Numbers, numbers all around, but what do they mean and what impact can they have on your business decisions? How can you get the most out of the data you already capture through your HR system, and how can you make it meaningful to the required audience so that they view it as a valuable business asset, rather than a set of numbers to be filed away as a monthly tick-box exercise?
Any business, no matter the size or complexity, is likely to face some common challenges when it comes to delivering on staff data:
- Data quality is super important. We need to make sure all data is correct, and it’s not okay to leave things blank or say “I don’t know.” We can prevent mistakes when employees enter data by having strong checks and giving them good training.
- Metrics must be relevant to business decisions and current challenges; all too often the same set of figures are churned out month-on-month without any consideration of their use.
- User understanding amongst the relevant audience in terms of data literacy is key; this is by no means meant to be cheeky – it is important that all measures are ‘owned’ and fully understood by the right people, to confidently challenge and drive decision-making.
- Confidence in the results being presented is essential, as any glimmer of an error on a single chart or calculation, will cast doubt over all measures being reported.
- Visualisation and storytelling will take your data to the next level; it is not enough to simply provide stats and graphics, there needs to be insightful interpretation of the measures, linking your staff data to other key metrics such as financial or sales data, to draw more comprehensive business insights.
So, here’s the deal on HR data: businesses need to make sure they are capturing the right information and delivering it to the right audience in the most effective way. Your workforce will represent a significant chunk of £ spend, so you need to be on top of your game to understand your staffing dynamics and be able to assess the impact of business changes. If you’re not already doing this, it’s time to take a deep dive look at your HR data to make the right decisions based on what you have at your fingertips! Buzzqube has the expertise to do this for you – get in touch for a free discovery chat.
Arlene Herzog, HR Consultant, Data and Systems.
