Feb 27, 2015
What Constitutes 'Value Add' Workforce Insight?
In my first role in the 'Human Capital' space (it's funny how terminology changes) I inherited responsibility for the monthly HR executive report. With some gusto I set about improving data quality, incorporating better graphics, expanding the subject matter and bringing forward the working day on which the report became available.
Without doubt it was a better proposition and I was pleased with my work – that was until one of the HR Directors, an avuncular Scottish guy, put his hand on my shoulder and said: "nice report – but how does it help me help my customer run their business"?
He was right of course; I'd addressed 'volume' and 'validation', but ignored 'value'. It was a lesson learnt early but never forgotten - and it forms the basis for a question I continue to ask my clients in respect of their workforce analytics proposition.
What constitutes value to you and the business you support today, and the business your organisation hopes to become in the future?
This broad question then tends to be broken down to specifics:
What is it that the business (strategy) is trying to achieve that can be affected by altering the composition or behaviour of the workforce?
Which current or potential workforce issues can we realistically address through root cause analysis and intervention planning?
Which HR processes (or Business Processes relating to people) should we be assessing for effectiveness?
Where can we offer valuable insight by helping the business understand the correlation and interrelationship between workforce measures – and business Key Performance Indicators?
This is not an exhaustive list of course, but it goes some way to understanding what actually matters – and will in turn help determine the appropriate workforce analytics proposition.
But what have I missed? How would the members of this group define 'Value' in the context of People or Workforce Analytics?