Data Driven People Decisions: Using Analytics to Inform Practice

Attendees are eligible for 1 SHRM recertification credit.

Human Capital practice changes quickly, often based on popular practices for: what other organizations, including those competing for talent, are doing; what has been done before; or what might reduce cost. At the same time, tracking systems, online data collection, and technology enabled processes and procedures capture data about human capital that can inform practice. Organizations can and should use this information to inform future practice to support higher decision quality, improve employee engagement, or pursue other goals.

This session will proceed in three parts.

• ·        During part one, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the value and design of high-quality research questions and data sources. In an era of artificial intelligence, analytic practice relies on the judgment and experience of the researcher to ask questions (e.g., design prompts) that ensure usable response and valid interpretation. Suggestions and standards defining good questions and prompts for research will be shared.
• ·        Parts two and three present experiences using research in practice. First, this session describes analyses of data on applicants' progress through a series of hiring phases, i.e., applicant flow data, affected by specific posting and recruiting strategies. Practical tactics for when, e.g., duration, and how, e.g., limiting the number of applications received and processed were found to influence the applicant pool, including its demographic makeup.
• ·        The final part will discuss analyses of data on employee recognition and awards that helped inform change and additional monitoring of awards distribution. Data summarizing what types, when, and for what reasons awards were distributed will be shared, along with an overview of how data were later used to monitor the effects of changes made.

Suggestions for future human capital analytics and practice will be shared.