How HR Pros Gain Influence with Analytics | Human Resources ...

If you do much reading in the HR space, you?ve probably seen many articles over the past couple of years that tout the importance of HR data and lament the fact that HR professionals often are unprepared to back up their function?s performance with the kind of hard numbers that other business functions seem to wield with aplomb.

Recently, yet another study confirmed that HR is number-challenged. The prestigious Cornell University ILR School?s Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies ? yes, the HR mother ship ? published data based on research it conducted among member companies that confirms HR?s continued discomfort with metrics. And the companies studied weren?t small ones ? all were Fortune 500 firms. So here?s just a bit of what the study reported:

• Although all the companies surveyed said their HR data factored into basic reports, only about one in four said they had teams who could capably handle HR analytics projects.
• Only a third said that HR generalists in their organizations understood HR analytics? value.

Well, already things sound a little dicey, don?t they? Fundamental problems were revealed when the study went on to note that only 13% of the companies said they had the technology they needed to support HR analytics, and that only one in five of the survey respondents expressed trust in the accuracy of their data.

The research makes clear that even Fortune 500 companies? HR functions have miles to go before they can claim robust HR data reporting capabilities that help their leaders drive business strategy and decision-making. So how?s a small or mid-sized organization?s HR function supposed to rise to the increasing challenge of providing data that can deliver insights to business owners and managers?

The Cornell research underscores the fact that a lack of technology remains a key stumbling block for HR functions in companies of all sizes. They lack HR data systems, the systems they have don?t produce the data HR teams need in order to identify business-affecting trends, or HR practitioners don?t know how to find the stories contained in the data.

BambooHR?s customizable system offers small and mid-sized businesses a leg up on the competition when it comes to capturing and reporting HR data. The system?s affordability and ease of use make it an appealing choice for small companies poised to take the first step on the HR analytics road. Because it enables HR professionals to centralize employee-related information and specify unique reporting requirements, BambooHR helps to address that most basic obstacle in HR analytics ? technology that enables access to reliable data.

BambooHR?s ease of use earns significant praise from the HR pros who use it. Because it?s not a complex and intimidating system, BambooHR can serve as a great catalyst for learning. The companies studied said their HR generalists didn?t have a grasp on the value HR data could provide to the business. The HR reports you generate with your BambooHR system can serve as great teaching tools for your HR staff (and your company?s managers, too).

Choose a report and gather your staff to explore it. Show them the data captured in the report, and explain that the real meaning ? the analytics ? the value ? comes from what those numbers reveal. Perhaps you?ve chosen a report that gives you an age breakdown on all of your company?s employees by department. And it includes figures for workers anticipating retirement in the coming year or two.

Your discussion should include such questions as these: What does that information mean? What implications does it have for your company when those people retire? Are those workers doing jobs that are crucial to your business?s ability to function? Have you identified possible successors who could be learning now from those they?ll eventually replace? With your BambooHR report in hand, you can lead a thoughtful discussion that demonstrates for your staff exactly what the value of HR numbers can be. Soon, your department will have learned not only to look at HR data, but also to look beyond it for the meaning it reveals.

If you want to explore the versatility of BambooHR?s reporting capabilities, call your BambooHR rep today. We?re happy to help you define the kinds of reports you?ll need to help your company?s leaders identify and understand the actionable insights employee data can provide.

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Source: http://www.bamboohr.com/blog/how-hr-pros-gain-influence-with-analytics

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