What happens when HR leaders embrace human data?

This is the time for HR to stay in the seat at the table. We’ve wanted it. We’ve got it.

Finding, Hiring, and Retaining talent will not get easier. It will be different. We know our world will not go back to what it was, yet hope is strong.

Who among us doesn’t long for a time before COVID? For time when things were, perhaps, more predictable?

Remember when hiring was episodic? When we had human connections, office lunches, happy hours, and cupcakes in the break room because we had things to celebrate together? Yet, we’ve gained many things; it’s not only about loss. We’ve gained workplace flexibility and the ability to find work in places we never imagined.

HR Data: What We Need To Know

And the changes for HR are dramatic! The processes we had for hiring, the importance of performance conversations, expectation setting, and delivery of company content have completely changed. HR – this is our chance. We’ve wanted more respect, visible acknowledgement from others for the importance our roles play. We want to come into the light as the critical leaders we’ve always been.

How do we do it?

We have to know more about our workforce and we have to talk about it. We hold the keys to organizational success in the new world, as equals.

As a leader, what do I want to know regularly from HR to inform how I think about our workforce?

#1 How long is it taking to hire?

This matters to me as a leader because:

• Do we have enough support people to implement quickly, respond quickly, and serve our customers well?
• Is our engineering team staffed to deliver product on time?
• Is our sales team right-sized and do we have a “bench”?
• Should I include recruiters in our budget?
• Do we need critical roles that are net new, and change our budget?
• Do we need to build the hiring pipeline in anticipation of growth, or attrition?

And, I’d like to know how long it is taking by to hire, by department. Some departments hire quickly. I want us to celebrate as a whole organization, especially in tough times. And what if we aren’t hiring quickly? Is the market tough? I want to know that.

Or, is it our processes or people? Is our hiring process dated, and in need of a refresh? Is a department or a manager letting good candidates go cold (sorry to say that out loud)? That means our candidate experience isn’t optimal, our internal teams have shortages, we may have excuses for missed goals, and the HR team that carefully screened candidates had their work dismissed. This creates undesirable cultural friction. I want to get ahead of that and help remove roadblocks, or set expectations, if that is the case.

Sometimes, I need to know if there are good hiring tools my teams need to get the job done – and then I have to know where to get them.

#2 I want to know if performance reviews have been done on time.

This matters to me because:

Performance reviews are an intentional retention strategy. Top performers want and deserve to be recognized. We honor them with thoughtful, on-time reviews. As a company, reviews consistently lead to higher engagement scores because employees know we care. Our organization is like yours, we have many outstanding performers who deserve to know it, formally.

#3 I want to know who is on a PIP.

These situations are rare, and all teams deserve full contributors. PIPs are often not about an underperforming team member, it’s about honoring everyone else. I need to know we’re providing constructive feedback for growth, or moving to find the right match.

I also need to know if we are writing performance improvement plans at all!

#4 I want metrics to show that all employees have learned certain things.

For example, did everyone take the course on how we handle internal information and customer information? I want to ensure what we have agreed upon as a company is making it to the whole team.

HR Data: It’s Critically Important

I believe HR is critically important to our company and leadership strategies. More than ever, we can add value to our organizations and help our teams make choices that empower them to build stronger. We must go forward with this mission as HR leaders, and use data to empower our organizations today.

Having the right information and data surrounding your efforts is critical for all Human Resources leaders. The Trakstar Platform comes with Insights, a people analytics dashboard that helps you to visualize your data and use it to make actionable changes track your success, and highlight the important work you do surrounding hiring, training, and performance programs.

To see the Trakstar Platform in action, you can schedule a demo with us today.