By Mary Velan
Gov1
What Happened?
Local governments and public agencies are optimizing the latest data technology resources to make smarter decisions and improve workforce efficiency. One sector specifically benefiting from the latest data solutions is human resources.
Data-Driven Decisions
One way many human resource departments are leveraging data solutions and analytics is by extracting actionable insights to support decision making. Many human resource departments have access to massive volumes of data on a daily basis. This information -if properly collected, managed and analyzed – can provide deep insight into organizational performance, operational disparities and talent demands.
When human resource teams leverage workforce intelligence technology, all employee data is studied to determine the specific talent needs of the organization in real time. Human resource departments can then develop talent strategies based on data-driven insights.
The city of Edmonton in British Columbia recently deployed a workforce analytics solution within its human resource department to help modernize its systems and practices to support the expansion of municipal infrastructure, programs and services. Human resource professionals use the technology to translate data streams into easy-to-understand interactive visualizations that can be used to extract best practices and industry trends.
From there, human resource teams can make connections between talent acquisition strategies and business practices to align processes and goals. The city is using the technology to support a growing workforce through fact-based talent strategies.
Talent Retention
Another way human resource teams are taking full advantage of data technology is to attract and retain a talented workforce. To ensure organizations are staffed with high-quality professionals, human resources are using data analytics to not only acquire top talent but also create retention strategies that meet the unique needs of all workers.
Taking advantage of big data streams and analytics technologies enables human resource departments to align employee performance to business objectives. This means human resources can track employee achievements and contributions, while visualizing the impact of these activities with overall organizational performance. In turn, human resources can then offer incentives and benefits that cater specifically to high-performing employees to ensure they are engaged and satisfied in their roles. Thus, turnover is reduced.
Furthermore, data analytics help human resources incorporate workforce strategies when management starts to groom employees for leadership roles. If management understands the unique behaviors and performance drivers for each leadership candidate, the training and development programs can be tailored to meet their needs and behavioral preferences.
The U.S. State Department, for example, is implementing a series of reforms to provide more workforce flexibility, better training and improved manager accountability. The State Department is enabling employees to move within different department bureaus and federal agencies to ensure they find a role that best suits their needs and skills. The department is also considering offering a sabbatical from federal service to prevent burn out, GovExec reported.