In the constantly changing world of business, HR professionals are increasingly expected to accurately measure and assess the performance of the company, as well as predict and formulate ways to improve company and employee performance. Metrics, graphs and charts are often used to present this information; however, as the business world changes, so do the tools that HR professionals can pull from their toolboxes.
Now, HR can turn to software technology that will produce clean and accurate visual displays relating to the metrics that an organization wishes to study. One type of technology that has become popular is the digital dashboard. As the name implies, information is presented in a manner similar to that of a car dashboard. Successful use of dashboard technology will depend upon the metrics chosen and the ability of the information technology department to manage it.

Digital dashboards display chosen business indicators and can provide easy-to-read summaries to assess the company’s current state of affairs, relevant warnings and even action steps indicating improvements needed for increased organizational performance. The displays may be graphics such as colored lights, pie charts, bullet graphs, bar charts and gauges. Users of this technology may set up specialized systems to track the flow of business practices in various company functions. For example, department dashboards can be created to monitor human resources, recruiting, information technology, security and customer relations.

HR can benefit from this technology by creating dashboards that display information that has often been tracked by multiple pieces of software. For example, HR can analyze the link between turnover and employee satisfaction. If a change is made in compensation or benefits plans, tracking changes in recruitment and turnover statistics can be more easily understood by the clean presentation offered by the dashboard. Other metrics can be easily displayed as well, such as time-to-fill, training costs and various demographics.

Employers may also wish to use this technology to closely monitor employee performance. Since managers and employees can literally “see” how an employee is performing compared to pre-set goals, adjustments can be made throughout the year so that there are no surprises at the annual performance appraisal meeting.

Because digital dashboards can efficiently drill down to the micro level, employees, and perhaps employers, may be concerned that individuals are being unnecessarily scrutinized. Employers may need to adjust the analytical depth of the dashboard depending upon the true needs of the organization. Some aspects of the business may need to be analyzed at the micro level, while it might make more sense to stay at the macro level for others.

Please Note: This material is provided as general information and is not a substitute for legal or other professional advice. Contact the Knowledge Center for more information.

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