How HR teams can unlock the power of employee data

For HR teams, the questions can feel never-ending.  

Is sickness absence increasing? What is the fiscal impact of bonuses this year? Which department has the most churn?

Answering these questions all comes down to one thing: having the right employee data.

However, many HR professionals are struggling to keep up with managing their employee data alongside their day-to-day people management.

Why is HR struggling with data? 

As well as standardised legislative reporting requirements, it’s common for HR teams to receive requests such as:

• Board reports
• Executive team reports
• Finance reports
• Team reports
• Departmental reports
• And more

Outside of the sheer reporting demand on HR teams, which causes strain, there are also fundamental process challenges.

Last-minute requests, disconnected data and manual processes all compound to make managing data a nightmare.

Additionally, when information is disjointed, pulling manual reports could take days; gathering information from different data sources and manipulating it into a usable format is not only a lengthy process, but also prone to human error.

Making the most of employee data with modern HR software    

The CIPD recommends that businesses proactively look for opportunities where people analytics can help solve critical problems and co-develop solutions with stakeholders to ensure they’re fit for purpose.

However, if data is dispersed, or you’re not tracking the necessary metrics, your burning questions will remain unanswered and your HR strategy will suffer.  

For example, if employee attrition was an issue you were looking to tackle, some key metrics you might want to track include:  

• Are people leaving certain departments?  
• Are certain roles leaving at a higher rate than others?  
• Are people leaving after a particular length of service?  
• Are people using the training courses on offer?  
• Are people having learning and development (L&D) discussions?  
• Are people having regular objectives set?  
• Are people being promoted?  

Answering these types of questions is crucial for informing your HR strategy.

Your HR software should be an enabler in these scenarios, not a hindrance.   

The role of HR software  

HR software provides a centralised location for all your people data, meaning you no longer have to store vital information in spreadsheets or across different locations.  

Within the system, in addition to typical employee records, you can also use screens and surveys to capture information – think leavers screens, onboarding questions and quarterly review processes.

Additionally, software integration means your HR software can connect, share and collate data from other key systems, such as payroll and finance.

Now, where it gets exciting is that good HR software enables you to create handy dashboards in the system, providing a centralised, real-time location for all the common data areas which you’ll need throughout your day-to-day.  

These dashboards can be customised to contain any data points you need, such as:

• Cost of sickness
• Days lost
• Headcount status

As well as the dashboards, good HR software also features a range of prebuilt reports, which can also be scheduled, including:

• Employee balances 
• Employee absences 
• Employee holidays 
• Employee documents 
• Rolling year sickness 
• Employee benefits 
• Salary progression 
• Employee training and qualifications 
• Headcount by gender 
• Gender pay gap 
• Benefits 

For business-specific analysis, providers such as IRIS also offer bespoke reporting options that you can tailor to your unique needs.  

Bonus: the data you’re using is in real-time, so should something change in the system, it’s automatically reflected in your reporting without the need for manual intervention.  

Turning data into action with the right tools

With the right software in place, HR teams can spend less time chasing data and more time using it to answer critical questions.

Real-time dashboards, automated reports and integrated systems empower HR to move from reactive problem-solving to proactive, data-led decision-making.

If you’re wondering what other ways HR software can support your team, we can help.

Check out our handy guide, which covers the employee lifecycle and the role software plays.

The all-in-one guide to optimising the employee experience

Download here

Stephanie Coward

Managing Director, HCM

Stephanie Coward is Managing Director for HCM at IRIS, where she leads the strategy, innovation and growth of the organisation’s HR and payroll portfolio. She is responsible for positioning IRIS as a trusted partner to HR professionals and ensuring its solutions support the evolving needs of modern workforces.

With more than 25 years’ experience in the technology sector, Stephanie brings deep commercial and operational expertise, with a passion for improving the employee experience through technology.

Stephanie is committed to advancing IRIS’ HCM offering and helping organisations build more resilient, empowered workforces.