Thursday, February 22, 2018

Data- Big and Small

One of the subjects that has been causing quite a bit of fuss recently, especially in – but not limited to – HR and management circles is the concept of so-called “Big Data”.

The idea is that there is such a vast amount of data ‘out there’ at the moment – so much more than there ever has been before – that if we are able to harness it properly, we can use it to make our planning, decision-making and budgeting far more accurate. When you think about the data available from a single smartphone, for instance – where the user has been, how they went there, who they interacted with etc. – and the potential to analyse that across millions of people, your mind begins to boggle…. Well, ours do anyway.

There have always been some organisations that have measured things in a level of detail that most of us thankfully aren’t subject to like precisely how long is spent in the break room or, worse still, the toilet. Well, the same technology that is in our smart phones can now be implanted into our name badges. Our habits in and around the workplace can be tracked and companies can learn from them. If this all sounds a bit Big Brother, well, we tend to think it is really. Of course, the trend towards this “wearable” technology and big data could have some benefits, especially for location- or safety-critical roles such as in healthcare or the military. However, using technology to monitor who is moving around the office more or less than others seems a bit strong to us even if an industry is steadily building up around it.

Having said all that, it is vitally important in the modern workplace that HR professionals are comfortable dealing with data and numbers. It is a bit of a cliché  that HR people are not the best at this. The old defence goes “Ah but we’re people people, not numbers people – we leave that to Finance”.

That defence simply does not cut it anymore.

You will be expected to provide management information by analysing data from your HR Information System . You need to be able to make calculations about payments that should be made to staff in various circumstances. You need to be able to manipulate data from surveys and make comparisons with trends and external data. You need to have at least a basic understanding of how to use a spreadsheet to present information to managers, the senior team and the Board.


There are no longer any excuses: there is plenty of information available online to help you with any particular IT package you struggle with. Numbers and data – big or otherwise – may or may not be your strength – but they are definitely an area that those of us in HR will increasingly be expected to be able to work competently with.
Role of Human Resource In Organization. Human Resource Management.Practical guide to Human Resource. Human Resource Definition.Human Resource certification.Human Resource employment
Role of Human Resource In Organization. Human Resource Management.Practical guide to Human Resource. Human Resource Definition.Human Resource certification.Human Resource employment
Role of Human Resource In Organization. Human Resource Management.Practical guide to Human Resource. Human Resource Definition.Human Resource certification.Human Resource employment
Role of Human Resource In Organization. Human Resource Management.Practical guide to Human Resource. Human Resource Definition.Human Resource certification.Human Resource employment
Role of Human Resource In Organization. Human Resource Management.Practical guide to Human Resource. Human Resource Definition.Human Resource certification.Human Resource employment
Role of Human Resource In Organization. Human Resource Management.Practical guide to Human Resource. Human Resource Definition.Human Resource certification.Human Resource employment
Role of Human Resource In Organization. Human Resource Management.Practical guide to Human Resource. Human Resource Definition.Human Resource certification.Human Resource employment
Role of Human Resource In Organization. Human Resource Management.Practical guide to Human Resource. Human Resource Definition.Human Resource certification.Human Resource employment
Role of Human Resource In Organization. Human Resource Management.Practical guide to Human Resource. Human Resource Definition.Human Resource certification.Human Resource employment
Role of Human Resource In Organization. Human Resource Management.Practical guide to Human Resource. Human Resource Definition.Human Resource certification.Human Resource employment

0 comments:

Post a Comment