How can workforce analytics, as part of an HRIS, help to measure and improve a talent management program?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Using workforce analytics to manage talent in an organization can involve asking questions about an individual person or a group of employees. Typically, a simple question about an individual employee’s history is answered by using a query program against the employee data warehouse. This is not a really complicated environment as long as your organization has the query tools that can get the answer from a data warehouse. The real purpose of analytics for talent management is to use the analytics to model, in terms of skills and abilities of employees who were successful in the company, against a pool of existing employees or new potential hires to determine their possibility of success in the organization.
For new hires, an employer may like to know the demographics of existing, successful employees to see if the company image and recruiting programs are attracting the right individuals to the company. This is an important use of analytics because recruiting programs vary from Internet-based recruitment using social networking to programs focused on local media advertising through newspapers or television or participation in recruiting fairs. All of these recruiting programs cost money, and it is important to know where to spend the money to attract the best talent. By using analytics, a company can also better train its managers on hiring tactics, and resources can be better funneled to the right recruitment channel.
For existing employees, analytics can be used to understand the personal characteristics of successful employees. Data such as previous work experiences and education and training, both within and outside the company, can be collected and analyzed to determine what helps prepare these employees for success. Also, data about performance objectives can be compared with actual business results. This information can be collected and stored in an employee’s electronic career jacket, which also contains a record of current job responsibilities, previous promotions, and the length of time between promotions.