Using your HR Data: Employee and Manager Dashboards

Big Data holds the promise of new opportunities for HR. Functionality such as predictive analytics and real-time reporting offer ways of using that data in ways that will make HR a more integrated part of the business - both at a strategic and a day to day level. But of course, there is the remaining challenge of enabling the workforce to use the newly-available HR data outputs.

With any HRMS system, employees and managers of all levels access HR data via some kind of dashboard or portal; and this is where the quality of the user experience is essential, becoming a defining factor in the success of the system.

Accessing HR Data: The Dashboard

It is through the dashboard, which ideally is customisable not only in terms of what functions can be accessed but also in terms of layout and appearance, giving the user some sense of control - that users have real-time access to HR data and reports. For an employee, access may be limited to their own personal data. However, this access is fundamental to the whole system because placing responsibility for keeping this basic personal data up to date is effectively outsourcing a key data integrity measure to the person most capable of fulfilling it.

Recommended Reading: learn how to use your employee data to its full potential with our guide to managing HR data with HRMS

Depending on level, managers may access their team or department’s current KPIs, employee productivity, benefits and other expenses, absentee rates (and costs), payroll status, and the state of the latest recruitment campaign. Naturally, the quality of the data that your people are accessing is of fundamental importance but the dashboard experience itself can have a significant influence on how they perceive that data quality – to use an analogy, the way an automobile looks and feels to drive is just as important to customer confidence as what is happening mechanically.

HR Data Governance

Part of that confidence will come from having the right HR data governance and data roles in place and using those defined roles in the design of the dashboard. People need to be clear on data ownership and where the responsibility for managing the data lies.

Data is everywhere in the modern world and the world of HR is no exception. The main difficulty is that although the unprecedented volume and variety of relevant data has created fresh opportunities – predictive analytics, more relevant KPIs, better real-time decision-making, and hands-on instant access – HR is still fairly tentative about it all; not so much seizing the day as giving it a reluctant poke. To reiterate insights from recent research, the strategy needs to be one of developing greater awareness of Big Data’s potential, letting go of introverted ‘silo’ thinking, and developing the skillsets to really take advantage of what is on offer.