Five striking insights from the second HR Analytics Maturity Study
16.08.2022To what extent are Belgian companies working with HR analytics? That is the central research question of the second edition of the HR Analytics Maturity Study. We have listed the five insights that stayed with us the most. The good news is that maturity in the field of HR analytics is advancing. The bad news? The speed of that progress remains rather low.
Before diving into the results, it is best to first provide some brief context about this study. This study is actually the brainchild of Glenn Walschap, now an enterprise business architect, but in 2020 he conducted this study for the first time within the context of Solvay Business School/VUB. Two years later, he repeated the study together with several partners (such as JIGSO), allowing us to compare the results with those from 2020 for the first time.
1. The bar is (slightly) higher when it comes to analytics maturity
Let us start immediately with some good news. The maturity level of the types of analytics used by the surveyed companies has increased slightly. For example, only 6% of organisations (compared to 15% in 2020) still use no HR analytics at all. Some companies have moved from ‘no analytics’ to ‘descriptive analytics’. However, the use of more advanced types of analytics (such as strategic, predictive or prescriptive analytics) remains rather limited.
2. Top management supports the importance of HR data
To increase that maturity, involvement and support from the top of the organisation will be crucial. And here too there is good news: in 64% of the organisations surveyed, the head of HR is actively involved. Business leaders (62%) also appear to be actively involved in HR analytics.
Later in the study, it becomes apparent that knowledge of HR analytics is also important. Unfortunately, there is less positive news on that front. Indeed, 60% of the companies surveyed indicate that their HR professionals have insufficient knowledge of HR analytics. This is, of course, a significant barrier to the impact of HR analytics.
3. Data quality still needs to improve
The third insight also appears to remain an area of concern. The quality of the HR data available to the companies surveyed still appears to be too limited. The vast majority of the companies surveyed indicate that they absolutely intend to focus on improving the quality of their data in the coming months.
4. The added value of HR analytics is becoming more widely recognised
That the surveyed companies want to improve data quality comes as no surprise. After all, 78% of the companies surveyed indicate that HR analytics is a priority in their HR strategy. The same percentage of companies are also convinced of the added value of HR analytics for their business. And in 61% of organisations, the insights are actually used to support business decisions. So this is becoming less and less of a stumbling block.
5. Knowledge, time and (specialised) people as the biggest priorities
Which elements then have the greatest impact on the success of HR analytics in Belgian companies? The most important factor appears to be knowledge of HR analytics.
Under insight 2, we already discussed the fact that more than 3 out of 5 of the companies surveyed acknowledge that this is a challenge within their organisation.
The factors ‘time’ and ‘people’ to further develop HR analytics also receive high priority. The availability of data and, consequently, the quality of the data remain areas of concern as well. Most companies seem to have found the right tools in the meantime, as their importance has declined significantly compared with 2020.
About the study
The survey was completed by 80 companies and took place during the period February–March 2022. Three out of four respondents held a role within HR. The age and size of the organisations were diverse, providing a realistic picture. If you would like more information about the study, be sure to contact Glenn Walschap.
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