People analytics: HR metrics and reporting at a glance

What people analytics does

The starting point is data integration: information from the core HR system, recruiting, time management, payroll and surveys is harmonised and combined in one data model. On top of that come metrics such as turnover, absence, time to fill, personnel costs or age structure – as standard reports and freely explorable dashboards.

More advanced solutions support workforce planning with scenarios for positions and budgets, analyse pay gaps or draw on external labour market data. The value becomes apparent once reports no longer have to be assembled by hand and questions from senior management can be answered at short notice.

What to look for in people analytics solutions

Analyses are only as good as the data and its protection. A comparison should include these points:

• Data connections: ready-made connectors to the HR systems in use, handling of inconsistent data, refresh frequency.
• Analytical scope: predefined metrics, custom analyses, planning and forecasts – and how transparent the models are.
• Target group: usable by HR teams without data specialists, or a tool for a dedicated analytics team?
• Data protection: roles and permissions, aggregation and anonymisation, GDPR-compliant hosting, coordination with the works council.
• Effort: time to the first reliable report, implementation support, pricing model.

People Analytics, HR Suite or Employee Experience?

An HR Suite comes with its own reports but mainly evaluates its own data; people analytics connects several sources. Employee Experience lists survey tools that collect sentiment data. Skill Management supplies competency data that feeds into workforce planning.