Chief talent officer provides insights ahead of HRD's HR Tech Summit Australia
Handling workforce data can be an extremely daunting task, especially when HR teams have little idea on how to utilise them properly.
Research from Oracle last year revealed how vast workforce data can hold back organisations, instead of helping them, when it comes to decision making. It found that 89% of Australian business leaders have stopped making decisions because of the sheer volume and their lack of trust on data.
Derek Del Simone, chief talent officer at Abano Healthcare Group, acknowledged that HR teams tend to receive a lot of workforce data and handling that can be a challenge.
Speaking from a talent acquisition perspective, he said workforce data can range from time to hire, time to fill, and time to place.
"They all mean very different things… and how they impact the recruitment, or the retention of a team member is really important," he told HRD.
A 'storyboard' for workforce data
To get a handle on the vast workplace data they receive, Del Simone said it's important for HR teams to "understand the end goal" for each department and function so they can be provided with data relevant to them.
At Abano Health Care, he said they've created a "storyboard" to manage workforce data.
"We've gone through a project of looking at all the data that we have, all the data access that we have, and what is required per department or per function, and then we've created a dashboard, a storyboard for those various functions," Del Simone said.
Every report that goes into that storyboard is relevant to a certain department or usage, according to the chief talent officer.
"The storyboard that we use for that department tells the most relevant information that they need to know to make their decisions," he explained. "Another department may have a similar data set… but we're talking in a very different story lens so they can make the right decisions for them."
Benefits of data management
Being able to manage data effectively can deliver great benefits for recruitment, retention, costs, as well as growth strategy for organisations.
"From my perspective as the chief talent officer, we can look at the cost savings that come into play," said Del Simone, who will be speaking at the HR Tech Summit Australia.
Understanding employees' recruitment and onboarding experience through workforce data is also a great help in improving the process and retaining employees more effectively.
"I think it's really critical for HR and talent teams to look at the data set that they've got available and make sure it's actually relevant for them as a business," he noted.
HR Tech Summit Australia
Del Simone will be a panellist on leveraging workforce data to provide valuable business insight at the HR Tech Summit Australia this September 3.
The chief talent officer also said he's looking forward to exchanging ideas and practices with other organisations, especially with artificial intelligence in the backdrop.
"AI has been in our world now for 12 months plus and it's everyday we're hearing the word AI," Del Simone said. "I'm really looking forward to seeing HR tech as it evolved with AI in there and how they can make our world more efficient."
