HR Analytics: The HR managers Edge A successful business is the outcome of a series of successful decisions made and what better

than making these informed choices based on statistical data. It brings analytics in the picture as a significant tool. It is a scientific process of transforming data into insight by simultaneous application of statistics, computer programming and operational research for better decision-making. As it is involves number crunching it makes the process more objective reliable and hence robust. Although the use of various metrics and other related data in the field of HR is not new, the interest in them has increased during the last two decade due to various factors, especially after the advent and implementation of integrated HRIS and SPSS. The adoption of these systems shifted the data recording processes which were primarily paper and pencil processes to electronic processes. In turn, it substantially increased the capacity of organizations to access and examines transaction-level data. This has given birth to the concept of HR Analytics. It refers to the application of analytics to qualitative and quantitative data and information related to human resources to bring predictive insight and decision making support to the management of people in organizations. HR analytics is the latest and most valuable tool in the armoury of an HR manager, but sadly it is under-utilised. Due to the relentless flow of data, most employers maintain at least some basic HR metrics like workforce demographics, attrition, absenteeism, training expenditure, cost-per-hire, etc. While these operational and transactional measures are useful for cost optimisation, they do little more than provide a rear view mirror image of the HR activities. Some organizations go one step further carrying out a basic analysis of these figures to assess growth of the organisation and benchmark their business against that of other organizations in the same industry. Most often business leaders do not give HR department its due and HR heads are not actively invited to participate in strategy planning and formulation. It is because the top brass finds it difficult to establish business linkages to HR initiatives. The problem is that the HR leaderslack data to justify their worth, use the wrong data, or produce unquantifiable returns. This is where HR Analytics can provide edge to the HR managers. When applied properly, it can show connections, correlations and even causality between HR metrics and other business measures aligning the HR strategy and actions with the business outcomes. The advantages of HR analytics do not end here. It needs to be incorporated in effective decision making process. Predictive HR analytics require insightful professionals to form hypothes in alignment with the business strategy and then use analytics to translate the available data into predictive insights to facilitate simulation and enhance implementation. Various roadblocks in successfully implementing HR Analytics are: time and budget constraints fragmented or dispersed data; inconsistency in data due to multiple sources; complex data architecture models; etc.

HR analytics has become essential in todays economy. The market evolves and continues to become more complicated and competitive, therefore it is crucial for the organizations to commit to measuring the most important ingredient of their success- its people. HR analytics provides a whole new level of visibility of inter-linkages between various levels within the organisation, insight to formulate precise strategies and foresight to check imbalances to achieve the desired goal. It also allows the HR managers to rightfully claim their role as strategic partners in the business and impacts the workforce by making them feel more valued and in sync with the organisational growth.