Being an HR department that is data-driven, or data-informed if you feel that that is a more correct designation, but simultaneously able to keep sight of the individuals in the workplace is not an entirely easy nut to crack.
In recent times the data trend has become increasingly prevalent, even in HR departments, in that elements such as employee surveys, talent management programmes, recruitment and performance management have started to be implemented digitally. However, as we all know it is not sufficient to simply have the technology in place. People are needed who can process the data that is collected and who can convert it into concrete and relevant insights and initiatives.
”One person’s carrot can be another person’s stick” writes Richard Hede in an article about data-driven work within HR. In other words, it is not possible to look solely at figures and act on that basis. You also need to be human and actually talk to the employees in the organisation to obtain as nuanced a picture as possible.
It is therefore important to both descend to team level and at the same time highlight the major connections in the organisation. We consequently always give our customers recommendations at team level where the team manager gets to see which opportunities and challenges the team currently possesses, together with concrete tools which help the team to achieve a positive development curve. In combination with this we can also look at how the team’s performances are linked with other key indicators such as sales, customer satisfaction or ROI in the organisation as a whole. This helps the organisation to understand how resources should best be allocated. It also provides the space that HR needs to be able to play on the same pitch as the other departments. Departments which have traditionally been working in a data-driven way for longer, and which can use the figures to present arguments, are better able to make their case.