Noel O'ReillyMaking sure the right workforce is in place for the future and working out what that workforce should consist of would seem on the face of it to be a fundamental HR priority. However, as with many aspects with HR, it needs considerable capability for HR to exert its influence in this area. The best way for HR to influence the business is by presenting good evidence in the form of data. Easier said than done.
Two recent articles on Personnel Today by Nick Kemsley at Henley Business school tackle this challenge, which Kemsley says only a few organisations are getting
right. Kemsley is keen to point out that although data is central there is a paradox at the heart of this:
“It is not about producing a bigger spreadsheet full of numbers, which is a simple resource plan, something which can only be created once there is a degree of clarity as to the need. The trouble is, by the time the data is clear, it may be too late to do anything about the gaps in capability required.. What is really needed is something which sits upstream of these resource plans, which makes it possible to predict organisational risks to the business strategy in time to mitigate them. Of course in order to do this, you need to generate data.”
He explains:
“To make strategic workforce planning work, you need to begin the process earlier in the strategy process so that you can add value and manage risks. However, to do this you have to be able to operate with data in a much more macro and scenario-based way. This is something many people currently involved in operational HR processes find difficult.”
The first article provides answers to these key questions HR needs to ask and what capabilities are needed to deliver solutions. The second looks at “How to get Strategic Workforce Planning Right”.
A key point is that HR professionals need to be able to work quickly in uncertain and ambiguous situations, particularly in the current uncertain economic climate. He offers a set of techniques that will help with this.
- Scenario planning: ask “what if?”. Understand the key drivers for the resource requirement.
- Limiting – ask “what’s the best/worse case scenario in terms of resource requirements?” Understand the left and the right of the need so that you can understand the playing field.
- Scaling – is it broadly the same, less than or more than now? By how much - twice as much, 10 times as much, or more? Get a feel for the size of the need.
- Risk assessing – how sensitive is the organisation to mismatches in the resource supply versus the need? Which are the show stoppers?
- Mitigating – what implications are common to all/most scenarios? Which bases need covering until we know different? Which needs feel most difficult to address?
Still on the subject of using data in HR another recent article, by Jessica Colling, product director at Vielife, looks at using data to direct employee wellbeing initiatives.
Colling says:
” [Health and wellbeing data] not only gives surprising insights into issues that can be affecting organisational performance, but also adds a new dimension to an organisation’s broader business intelligence and forecasting. Data from a human capital management system might uncover that particular employee groups have a higher sickness absence rate than the norm, but it will not be able to tell if there are particular wellbeing issues at play. Being able to delve deeper into cause and effect is vital.”
These articles are part of a series on using data and statistics more effectively in HR. Previous articles include:
- Maximising the effectiveness of HR data, by Nick Kemsley of Henley Business School.
- How to use data to get results in HR, by Andrew Mayo, author of Human Resources or Human Capital?
- A closer look at employee opinion survey results boosts engagement at Barclays, by Gordon Tinline, director at Robertson Cooper, and Hazel Hodgins, head of employee engagement and insight at Barclays UK Retail and Business Banking.
- How HR can gain more from benchmarking, by Ray Wilkinson, director of the Best Practice Club.
- Benchmarking – what is it? By Ray Wilkinson.
