Partner Article

Building an HR Analytics Team

A top notch HR analytics team will have a huge impact on the business, from cutting organizational costs, to achieving quicker returns on investments, to understanding and deriving insights from employee data.

More specifically, Dawn Boyer, a small business HR consultant, identifies 6 areas in which HR analytics can assist the business in analyzing employee data: Recruiting, L&D, Performance, Talent Assessment, Leadership Planning/Development, and Employee Engagement.

Before the formation of the data analytics team, a manager must ask if their business is ready to use data insight. Is your data in a form that can be readily used?

Secondly, develop a plan for your HR analytics. What kind of insights do you want to derive from your data? Is there a BI system already in place that you can use or do you need to purchase another one?

Then, look at the skills of your team. The best teams have a vast array of skill sets, and it is highly improbable that every analyst will have every needed skill. Also, this step also involves knowing how many analysts to hire, or to train from within. These people need to have domain expertise, knowing what analytics can possibly be derived from what kind of data. Statistical knowledge is key, as they will have to understand how to collect, interpret and report data findings.

Perhaps the most important skill is being able to communicate the data, or data visualization. This is the step in which the team persuades the greater company about the validity of its findings, as well as convinces them to adopt the new findings and change accordingly.

Analysts come from a diverse array of backgrounds, from psychology to mathematics. The market for analytics professionals is extremely competitive right now, so training from within appears to be a cheaper and faster way to achieve your HR analytics goals.

Lastly, teach your HR analytics team how to work with other departments in the organization. The team needs to be accessible, as well as gain trust within the organization. In order to do the latter, it is suggested that they gain credibility early by solving easier problems.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Casey McCulloh .