplinary records.
  • Payroll databases providing insights into costs, liabilities, and payroll taxes.
  • Performance Management platforms documenting employee skills, performance reviews, promotions, and earnings adjustments.
  • Learning Management Systems (LMS) containing data pertaining to professional development activities.
  • Sales tools offering sales data directly linked to employee performance.
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems furnishing insights into the performance of customer-facing personnel.
  • External factors such as economic, political, and industry landscapes, impacting employee productivity.
  • Benchmarking against top-performing businesses for comparative analysis.

  1. Develop your analytical skills

The subsequent phase involves enhancing the analytical prowess of your HR team in collaboration with the business intelligence platform. This entails procuring analytical software capable of facilitating predictive, process, text, sentiment, and real-time analytics. Rather than fixating solely on the latest Human Capital Management (HCM) or Artificial Intelligence (AI) toolkits, it is prudent to prioritize solutions that derive results from the inherent mechanisms of your business.

While many tools tout proprietary algorithms and opaque “black box” methodologies, prioritizing solutions that offer transparency and align with your business’s underlying processes is paramount. This approach ensures that analytics efforts are grounded in tangible insights, fostering informed decision-making and driving sustainable business outcomes.

  1. Make an HR dashboard to share the outcomes with others

Data visualization serves as a pivotal tool for enhancing analysis efficacy within HR operations. A dashboard serves as a comprehensive repository, presenting HR data in graphical or visual formats to facilitate streamlined monitoring and benchmarking.

By visually representing key HR analytics metrics such as headcount, cost-to-hire, and time-to-fill, the dashboard enables swift identification of areas requiring attention, such as enhancing retention or reducing cost-per-hire. The overarching objective is to align HR initiatives with business goals, thereby driving desired outcomes.

Prioritizing problem-solving efforts entails initially addressing issues that offer high impact with relatively low implementation effort. This approach can be operationalized through an impact vs. effort matrix, systematically arranging business problems based on their impact on performance and the effort required for resolution.

By focusing on high-impact, low-effort challenges, organizations can optimize resource allocation and drive tangible improvements in business performance.

  1. Continuous Advancement

Continually monitoring the analytics process for inefficiencies, errors, and risks is crucial for identifying problem areas and preventing future issues. The scope of HR analytics improvement includes providing analytics training and utilizing integrated analytics platforms that support various uses.

Why Should Analytics Solution for HR That Meets Your Needs

HR analytics play a pivotal role throughout the entire employee life cycle, encompassing recruitment, training, and succession planning. Investing in suitable tools and methodologies is essential to gather accurate data that informs business strategy.

Given the nuanced nature of it. It is imperative to seek providers offering solutions customized to your specific business, industry, or locale. This tailored approach recognizes that HR analytics tools are not one-size-fits-all, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and maximizing the effectiveness of analytics initiatives.

Enhance your expertise by accessing a range of valuable HR-related whitepapers in our resource center.