HR Department Metrics 2024

The 2024 XpertHR benchmarking survey of HR functions, what they do, and how they do it, including data on HR benchmarks such as: the ratio of HR staff to employees; HR budgets; and HR department effectiveness. The survey is based on responses from HR professionals at 177 organisations, covering a combined workforce of 116,248 employees.

Survey questions

• Have you seen any changes in the make-up of the HR department at your organisation?
• How are disciplinary or grievance hearings conducted at your organisation?
• How is collaboration with business leaders conducted at your organisation?
• How is strategic work conducted at your organisation?
• How are employee consultations - individual or collective - conducted at your organisation?
• How does HR advise line managers at your organisation?
• Which skills do you feel are the most valuable for your HR team to have?
• Which skills do you feel your HR team would benefit from developing further?
• Does your organisation allow any employees to carry-over unused holiday, above the statutory entitlement, into the next holiday year?
• What metrics does your organisation measure?
• What methods are used to gain insight into employee experience at your organisation?
• What percentage of overall HR time is spent on strategic activities?
• What percentage of overall HR time is spent on business consultancy?
• What percentage of overall HR time is spent on administration?
• What percentage of overall HR time is spent on keeping up to date with legislative and other procedural changes?
• What percentage of overall HR time is spent on employee experience?
• What percentage of overall HR time is spent on recruitment activities
• What percentage of overall HR time is spent on collecting/analysing HR data?
• What best describes HR involvement in organisation-level strategic planning?
• Does your organisation's HR function have its own budget?
• Over the past year, how has the budget/spend for HR running costs changed?
• Over the past year, how has the budget/spend for HR activities changed?
• Over the next year, how do you expect the budget/spend for HR running costs to change?
• Over the next year, how do you expect the budget/spend for HR activities to change?
• How effective would you rate working relationships between the HR team and the rest of your organisation?
• Which of the following, if any, present the biggest barriers for HR working across your organisation effectively?
• How effective would you rate the HR team in meeting the needs of your organisation?
• Which working arrangements are undertaken by HR staff currently working at your organisation?
• How many HR staff does your organisation employ at senior leadership level?
• How many HR staff does your organisation employ at managerial level?
• How many HR staff does your organisation employ at non-managerial level?
• How many HR staff does your organisation employ?
• What is the ratio of employees to HR staff?