HR strategy: how to achieve effective HR reporting?

Data analysis is no longer limited to the marketing field. This activity also extends to the field of Human Resources. Here, as elsewhere, the importance of effective reporting is clear. So how do you achieve effective HR reporting as part of an HR strategy?

Reporting objectives

The reporting tools (or data restitution) are used to establish a dashboard or a steering table. Such documents are valuable because they allow us to measure the performance of the service and also to highlight dysfunctions. The dashboard serves as a basic document for exchanges between managers, promoting communication between the various departments.

Reporting is one of the key HR issues. Indeed, these documents simplifydecision-making. They highlight new opportunities as well as risks. They also provide quality feedback to measure the impact of each corrective action in real time.

What should an effective HR report contain?

There are no “standard” steering charts. However, there are some common rules that govern the structure and content. The first (and probably the most important) of these concerns data quality (or HR data management). They must come from reliable sources and have complete integrity. They will be used to create the multiple indicators of an HR dashboard. These HR indicators must be :

• to meet user needs
• to quickly compile the image that reporting is supposed to reflect
• contingents to adapt to current requirements, while remaining comparable with paintings from earlier periods
• accessible to apply the necessary corrective actions as soon as possible.

The benefits of Business Intelligence (BI) software

The Business Intelligence (BI) tool is ideal for aggregating data from diverse and heterogeneous environments. This makes it possible to build a real data warehouse. In addition, it has many features to perform the restitution to the user. Among the most effective solutions in this area are Business Objects, Hyperion and Cognos. HRIS also often have reporting tools integrated into the modules.

Contrary to what is practiced in many companies, it is a mistake to believe that an Excel spreadsheet is able to perform as well as BI software. Since they were not designed for this purpose, spreadsheets do not provide security for the data they compile. In addition, limitations on the amount of data that can be processed prevent it from working with large files. Finally, the lack of efficient collaborative work functionalities, of an alert system and its lack of processing speed are particularly problematic for the development of a real dashboard.

See also our feature on "HR strategy management tools".

• What are the key issues facing HR departments today?
• Organization, talent management, recruitment: priority HR projects?
• Human resources management: what HR strategies for the future?
• Best practices to manage your HR strategy in an optimal way
• The different HR management tools to carry out your HR strategy
• HRIS software: the different areas of intervention for the HR function
• How to convince your management to invest in an HRIS tool?
• Is it necessary to be accompanied in the management of an HR strategy?
• What indicators should be defined to measure the performance of an HR strategy?
• HR strategy: how to achieve effective HR reporting?
• Who should drive HR projects in the company?
• Setting up a working group for an HR project: who should be involved?