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Why HR is grappling with the data problem…

 

This post continues our discussion PeopleTree Analytics 101 Part 1: An introduction to People Data.

The image above shows the importance and readiness of HR to deal with various challenges. The research was based on over 7000 responses from global HR practitioners from Bersin by Deloitte.

This is the first time People Analytics has made it onto the list, and the bottom 5 issues are al influenced by a shift to a “Digital” Data Economy and it’s impact on HR. More companies are ‘going digital’ and it’s increasingly important that HR understand how they should be supporting this process.

The biggest gap on this list above is People Analytics with a 32 point difference between importance and readiness.

Although analytics can require some very complex and different skills to those that HR practitioners traditionally have, a lot of the ‘heavy lifting’ can be done with programs that make the test a lot easier, or with temporary specialist input from within your own business intelligence team, or from outside the business. You can contact the PeopleTree Group team to find out how they can help you get started.

The real challenge with analytics, and the part of it that HR can excel at, is

“What questions should we ask of the data?”

This doesn’t require technical skills, but it does require some critical and creative thinking.

Stories are not just characters and plots 

Good stories have twists and turns, predictability and surprise. They catch your attention and hold your interest.

HR stories are no different. They should stimulate discussion, offer insights that surprise and keep people interested in what is happening, but more importantly what will happen in the future.