Technology abounds for HR. But there’s something singularly frustrating around what should be a good thing. Here’s why.
Despite volume choices, the many and varied HR tools don’t always share data between them. And not every company has the time and resources to build out a business analysis (BA) or business intelligence (BI) practice. That means there’s a whole lot of static and transactional data flying around, not really doing much to support the HR function or the broader business objectives in any meaningful way.
For example, let’s take HCM (Human Capital Management) and HRIS (Human Resources Information System). These kinds of systems are most commonly used by larger corporate businesses, and also public sector organizations, but as HR technology evolves, even smaller organizations recognize the value in such tools. HCM and HRIS include many core HR functionalities, like payroll, annual leave, sick leave and training. In addition, some, but not all, have integrated recruitment functionalities.
In the cases that don’t, an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is often used alongside a HCM or HRIS. This equips the HR team to take advantage of a multitude of pliable and powerful recruitment-specific functions that aren’t available with their HCM or HRIS. And sure, it streamlines processes for HR team X100. But, what does it actually TELL you about your workforce, past, present and future?
What’s the Difference Between Transactional Data and Living Analytics?
Static or transactional data, as it’s known, refers to the numbers you crunch on spreadsheets. It tells you things like, for example, how many employees you’ve successfully recruited by agency breakdown, or by job board. But it doesn’t tell you engaging and evolving stories that influence business critical decision-making.
Whereas analytics open a living and breathing narrative about, for example –
- The complete employment history of a high performing salesperson
- Which agency initially sourced them
- Their job progression
- Their pay grade and bonus payments
- Any training courses they’ve attended
- Their actual sales figures against targets
- Which other salespeople have been offered jobs by the same Hiring Manager?
- Did these salespeople generate improved results in the four quarters after attending a particular training course or talking a particular qualification?
And it all comes down to this… A missing link.
You see, there isn’t a consistent connection between a candidate’s data in your ATS and an employee’s data in your HRIS, (we’re talking about the same person here, by the way).
And for deeper dives such as the above example, there almost certainly isn’t a unifying thread that draws together all the ‘big data’ in your –
- ATS
- HCM or HRIS
- Payrolls past and present
- LMS (Learning Management System)
- Performance / KPI feedback tools
- PTO (paid time off)
- Sales results
- Potential other data sources that you use to store information
In a nutshell, you’re likely up against a back-breaking challenge if you’ve been trying to take an analytical approach to data without –
- Previously understanding the difference between transactional data and relational analytics
- Relevant tools to generate mutual and personal analytics rather than static numbers
Additionally, if you’ve got so much data in so many different places, you might be unintentionally risking holes in data protection, especially if there’s little or no control over who can access what.
The good news is that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, even if you lack the time and resources for implementing DIY analytics solutions in-house, including –
- Potentially large system set up and ongoing maintenance costs
- Complex data transfers that cause business interruption and are difficult to verify
- In-house or outsourced costs for BI developers
How to Seamlessly Synthesize Your HR, Productivity, Talent and Workforce Data
Having a transcendent analytics platform means less messing around with complex spreadsheet formulations that still aren’t capable of providing the insights you need. Less unprotected data flying around. And more –
- Genuinely meaningful insights as a result of fusing together all of your HCM, HRIS, ATS and other data in to one single place where everything is inter-relatable
- Flexible insights beyond the realms of what unaligned systems can produce
- Money saved, peace of mind and time to get on with other more important things, rather than wrangling the astronomical task of implementing you own BA or BI practice in-house
So, what can you expect when you make the decision to outsource to a leading-edge HR analytics platform provider? Here’s just a few major benefits –
- Transformation of Raw Data – Are you concerned about having to present all your data, from past and present systems, in a particular way in order for it to be integrated? The very thought is enough to put anybody off. So, fear not! An elite HR analytics platform is more than capable of handling the raw data from all of your systems, without any need for laborious re-formatting.
- Accuracy Assurance – Trying to identify and keep on top of inaccurate and inconsistent data is a major bugbear of DIY analytics. Think of it this way. All your systems are in constant use. And if just one of them isn’t playing ball or a data feed drops out, your entire platform is thrown out of kilter. It doesn’t bear thinking about. And you don’t have to, when your data is expertly taken care of, checked and verified.
- Expedited Set-Up – You can be months just in the planning for building your own BA platform, let alone starting to use it. Whereas you can be operational in just five days with market-leading providers. And, there’s a few weeks grace for any snagging, once you’ve had time to play with the initial version that’s been configured for you.
- Inbuilt Compliance – The ‘privacy by design’ ethos underpins the most highly respected HR analytics platforms. After all, they’re in the business of HR. So, they fully understand just how business critical data security is. This goes beyond your in-house needs to control exactly who has access to exactly what data. In addition, it extends to provider personnel who are exposed to your data.
- Customized and Compelling Reports – The most powerful analytics in the world aren’t worth their weight in salt if you can’t ingest them and apply them to your business. So, you need tailored dashboards and metrics that mean something to you, in a format that’s easy for you to understand and use to maximum advantage.
At HireRoad, our unrivaled platform-agnostic HR analytics are purpose-designed to eradicate the need for time-sucking, costly, and potentially unconvincing in-house efforts.
Imagine a HR data warehouse making good on analytics, dashboards and reporting. The time for imagining is over. Get in touch and allow us to show you in glorious technicolor.