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I’m sure you’ve heard people talking about “the new normal” or “when things go back to normal.”
But let’s face it. That’s a crock of you-know-what.
The problems that flushed our plans for 2020 down the drain are still here.
The pandemic, the up and down economy, remote work, the changes in the talent market, you name it…the reality is that we’re facing many of the same challenges.
If you’re a senior HR leader, now is the time to take a long hard look at your strategy and your tools to evaluate whether you’re positioned for success regardless of external factors.
The Challenges Facing HR – and the One Thing HR Leaders Are Missing
There’s a lot of pressure on HR leaders to improve quality of hire and build stronger teams.
Even as companies work with downsized talent acquisition departments and manage a high volume of applicants, businesses know they need top talent and can’t afford bad hires.
Meanwhile, businesses are looking to CHROs to address problems like engagement and maintaining employee morale through hybrid or remote work environments.
Now more than ever, organizations need the best from their teams, but getting teams to perform in uncertain times is easier said than done.
There’s one thing that a lot of HR leaders are missing that can help address each of these challenges – people data. Many of the biggest challenges in HR come down to understanding our people.
If we can truly understand why our teams are disengaged, why we struggle with turnover, or why one team excels and another flounders, we’re in a much better position to address that problem.
By using validated people analytics to understand our teams and craft data-driven solutions to our challenges, HR leaders can add more value and support the business more than ever before.
Here are just a few examples of how HR can drive profits and help their organization thrive with the right people analytics and data.
Building Effective Teams Rather Than Hiring Individuals
One of the biggest blind spots I see in talent acquisition is believing that recruiting is about making great hires. But that’s really missing the point.
Recruiting is ultimately about building effective teams!
Most of our greatest results come when we have a team of individuals who complement each other’s strengths and areas of opportunity. They have great chemistry, they get along, and together, they are greater than the sum of its parts.
Think pro basketball. LeBron James is obviously a phenomenal player. But if you created a team of all LeBrons, nobody would share the ball. You wouldn’t even come close to a championship.
With the right people analytics, you can look at a candidate and accurately predict how they will mesh (or clash) with existing team members.
Here at Qualigence, we use a platform from the Predictive Index that offers deep insight into team dynamics and how a particular candidate will play into them. If you’re serious about building teams that can drive results, it’s time to adopt a data-driven tool to make that happen.
Supporting Our Teams Through Hard Times While Driving Performance
It’s hard to overstate the impact COVID-19 has had on our teams.
Whether it’s working overtime because a team was downsized, fearing layoffs, financial stress from pay cuts, or the strain of remote work, it’s been tough for everyone.
Businesses need the absolute best from and for their teams despite these challenges. HR needs to make sure they have a comprehensive strategy to maintain employee morale, foster collaboration among remote teams, and of course drive performance.
At Qualigence, we’ve found incredible value in PI’s talent optimization platform while leading remote teams.
When we first decided to go remote, we were able to refer to data on our teams to understand who would excel and who may need extra support.
It allowed us to predict why some individuals might struggle, and make plans to account for extra socialization, more frequent check-ins, or guidance from leaders.
The truth is that everyone’s different and has different needs, regardless of whether we’re working remote or in the office. People data allows us to understand what each of our unique teams and individuals need in this uncertain time and give them the tools they need to excel.
Crafting a Holistic People Strategy to Support Business Goals
One of the biggest missed opportunities in HR is using data to build a comprehensive people strategy that supports the business’ goals.
Building effective teams and driving their performance are both all well and good, but how do we step back and think about how HR can directly support our organization’s bottom line?
Business leaders will meticulously craft a great strategy to execute on our goals, but what they usually miss is a people strategy.
If you’re looking to innovate, do you have people who are comfortable with risk in key positions? As an example, are you hiring enough people who are comfortable with risk in product development?
If your leaders or teams are afraid to take risks, you’ll never succeed in terms of innovation! The same principle applies to any business goal.
People analytics allow us to understand whether our teams have the right people in the right positions to execute on our defined business objectives. They allow us to analyze the behavioral tendencies of different people to see if they are likely to succeed in pursuit of a goal – or who might need extra support with a given situation.
HR needs to step up to the plate and use data to get an understanding of where their teams are now, what the business truly needs from their teams, and craft a plan to get there.
Business Leaders Need Data-Driven HR More Than Ever
If you’re waiting for business to return to normal, you’re in for a rude awakening.
The issues we’re dealing with today in terms of remote work, COVID-19, and a disengaged workforce aren’t going anywhere. And the health of your business could hinge on whether HR is able to effectively address our talent challenges.
If you haven’t already started planning how your HR team can use data to better support the business, now is the time.
If you’re looking to deliver more value in HR, register today for our next Leadership & Legal live event. These are open discussions to dig into the biggest, most contentious issues facing HR – and brainstorm solutions together!
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