The Top 10 Tips to Measure HR Productivity

HR productivity has to be measured to ensure the effective performance of the HR department as a whole. Here are some tips on how to measure this aspect.

The HR department may be one of the silent departments that operate in the background of a business or organization. However, this does not mean that the HR department does not play a crucial role in achieving success for the business. This is because the HR department primarily focuses on hiring the very people that will shape and mold the business towards success. Thus, it comes as a must to measure the productivity of the department itself. And there are actually top 10 tips to measure productivity that can greatly assist you here.

However, before we do discuss these relevant tips, it would be better to understand first the very reason why HR productivity has to be measured. There are so many reasons underlying this facet in any business or organization.

What first comes to mind when you hear the phrase HR department? For the most part, people would probably think about the HR department being responsible for recruitment and selection for any given company. This is indeed one major responsibility of the HR department; however, it is most certainly not the only responsibility that the department has on its shoulders. Aside from recruitment, the HR department also focuses on payroll, compensation, benefits, employee relations, and other legal matters. These are very important aspects HR personnel deal with every single day for all the employees in the company.

These and more are just some of the reasons why it is very important to measure HR productivity. Here are some tips that can come in handy for this endeavor.

#1. Focus on percentage improvement in terms of productivity. This pertains to the money spent on people costs for every generated revenue in terms of dollar. Compare the improvement, if there is any, between the present year and the previous year.

#2. Focus on quality of recruiting. For this, you should check the performance appraisal of scores of the new hires. Just check for the average here. If a lot of new hires have been promoted to higher positions, then recruiting is of much quality here.

#3. Focus on retention. Is the turnover rate high or low? How is the performance turnover when it comes to key positions in the company?

#4. Focus on compensation and benefits. Check for the percentage outlining the employees’ pay that is quite risky, especially when based on job performance.

#5. Focus on employee relations. Determine the turnover percentage of the managers that are rated at the bottom of the pile. How are employee relations between these bottom-rated managers and the employees they handle?

#6. Focus on training and development impact ratio. Determine the difference between the employees who take jobs offered due to development opportunities and the employees who leave the company because of a lack of said opportunities.

#7. Focus on the give away or take away ratio with your competition.

#8. Focus on the impact of HR on the business results of the managers. A survey is conducted here where the overhead functions of all managers are ranked according to importance. This helps managers focus on business performance goals.

#9. Focus on HR expenses per employee. If expenses are at an all-time high without significant results, then HR productivity becomes questionable.

#10. Focus on employment brand strength. Another survey is conducted to check if the applicants do view the management practices of the company as positive.

Focusing on Basics for Dashboards and KPI

When developing dashboard KPI, there is an imminent need to focus on just the basics of KPIs here. This way, more informed decisions can be made faster.

KPI dashboards are tools that no company or organization should be without. This is because these dashboards contain the keys that make decision making all the more easier. The metrics provide the needed information for decision makers to make more informed decisions. After all, you never can tell when you would need to make sudden decisions that can mean the difference between success and failure for the company itself. Thus, KPI dashboards are very important tools for any company or organization to have. And they have very positive effects when it comes to the very experience of using them in companies.

However, a lot of companies actually incorporate so many metrics on their KPI dashboards. These companies do not really mean any harm in doing this. But what they do not realize is that the more metrics they include on the dashboard, the more confusing it would be to interpret the data represented by the metrics themselves. Thus, the better thing to do here is to choose just a few relevant metrics to include in your KPI dashboard.

It is very easy to get tempted to include a lot of KPIs in your dashboard. This is especially true when you see that you have a lot of data about your content, your models, specifications, colors, origination, and a lot more. When you feel very much tempted to include many KPIs for your dashboard, fight off the urge because less is more when it comes to dashboard KPIs. Just think about the time you can save when you have only a few KPIs to analyze and check out for representation. You also end up making decisions that are more profitable in the end.

Because you will be using just a few metrics for your dashboard, the issue at hand would now pertain to selecting which metrics you would include. Focus on the basics so that the members of the management staff can also focus on the aspects that drive the whole process of the trade from start to finish. You alone would know what particular metrics to use for your dashboard since businesses and organizations differ from one another. Of course, there are commonalities that you just cannot ignore. For instance, when it comes to the supply chain, these just might be the key indicators to include: cost reduction, shorter delivery time, on-time delivery, efficiency of manufacturing chain, better supplier management, and more. It is also important to portray all of these details in a certain format that can well present all information against indicators that have been pre-set, as well as historical trend data.

All of these just might be jargon to the ear at this point in time. And managers like to have specific information at hand so that the decision-making process can be made more speedy and efficient. The following are common indicators: Perfect Order Lead Time, Perfect Order Fulfillment, Production On Time and Complete, Expedited Order Fulfillment, Supplier Fulfillment On Time and Complete, Customer Return Rate, and Cash to Cash Cycle Time.

Supply chain management will certainly improve with the usage of these indicators on your dashboard. And the same procedure should be exercises when developing dashboards and KPI for whatever facet of the organization. Keeping the basics in mind will surely bring a lot of benefits for the organization as a whole.

Knowing How to Control Business Performance with KPI

The performance of any business greatly relies on KPI or key performance indicators. Thus, knowing how to manipulate these can bring significant results for your business’s performance.

We all want our businesses to become successful, especially in terms of profit and stature. What businessman would not want this for his business, right? Thus, it is of import to exhaust all possible resources to control the performance of a certain business, so that performance itself can be guided accordingly. One effective way to deal with this is through the implementation and usage of KPI or key performance indicators. But just how does this work? What should every businessman know on how to control business performance with KPI?

The underlying concept here involves a lot of factors. For business performance to be controlled in a positive way, these factors have to be addressed. These include: the design of your KPI, the gathering of data that is to be plotted onto your KPI system, and the analysis and usage of the gathered data.

Your KPI design is just about the most important factor to consider here. There are a lot of indicators that you can include in your design. What’s important here is to choose indicators that are relevant to your cause. Now, these can vary from one company to another, since different companies inevitably have different corporate goals and objectives. For the most part, these are the indicators that frequent the usual KPI designs of so many companies: total monthly company profit, regional company profit, customer social position, and customer education. Having these indicators is quite important because a number of people from the upper management would be looking into this from different perspectives. To illustrate, the CEO of the company might want to take a look into the total profit metric, which is understandable since the CEO heads the whole company. The regional manager, on the other hand, might be interested on just regional company profit, since this is the scope of his or her job itself. Thus, your KPI design should bear in mind the needs of all people who will be viewing them.

However, the road towards successful performance does not end with just having a reliable KPI system. The inputted data and information have to be sorted out, analyzed, and represented appropriately and accurately. Thus, the very person who’s in charge of the analysis and representation of data gathered should indeed be as qualified as he or she should be. The analyst should be aware of the goals of the implementation of all metrics in the design. The analyst should also know why that particular metric was chosen, and not some other related one.

Keeping tabs with the limits of your KPI system is also important. You have to understand that there are also limits that come with your KPI design, no matter how awesome this might have been when it first came into play. Thus, it is of much importance to make sure your KPI system remains up to date because what worked well yesterday just might not produce any significant results today. What’s more, your KPI design is not really equipped to provide detailed facts about your business so avid representation is needed here.

By keeping these factors in mind, you will now have an idea just how to control business performance with KPI. Use these to the fullest so that your business, in turn, can also realize its full potential.

Effective Means to Measure, Control, Improve Employees’ Productivity

To accurately measure, control, improve employees’ productivity, there is a need to implement productivity metrics. These quantifiable figures make it easier to measure the abstract concept of productivity.

We all know how important the productivity of employees in a certain workplace is. This is because the overall success of the company greatly relies on just how productive its employees are. And this is the primary reason behind the pressing need to measure, control, and improve employees’ productivity.

Measuring, controlling, and improving the productivity of your employees is not as easy as one may think. Organizations all over the world have long been trying to come up with concrete ways to measure the productivity of employees. This is quite hard because there are so many aspects of productivity that are quite difficult to quantify in the first place. However, over the course of time, many specialists and such have come up with what are known as Productivity Metrics, to accurately measure employee productivity.

So, what exactly are these metrics? And how do they measure productivity? The main thing to remember here is that for you to measure productivity accurately, you need to know a few things first. These include the purpose of such measurement, the method to be used for such measurement, and the desired result or outcome of the resultant action that will take place after such measurement. These technical terms translate to you having to know the reason behind measuring productivity, the method to use to measure productivity, and the desired outcome or course of action that will take place to address the results of the measurement. These are the underlying concepts behind productivity metrics.

To answer the question pertaining to purpose, you need to check the goals and objectives that the organization originally put up during its very foundation. As for the method of measurement, this would then be your very own productivity metrics already. These are the quantitative figures that you will be using to quantify and measure productivity. The resultant action, on the other hand, would depend on how far the organization is from realizing corporate goals and objectives. And because these productivity metrics are crucial for the success of the organization, then they can also be aptly termed as Critical Success Factors or CSFs.

With all of these aspects defined, the next logical step would be the implementation of the metrics themselves. For the metrics to be properly implemented, you should first identify each contributing element. These are: the metric’s name, the metric description, the measurement procedure, the measurement frequency, the threshold estimation, the current threshold, the target value, and the units. The metric name and its description show what needs to be measured. The measurement procedure explains how measurement would take place here, whereas frequency pertains to how often this measurement would take place. Threshold estimation focuses on the calculation of the thresholds of measurement. The current threshold, in the meantime, is the value rage within which the measurement is considered normal for the metric being measured. The target value pertains to the best value possible for the metric, while the unit pertains to the unit used in measuring the metric.

All of these aspects are put into play as part of the means to measure, control, and improve the productivity of employees. As long as these are properly put into place, there is much promise for the accurate measurement of productivity and for the development of appropriate solutions towards the improvement of productivity here.

Why It’s Important to Measure HR Performance with KPI

It is important to measure HR performance with KPI. The process keeps the company aligned towards achieving corporate goals and objectives.

It greatly helps to be familiar with KPI or key performance indicators. This is because it is important to measure HR performance with KPI. You have to understand that HR or human resource pertains to the human assets or the very workers that a certain company or organization has. To ensure the success and growth of the company, it is important to monitor and keep track of the performance of its workforce.

Thus, the reason behind measuring HR performance with KPI. With this procedure, the company can determine the strengths of the workforce and capitalize on them. This procedure also helps weed out the weaknesses in the workforce, and appropriate solutions can then be determined.

To further understand the importance of this procedure, the concept of KPI or key performance indicators should then be discussed. KPIs are actually metrics used in quantifying corporate objectives in line with the strategic performance of every worker and department in the workforce. These aspects are quite hard to quantify without the usage of KPIs, and this is primarily the reason behind the existence of KPIs. The figures being quantified here are actually used by the management to evaluate the present state of the organization against the corporate objectives and goals that were originally set.

KPIs also aid in determining the proper course of action when certain situations take place. In their most basic form, KPIs determine how the human assets of a company contribute to the overall performance of the company itself. Since this is the vital role played by KPIs, then it is very important to exert effort in determining the relevant KPIs to use. You have to understand that the needs of a company can shift at just about any time, so you have to be ready to implement changes as they are needed.

In any company, the workforce is indeed its most important asset. The workers are the frontliners, no matter what industry you belong to. The productivity of each employee has an impact on the company. If an employee is very productive at his job, then this would bring positive effects on the company. On the other hand, negative effects would arise when there is an employee who is not that productive.

The value of each employee is then quantified by HR departments. Oftentimes, the criteria used in quantifying the value of each employee include teamwork, initiative, quality of work, cooperation, and problem solving skills. These are the KPI used on the production side of the company. Other KPIs are used to determine the disposition employees have towards their jobs. These KPIs include job satisfaction and job security.

Other common KPIs used are training cost per employee, absence rate, turnover rate, resignation rate, average remuneration, revenue per employee, and the like.

Another thing to remember when you want to measure HR performance with KPI is the fact that the KPIs used can differ from one company to another. This is because companies have differences when it comes to corporate objectives, goals, and even their operations and mechanics. Thus, you cannot expect two companies to have the same KPIs, even if they are competitors in the same industry. However, if a company does develop an efficient system for their KPIs, then significant improvement and growth for the company can be noticed in good time.

Does outsourcing make sense?

I don’t feel outsourcing in HR is right….. The employers are the best people who know what are the immediate and longterm requirement of their employees. PEO’s (professional employer organization) can only provide insurances to the employees. Other things like loans, proper working enviornment, housing etc. can’t be provided by PEO’s……….. On the other hand PEOs aren’t for everyone. They’re expensive: Fees run from 1% to 4% of payroll, and there’s often a setup fee, usually $1,500 or more. (That doesn’t include insurance premiums, which the PEO collects and forwards to the insurance carrier.) And the benefits PEOs offer aren’t equally important to all companies. The employers should ensure proper resources to their employees.

Importance of Improving HR Performance with Balanced Scorecard

Improving HR performance with balanced scorecard is very important in ensuring growth for the company. The key here is to develop a balanced scorecard that motivates workers to perform better.

Improving HR performance with balanced scorecard is indeed possible in any company or organization. You have to understand that the human aspect is very important in ensuring growth and success for the company. The productivity of each and every employee influences the success of the company as a whole. Thus, it is vital for companies to implement balanced scorecards containing relevant key performance indicators to usher in growth and success along the way.

It is actually quite difficult to control something that you cannot measure. Being human and very unique in nature, it can be so hard quantifying the worth of each employee so that you can come up with a balanced scorecard for your company. Still, this can be done, as long as the KPIs or key performance indicators being used here are indeed relevant to what is being measured. What’s more important here is that the KPIs should be in accordance with the goals and objectives set by the company.

It remains a strong fact that performance measurement systems can provide motivation for the workforce. Over the years, studies have been shown on how performance and productivity rates shoot up when workers know that they are being watched and evaluated. Call it human nature, but we really do want to appear in a positive light. Thus, when we know that we are being evaluated, we try our best to perform as productively as we can. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and this is no exception at all. But generally speaking, most workers are motivated to perform better when they know they are being observed and evaluated.

At present, the performance scorecard is a system employed by companies in pursuing key success factors. Both internal and external benchmarking has to be employed so that the scorecard can be as balanced as possible. For the scorecard to be motivational, the data here should then be accurate and timely. Simplicity is the underlying concept here, to ensure validity of measurements. The design for data collection should also be simple as well so that it would be convenient to maintain the databases involved in the process. This way, data integrity can be assured as well. Here are some tips that can help in developing the balanced scorecard.

First, you have to take on a no status-quo mindset. Sticking to the basics is very important here for there are no gray areas with this mindset. You are either black or white. If you are not winning, then you most certainly are losing. This is the mindset you have to take on when developing a balanced scorecard. This way, there would be no biases whatsoever.

Second, it is important to define the key success factors in the company. These may include speed, quality, and cost, just to name a few.

Third, define the stretch goals that are related to the key success factors of the company. More often than not, these goals would also be in line with corporate goals and objectives.

Improving HR performance with balanced scorecard is indeed possible with these tips. Just remember that the whole endeavor is important in ensuring the success and growth of the company as a whole.

Companies or managers should provide a good environment for innovations

Innovation can come from anywhere. Companies or managers should also provide a good environment for their geniuses to innovate.I basically mean more than a workouts. Google is an example it spends heavily on human resource provides a friendly working environment. thats why its a leader. Countless innovations have come from them.

Though growing rapidly, Google still maintains a small company feel. At the Googleplex headquarters almost everyone eats in the Google café. Google’s emphasis on innovation and commitment to cost containment means each employee is a hands-on contributor. Its upto manager to empower their employees to innovate.

Measure ROI of HR Department Explained

How to measure ROI of HR department? This may be a less obvious question to raise but definitely eyebrow-raising. Nevertheless, this query, albeit simple, may have complex answers and explanations.

There can be no doubt that the HR department is significant in the productivity of enterprises and in meeting the goals of the company. This department is considered an investment of a company with the people working in the department as assets. However, similar to other departments, the HR office is subject to control and evaluation. Companies would still assess the return of investment of their HR departments. There can be no way of making an assessment other than using metrics or tools to determine not only the department’s worth but also its efficiency and efficacy.

Perhaps, the indication of the performance of HR departments can be assessed from the productivity level of production workers, including those in the management level. It also involves assessing the productivity level of individual workers in the organization. The role of the HR department can have influence to the performance of an individual worker, as measured using several factors including productivity.

The increased performance and productivity of individual workers may have something to do with the roles and responsibilities of the HR department. However, the rising employee turnover rate may also be a measure of the performance of the HR personnel. Higher turnover rates in any job position may mean that the HR department is not efficient in hiring qualified workers or loyal employees. However, the rising turnover rate of employees and employee position should not be solely credited to the failure of the HR department. The working environment and work policies are other factors for the negative impact in employee turnover.

In calculating the ROI of HR departments using the accounting method, an equation could be involved. This equation includes numerator and denominator in which the numerator is the earning or result, either actual or estimate, while the denominator is the amount of investment used. However, when this equation is used, it is more probable for the amount of investment to be quantified rather than the earning or result of the investment to derive the rate of investment return. Another thing is that the investment poured on HR department and for the HR personnel to use is not only a capital expenditure. The HR department incurs expenses from time to time for it to function. Because of these probable attributes, the ROI of HR department cannot be quantified easily. Instead of deriving the ROI using the standard equation, other metrics can be used to measure the rate of investment return of employee-management department.

KPI, which stands for key performance indicators, can be used in measuring the ROI of HR departments. The turnover rate of employees is one of the KPI’s in measuring the performance of the HR department. Other KPI’s may include cost per hire, acceptance rate, training cost per employee, revenue per employee, resignation rate, average remuneration, and absence rate. The management level or owners of companies may also have to consider the total costs incurred for the HR department to function.

Even if there are KPI’s that can help quantify and measure ROI of HR department, complexity is deriving the exact amount or rate still exists. However, even if there is difficulty, ROI of HR departments is still measurable. Approximation in amount or rate is a probable aftermath of the calculation. One last thing to remember is that the elements and nature of calculating the ROI of HR department may vary, depending on the goals and objectives originally set by the company concerned.

Necessity of Productivity-Based Employees Training

Today, productivity-based employees training programs are widely recognized as employee benefits. These enhance employee productivity, promote job satisfaction, and help in the fulfillment of overall organizational goals.

Conducting productivity-based employees training should be made a priority for human resource departments of organizations, regardless of their nature or organization size.

According to a report furnished by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), average training investment per employee is pegged at less than $1,500. About half of this budget was spent on training programs that are more technical and professional in nature. Two percent of the said amount was spent for orientation of new employees while about three percent was spent on training about competition, quality and business practices. Still, a number of companies do not bother to spend even a single cent on training. This is especially the case for those companies that experience high employee turnover. Because the profits these organizations obtained per employee are less than the training expense they would have to shoulder, they have a difficult time justifying such expense. Ironically, while high employee turnover could be a reason not to launch a training program altogether, the latter could also be a solution to the former. With proper training, employees become more productive. When they are productive, they feel more satisfied with their jobs and will be motivated to continue with their employment.

Today, it is an undeniable fact that companies not only compete in terms of goods and services. They also compete when it comes to attracting highly-qualified employees, experienced or otherwise. In fact, majority of fresh college graduates prefer to be employed by a company which they perceive as very committed in investing on training programs for their career and personal growth. Highly-qualified employees are considered very hot commodities especially since they are expected to be more productive and will generate a high profit per employee ratio. Matching and offering these employees with job positions where they are most suited is also necessary. More often, this responsibility falls in the hands of human resources personnel, labor relations managers or training specialists. These people provide the necessary link or connection between employees and top management. Ideally, human resource departments are concerned with enhancing and improving employee productivity and morale, improving overall organization performance and minimizing job turnover. The people in this department are also tasked to provide adequate training so that employee skills and development opportunities will be maximized and level of employee satisfaction on their working conditions and jobs are increased. Third-party organizations are also available to provide training programs that are especially designed and tailored to the training and development needs of their clients.

Given the tight competition prevalent in many industries today and the fast-pace of technological development, more and more managers now acknowledge the fact that the key to business success and growth is investing on skills and knowledge development of their workforce. Despite being costly, the benefits derived from this investment will be enjoyed by an organization in a long-term basis. Moreover, productivity-based employees training programs will help the workforce develop not only the confidence to perform their tasks but also a sense of loyalty towards the organization they belong to.