Universal Problem in HR - Under-utilized & Disconnected Data

Does this sound familiar?

“We have lots of data but we’re challenged for time and resources to wade through it. We’re in need of a solution to resolve the fact we have spreadsheet upon spreadsheet but little means of drawing insight from them or connecting the data in meaningful ways.”

Or how about this?

“Having data was not our problem, we have always had lots of data. The issue lies in being able to draw insights from the data. We face barriers of time and resources as well as issues related to proliferation of the data in multiple systems that aren’t connected.”

If either (or both) of these sound familiar, don’t worry, you’re in good company. Both of these quotes come from interviews with VPs of Human Resources and Talent. Truth be told, we could fill an entire book with comments and quotes from talent Leaders expressing the exact same sentiment. In fact, it’s so common, we call it the Universal Problem. It happens when, despite an abundance of data there are challenges bringing it together, making connections across systems, and making sense of it all to drive better business outcomes. 

The Universal Problem Unpacked

 If we unpack the Universal Problem further we quickly see why it’s one that needs solving – and fast!

MAJOR DRAW ON TIME & RESOURCES

• HR & TA teams are typically not experts in statistics, analytics, etc., so naturally things take longer
• Multiple spreadsheets and manual work means a heightened risk of error

CAN BE STUCK IN REACTIVE AND TACTICAL MODE

• Role is often one of reactive data fetching / support
• Backward looking rather than uncovering trends and projecting the future

INEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION / MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESS IMPACT

• HR and TA groups need data and analytics connected to business outcomes to credibly demonstrate the ROI of activities
• Missing the critical linkages between HR activities and business outcomes

The universal problem - resolved

SAVE TIME & RE-FOCUS RESOURCES

• shift time and resources away from data crunchwork and towards value-add contributions like translating insight into action
• access a single source of the truth

MOVE FORWARD WITH MOMENTUM

• spend more of your time at the strategic level, translating insights into action
• go further with predictive capabilities 

COMMUNCIATE EFFECTIVELY

• communicate fresh insights that link HR activities to business outcomes
• make use of powerful visualizations to ‘show and tell’ the people story