The Power of People Analytics in Retention & Recruitment
Q&A with Ilia Maor, Manager, HR Technology and Analytics at York Region
As the world of work continues to evolve, HR is playing an increasingly influential role in shaping business strategies. But to truly take a seat at the decision-making table, HR leaders must prioritize data and analytics. It's no surprise that 70% of executives[1] consider people analytics a top priority within their organizations. And that number is only expected to rise as the trend towards digitization continues to grow.
So, to learn more about the power of people analytics for HR – particularly in the areas of retention and recruitment – we spoke with Ilia Maor, Manager of HR Technology and Analytics at York Region. Ilia also contributed to the development of courses for the new Postgraduate Certificate in People Analytics for HR Professionals offered at The Chang School this fall.
People analytics offers a number of key benefits for HR specifically when it comes to retention efforts. How can leveraging people analytics enhance retention, particularly in supporting employee listening as a crucial retention strategy?
Ilia: You might lose people because you haven’t invested in listening to your employees. Employee listening is becoming a big thing and there’s a huge cost not watching that stuff. Your top performers or high potential folks might decide to leave the company for reasons you may have been aware of from the data, but you didn’t act on it and could have potentially done something about it.
Examples of employee listening include surveys, candidate feedback, onboarding feedback, interview questions, and exit interviews. Someone with people analytics skills can take this data from these sources using people analytics software and develop strategies to mitigate negative outcomes around employee retention in the future.
How can people analytics improve the recruitment and talent acquisition strategy?
Ilia: [You can use people analytics] to measure your talent pipeline at the candidate level. Also, by looking at what your organization offers employees compared to others or why people are leaving, you can help prevent damage to your organization’s reputation and attract top talent.
On top of that, getting a sense of the data around the general sentiment within the organization can also help with recruitment. For example, people who are pleased with their experience at an organization are more likely to recommend it as a place to work for other people in their close professional circles.
How can HR and businesses start using people analytics?
Ilia: [First step] You always start with what’s the problem you’re trying to solve. It takes organizational introspection to figure out why people are leaving the organization or identify where there are gaps in knowledge.
[Second step] That then pushes leadership to ask whether they have the solutions to gather and analyze that information. It’s a technology roadmap exercise where you try to understand what data you need and what technology will collect that data for your organization.
Data and talent metrics play a vital role in HR initiatives. But is data alone enough to positively impact retention and recruitment?
Ilia: People analytics can identify patterns and predictors of employee turnover, allowing organizations to address issues proactively and implement retention strategies to reduce attrition.
But in order to make sense of the data, it’s important to understand research principles, data analytics, as well as knowing the business inside out.
[HR professionals] need to understand the types of things that can drive employee and candidate decisions, which aren’t covered by analytics. This is where curiosity comes in as the overarching piece.
Interested in enhancing your HR analytical skills to ensure that you’re leveraging people analytics effectively? Check out the new Postgraduate Certificate in People Analytics for HR Professionals offered at The Chang School this fall 2024.
