The Power of People and Data Analytics

A blog by Hannah Rogers, workpal, Lead Partner in Organisational Effectiveness

As digital transformation continues to take the working world by storm, one of the most significant changes we have seen and continue to see is the use of people and workforce data analytics. Digital has revolutionised how we can gather, and display data and is therefore becoming increasingly clear to organisations including the NHS just how important data is in fostering organisational success. We are seeing this data being used as a means of attracting, retaining, and nurturing the workforce, but in the context of the NHS, this is indeed done to different extents depending on the Trust and what stage of digital workforce transformation that are at.

In this article we will be exploring:

• What are the different types of data and how is it gathered?
• How can we use data for the benefit of the workforce?
• What is best practice when it comes to data analytics and people?

What are the different types of data and how is it gathered?

When talking about the applications of data and the workforce the first aspect that needs to be clarified is, what do we mean by data and how can we gather it? In this context data can be split into hard and soft data.

Hard data, or quantitative data is numerical, measurable, and objective information. A good example of the hard data the NHS use in a workforce context would be figures behind employee turnover to understand Trust retention rates, sickness absence or appraisal compliance. Further to this, hard data is used to understand workforce demographics such as employee diversity. Some of the primary ways of gathering workforce data outside of employee staff records include the use of survey’s e.g., the Annual Staff Survey.

Meanwhile soft data, or qualitative data is information that is descriptive in nature, providing insights into the characteristics, qualities, and attributes of what is being understood. This data might be collected through conversation, observation, focus groups or open-ended interview/survey questions.

Often, both hard and soft data will be used when gathering workforce insights, to gather not only the numerical facts but also place the responses in the context of the employee’s experience. Using workpal as an example and appraisal, hard data is through the capture of appraisal completion through ESR, and then soft data is measuring the quality of appraisal, the employee experience, and how that is enabling high performance.

How can we use data for the benefit of the workforce?

Now we understand the different data types, we can explore how data can be leveraged through analytics to improve not just workforce performance but also employee wellbeing, engagement, and satisfaction. Data analytics can be a powerful ally in making informed decisions providing evidence-based insights that enable HR professionals and managers to optimise their organisational workforce strategies.

Let’s have a look at some examples of this.

1. Recruitment and Talent Acquisition: In the digital age, recruitment has transcended traditional methods, and data analytics has taken centre stage. By analysing historical hiring data, organisations can streamline their processes creating a better candidate experience, identify the most effective channels for sourcing candidates, understand the attributes of successful hires, and fine-tune their recruitment strategies accordingly. This data-driven approach reduces cumbersome and costly recruitment processes as well as positioning employers in a positive light with prospective employees.
2. Employee Engagement and Retention: Data analytics enables organisations to gauge employee satisfaction and engagement levels through sentiment analysis, pulse surveys, and feedback mechanisms. This type of hard and soft data gathering is crucial in pinpointing the factors that contribute to employee satisfaction and identifying where there is a need for improvement. This will allow for a more conducive work environment, foster stronger employee-employer relationships, and increase retention.
3. Performance Management and Development: Enabling high performance is critical for the NHS, not least because of the productivity agenda. There is a significant focus on overall organisational performance in terms of meeting patient focused targets, however, understanding people performance and contribution to organisational goals is still unchartered territory for some. Gathering and analysing data of this kind highlights what contributes to poor performance and what improvements can be made to create an environment and culture where people can thrive. In our podcast recording this month we will be exploring this further with Ray Pendleton, Managing Director at workpal, a digital company that specialise in performance empowerment.

All these examples highlight the need to get beneath the hard and soft data to understand the root cause and contributing factors, especially important when it comes to people data as it is often complex and multi-faceted. By doing so, you are much more likely to understand the issue at hand and design an intervention that will drive positive improvements.

It is also worth noting that while data is an excellent (and necessary) tool, it comes with the caveat that it can quickly provide redundant insights if they are not acted upon quickly enough. This is why using real-time data is so important as if the turnaround time from data gathering to enacting a strategy is too short it quickly becomes outdated and can lead to frustration and disengagement.

What does best practice look like?

There are some great examples when it comes to people data analytics and how this is being used to drive organisational effectiveness.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust have used workforce analytics to reduce turnover levels. They conducted analysis of historic data using several factors to predict expected leavers s ending up with a 95% accuracy rate. This allowed for greater levels of interventions and engagement to ensure there is support there for those likely to leave.

North Central London ICS established a new innovative payroll service using the analysis of real-time data reporting to increase staff satisfaction through ensuring the quicker processing of payroll changes and faster recovery of overpayments.

Looking ahead

Digital advancements and technology develop at lightning speed, however, one area that will undoubtedly become a significant part of people analytics is Artificial Intelligence (AI). There are several benefits to the use of AI including:

• Predictive analysis in areas like performance and workforce planning, ensuring that organisations have the capacity and capability that they need for the future.
• Analyse large amounts of data quickly – sometimes seemingly unrelated – to create meaningful insights to improve the employee experience and increase engagement and productivity.
• Reduce human bias through the analysis of data rather than individual preferences with the potential to highlight where bias may exist in areas such as recruitment, performance, talent management.

In conclusion, the integration of people and data analytics in the way that People functions operate is revolutionising the way we approach all aspects of the employee life cycle. By leveraging both hard and soft data, we can make evidence-based decisions that lead to more efficient processes and increased satisfaction. Real-world examples within the NHS demonstrate the tangible benefits of this approach, emphasising the importance of timely analysis and action. The use of people data and analytics is only to going to grow and the advancement of AI will likely play a big part in that.

We hope that you enjoyed this article and please look out for our next podcast episode on this topic which will come out in the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, some questions that may be helpful to consider are:

• What are the hard and soft data sources that are available to you in the organisation?
• What other data will help you to drive organisational effectiveness?
• How are you using this data to inform targeted actions and improvements?
• What are the opportunities for improvement?

We always love hearing your thoughts, your own experiences, any questions that you may have, and what else would be helpful for us to share in the future. Get involved to shape our Digital Workforce future by tweeting us @HPMA_National / @workpal or by emailing us.