How will big data play a role in the current and future role of Human Resources?

To help you to understand how big data will play a role in the current and future role of Human Resources, we asked business leaders and HR professionals this question for their thoughts. From assistive intelligence to talent analytics, there are several ways that big data may play a role in the current and future role of Human Resources.

Here are seven ways big data will play a role in the current and future role of Human Resources:

• Assistive Intelligence
• Streamlining the Recruitment Process
• Attracting High-Quality Candidates
• Talent Retention and Performance Management
• Level of Concentration on Tasks
• Taking Action Based on Data
• Talent Analytics

Assistive Intelligence

You’re seeing a big flow of funds towards assistance intelligence and conversational Ai within HR. Companies like Paradox recently raised $40M to bring assistive intelligence to human resources, which effectively provides HR with a virtual HR assistant to process thousands of job applications. Automating the administrative tasks that most HR professionals dread doing will help free up time for more meaningful employment conversations to take place; not just the standard employment checklist items.

Brett Farmiloe, Markitors

Streamlining the Recruitment Process

Human Resources departments are looking to make the recruitment process faster, smarter and more automated. Between looking to minimize biases in recruitment, looking to source the best quality of candidates based on historical data, and finding the x-factor of what makes employees more productive and willing to stay for the long haul; Big Data has both very beneficial short and long term implications for HR. Ultimately, it comes down to saving time and costs for the employer as well as increasing the department’s performance and efficiency, so not only is Big Data here to stay but it will only continue to increase in relevance and necessity as companies look to make the most optimal and data-backed hiring decisions.

Jagoda Wieczorek, ResumeLab

Attracting High-Quality Candidates

In the past, HR has been the place that collects employee information about salary, performance and general employee information. In the future, big data is making it possible to collect and assess data to help inform hiring and workforce decisions, increasing efficiency. For example, HR managers can now monitor and track the effectiveness of recruitment efforts and refine these to attract high-quality candidates. It can identify which recruitment channels produce the best results. Big data can also identify employee patterns and trends and as a result, HR can develop training and development programs to reduce turnover and increase the skills of the workforce. This in turn increases employee loyalty.

Ineke McMahon, P2P Learning and Development

Talent Retention and Performance Management

If harnessed correctly, big data can enhance business functions in Human Resources. Big data can help find the best candidates for the job and give insight into future staffing needs. It can also provide information for talent retention and performance management. With that said, big data should be a contributing factor for decision-making and not the sole driver.

Sonja Talley, Principal HR Consultant

Level of Concentration on Tasks

The normalization of remote work and the growing popularity of employee activity tracking software increase the importance of big data in HR management. Gathering multiple data points on the use of the software, level of concentration on tasks and even the word count enables a more granular understanding of working patterns. It also augments the role of Human Resource professionals, giving them a “God-mode” view of how employees spend their time. Collating such data with cognitive & personality type test results can improve the way companies recruit and leverage the neurodiversity of their employees.

Michael Sena, Senacea

Taking Action Based on Data

Engagement surveys, 360 reviews, and anonymous employee surveys all may show leadership issues and yet, I’ve only seen a handful of companies who will counsel the manager, put the manager on a PIP, or otherwise take action on the existing data. So, in part, it depends on how much the data tells leadership what they want to hear. It is increasingly easy to determine best practices, and I assume future data will help even more. After that? It’s up to corporate leaders to make difficult decisions. Or perhaps more data will make it more difficult to justify not making them.

Matthew Lee, Learning & Development Leader

Talent Analytics

Through using data analytics to detect potential performers when they are recruited, increase their engagement rates, and keep their workforce satisfied and committed, HR divisions, are beginning to tap into a huge ambitious advantage. There are also more abstract and less objective terms for conventional performance control programs and pay remains out of sync with performance outcomes. In HR management, the use of big data has become widespread and is known as talent analytics; it helps HR practitioners to monitor staff accurately so that company goals can be accomplished rapidly and efficiently. HR practitioners will record the everyday workload, the basic content of the job, and the mission accomplishment of each person by the use of big data in performance management, using cloud-based technologies to evaluate this data.

Sylvia Kang, Mira

Terkel creates community-driven content featuring expert insights. Sign up at terkel.io to answer questions and get published.