The Helan welfare group has more than 6,000 employees across a broad ecosystem of service-providing companies, all of whom work together in the interest of public welfare. These employees have a wide variety of roles (office staff, child and youth counselors, home health aides, caregivers, retail associates, etc.) in diverse work environments and at various locations.

What added value does HR analytics bring to the organization? And how do you demonstrate that added value to various stakeholders, such as HR and senior management?

In 2023, during a preliminary project conducted in collaboration between Helan and Starfish Consultancy, a strategic HR analytics roadmap for 2023–2025 was developed. A key objective of this roadmap was to demonstrate within Helan that HR analytics can contribute significantly to decision-making and day-to-day operations based on targeted analyses; a so-called “use case.”

To this end, we selected an HR topic that was high on the organization’s agenda (strategic component) and, at the same time, was quickly achievable and reliable in terms of available data (analytics component): absenteeism.

Our approach consisted of three major phases. Between each phase, we coordinated with an internal steering committee, which consisted of various stakeholders (HR, data team, IT, management, etc.)

1. Defining the scope of the use case

In the first phase, we determined what data was available (e.g., absenteeism by day or by month), what definitions were used (e.g., what do we mean by “sickness rate”?), and which questions were relevant to answer. Through dialogue with the steering committee, we formulated the following research questions:

• What is the impact of certain factors (such as working conditions, seniority, wages, etc.) on short- and medium-term absenteeism?
• Which employee groups are at the highest risk of absenteeism?
• How does Helan’s absenteeism compare to that of other organizations?

2. Data Cleaning and Analysis

Next, we got to work on the data. Because absenteeism data is highly personal, it’s important to handle it with the utmost confidentiality. We performed analyses on the client’s internal computers and excluded employee-level data, such as names, to ensure privacy.

In addition, we at Starfish provided concrete and in-depth demonstrations of our methodology to the experts at Helan. This enables them, as an organization, to learn how to work with their own analytics and replicate this use case in the future. We involved them in the various challenges encountered during the process and explained how we, as data analysts, addressed them.

3. Translating Analysis Results into Impact

In the final phase, we presented the insights in a way that creates impact within the organization. This means not only delivering an engaging presentation but, above all, making the key messages clear and understandable to a diverse audience. At Starfish, we strive to always provide “actionable insights.” This means that we not only share the figures and results of the analysis but also offer recommendations for possible next steps.

The final deliverable was a comprehensive report that included the following key elements:

• Detailed answers to each research question, supported by the analysis results.
• Strategic actions to reduce absenteeism
• Additional actions for the data team and future research
• A proposed communication plan for sharing these insights with all levels of the organization, along with a timeline.

This allows every employee at Helan to quickly familiarize themselves with the completed project and the next steps that can be taken in the area of HR analytics.

Would you like to learn more, or does our approach sound like the perfect solution for your organization? Feel free to contact us!