Why your HR data isn’t driving results and how to fix it

Back in 2021, before AI and other technologies took the HR world by storm, just 29% of HR teams were successfully leveraging people analytics to drive meaningful change. It wasn’t a stellar number, but it hinted at a growing potential.  

Now, fast-forward to 2024. With AI making it easier than ever to extract insights, create analyses, and generate summaries from data, you’d expect HR’s effectiveness to improve greatly.  

Shockingly, the percentage of HR teams using data effectively has dropped to 22%. 

The question is no longer about whether HR is evolving, because the industry has seen massive investments in HR analytics and technology, with a 14.8% CAGR growth projected from 2023 to 2030. The question is: Why has HR taken a step backward?

Data isn’t strategy until decisions transform outcomes 

The same 2024 report also found that nearly 48% of HR professionals believed the organization was very effective to gather people data. However, when comparing it to extracting insights from the data and making changes, it is another story.  

40% analyzed people analytics data to gain actionable insights, but only 32% made any meaningful changes based on the insights.  

From employee engagement scores and recruitment pipelines to performance trends and attrition risks, HR has more data at its disposal than ever before. As observed, for many HR teams, the problem is an overload of disconnected metrics and an absence of clarity on how to turn those numbers into action.  

Data without direction: Organizations collect a huge amount of employee data, but much of it is siloed – isolated systems that don’t complement each other. As a result, HR professionals spend more time pulling data together than analyzing it. 

Insights without action: Even when data is centralized, many HR leaders lack the frameworks or strategies to turn those insights into organizational change. A beautifully designed dashboard is useless if it doesn’t lead to smarter decisions. 

Tools without training: The adoption of analytics tools hasn’t been matched by an equal investment in upskilling HR professionals. Without the ability to ask the right questions, even the most sophisticated analytics tool becomes just another expense. 

The four pillars of transformative HR analytics 

Despite HR analytics being touted as a transformative tool, organizations often falter when it comes to implementing it effectively. Here’s where HR commonly missteps across the four pillars of transformative HR analytics:

1. Connected ecosystem 

HR data often exists in silos spread across payroll systems, performance platforms, recruitment software, and engagement tools. Instead of a unified organizational view, HR ends up with fragmented insights, forcing teams to rely on manual data aggregation that is time-consuming and error prone. This lack of integration prevents leaders from seeing the full picture, making it nearly impossible to identify patterns or trends across the employee lifecycle. 

2. Role-based storytelling  

HR fails to tailor insights for different stakeholders. Providing the same dashboard or metrics to managers, executives, and HR teams leaves most stakeholders disengaged or overwhelmed. For example, executives looking for high-level workforce trends are bogged down by granular details, while managers don’t get the actionable insights, they need to address immediate team challenges. This disconnect dilutes the impact of analytics, reducing buy-in across the organization. 

3. Timely reporting  

Reporting processes in HR are often reactive rather than proactive. Without automation, many teams are stuck producing static reports that are outdated by the time they’re shared. This delay results in missed opportunities to address issues like rising attrition or declining engagement in real-time. Worse, when leaders finally receive insights, they may already be facing the consequences of problems that could have been mitigated. 

4. Privacy-first design  

Inadequate privacy protocols and lax access controls expose sensitive employee data to misuse or breaches. Moreover, HR often underestimates the reputational and legal risks tied to data privacy violations, eroding trust among employees and stakeholders. Without clear boundaries, even well-intentioned analytics efforts can lead to ethical pitfalls or non-compliance with evolving privacy regulations. 

A new era of HR insights with People Intelligence 

The ability to transform data into actionable insights is a necessity. People Intelligence (PI) represents the next frontier, enabling HR professionals to harness data not just for operational decisions but as a critical driver of organizational strategy.  

Let’s explore how People Intelligence transforms HR challenges into opportunities by addressing the four pillars of transformative HR analytics. 

1. Transforming data into a compelling story  

Data without context is just noise. The challenge lies in translating raw data into actionable insights that resonate with stakeholders. Often, HR teams drown in numbers but struggle to answer the “so what?” behind the data. Keka’s People Intelligence takes a storytelling approach to analytics.  

For example, instead of presenting attrition as just a percentage, the platform contextualizes it with insights into why employees are leaving, highlighting patterns in exit interviews, tenure, or even engagement survey scores. This transformation from raw data to a narrative enables HR leaders to better communicate with stakeholders and take informed actions. 

2. Curated insights for the right people  

A major roadblock in HR analytics is delivering the right insights to the right stakeholders. Executives don’t need granular details, while team leads require actionable specifics. Keka’s role-based storyboard solves this by tailoring data views for each stakeholder. While a project manager might receive insights into their team’s performance and workload distribution, a CHRO gets high-level trends in attrition or employee satisfaction. This customization ensures everyone has the information they need to drive results. 

3. Seamless integration for a connected ecosystem  

HR departments often operate in silos, with separate systems for payroll, performance, and recruitment. This disjointed approach creates blind spots, making it hard to see the bigger picture of workforce dynamics. People Intelligence breaks down these silos by integrating data from multiple HR modules, HRIS, talent acquisition, performance management, and more, into a single, unified ecosystem. 

HR leaders can cross-analyze data from recruitment and performance to see if new hires are meeting expectations, enabling better hiring strategies. The AI-powered insights also benchmark performance against industry standards, ensuring HR decisions are both informed and strategic. 

4. Report builder and timely delivery of insights  

Report Builder empowers HR professionals to create reports tailored to their specific needs, allowing teams to design insights that matter. For example, HR can quickly build a report tracking talent development KPIs like training completion rates and skill improvements. 

 The Report Scheduler takes it a step further by automating the delivery of these reports. Imagine a workforce attrition report arriving in a manager’s inbox every Monday morning, ensuring timely interventions to retain top talent. 

5. Security and privacy 

Data privacy is non-negotiable, yet HR often struggles with implementing security measures. Poor access controls or unclear governance frameworks can lead to breaches and erode trust. People Intelligence incorporates custom access controls, enabling HR leaders to grant role-based access to stakeholders. For example, while department heads can view their team’s performance metrics, sensitive organizational data remains accessible only to authorized individuals. This ensures compliance with privacy laws and safeguards employee trust. 

The DECIDE framework to turn HR insights into action 

No matter how sophisticated an analytics system or tool might be, it cannot replace the critical role of HR in decision-making and driving organizational change. Insights and analytics can illuminate the path forward, but the journey requires the human touch—intuition, judgment, and action.

The DECIDE framework is designed to help HR leaders bridge the gap between data and action, transforming insights into meaningful, measurable outcomes.

1. Insight identification: Discover the key data point  

The first step in leveraging HR insights is to clearly define the insight in focus. This means asking the right questions: 

• What is the insight? Is it an observable trend, such as increased turnover in a particular department, or a predictive alert, such as a likelihood of high attrition in the next quarter? 

• How does it impact the organization? Connect the insight to business objectives. For instance, declining employee engagement could affect team productivity and morale. 

• Where does the data originate? Understand the source, whether it’s a performance dashboard, employee survey, or analytics module. 

Example: If the data reveals a spike in absenteeism among a team, HR can narrow down whether it’s due to stress, poor leadership, or external factors like market conditions. 

2. Data contextualization: Evaluate the insight  

To make the insight actionable, HR must contextualize it within the broader organizational landscape: 

• Root cause analysis: Dig deep to understand the “why” behind the insight. Is high turnover caused by a lack of career progression, compensation mismatches, or team dynamics? 

• Alignment with goals: Consider how the issue aligns or conflicts with organizational objectives. High turnover, for example, might hinder plans to scale operations in new markets.

• Segmentation: Break down data to focus on specific groups or patterns, such as new hires versus tenured employees. 

Example: If data shows low engagement among mid-level managers, HR could assess leadership development opportunities or workload distribution to address the issue. 

3. Decision-making: Create an actionable strategy  

Once the insight is evaluated, the next step is to develop a strategic response: 

• Strategic alignment: Ensure the proposed actions align with organizational goals, such as increasing retention for key roles in preparation for a major product launch. 
• Actionable options: Brainstorm multiple solutions and prioritize those with the highest potential impact. 
• Predictive analytics: Use data to forecast outcomes. For instance, will investing in employee training programs reduce turnover by 20% in six months? 

Example: High turnover might prompt HR to propose initiatives like flexible work policies, mentorship programs, or enhanced compensation packages. 

4. Implementation: Execute with precision  

A well-designed strategy is only as good as its execution. To implement effectively: 

• Collaborative effort: Align stakeholders, from HR leaders to line managers, around the strategy. Clear communication is key. 
• Timelines and milestones: Set achievable timelines with check-ins to measure progress. 
• Resource allocation: Allocate necessary resources, such as budget, technology, and personnel. 

Example: For a strategy aimed at improving employee engagement, HR could schedule monthly town halls, introduce anonymous feedback channels, and invest in recognition programs. 

5. Delivery and adjustment: Monitor and refine the strategy 

Ongoing monitoring ensures that the strategy remains effective and aligned with goals: 

• Real-Time tracking: Leverage tools like Keka’s Report Builder and AI-driven dashboards to monitor metrics such as retention rates or employee satisfaction scores. 
• Feedback loops: Gather qualitative feedback from employees and managers to validate results or uncover gaps. 
• Iterative improvement: Use the insights gained to refine and adapt strategies. 

Example: If an onboarding improvement plan fails to reduce first-year turnover, HR might tweak it by incorporating peer mentoring or virtual check-ins. 

6. Reflection and evolution: A continuous improvement cycle 

The final step is to reflect on outcomes and integrate lessons learned into future processes: 

• What worked? Identify the strategies that delivered desired results. 

• What didn’t work? Analyze areas where results fell short and determine why. 

• How can future insights be better utilized? Adapt based on evolving organizational goals and workforce dynamics. 

Example: If leadership training programs successfully reduced managerial turnover, HR could scale similar initiatives across other departments. 

Asking the right questions 

In the end, HR analytics is not about finding all the answers, but creating the right questions and developing the right strategies to act on the insights derived. These questions must align with strategic business goals, dive deeper into employee engagement, performance, retention, and development opportunities.  

Ask only the questions that lead to actionable insights, and whose answers can be backed by data. An example of a good question: 

“What is the correlation between employee engagement scores and performance ratings within the sales team over the past year, and what insights can we gain from this relationship to improve overall sales performance? 

With People Intelligence, HR analytics can become a powerful tool in identifying trends that drive organizational change. Ready to transform your approach to talent management? Learn more about how Keka’s People Intelligence software converts complex HR data into faster answers and better insights.