Author Archive - Ian J Cook

Ian J. Cook MA, MBA, CHRP, continues to pursue a fascination for people and business. His quest to understand what it takes for organizations, and the people in them, to thrive has led to many fantastic career stages. Ian has been an entrepreneur, an operational manager and spent 10 years, consulting to some of the World’s leading companies. Read more

HR analytics process: Ask better questions

January 9, 2013 Ian J Cook HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources

Every HR trend report I have read this year has a focus on analytics and data as one of the top 5 trends. Having helped this field emerge over the last 5 years this was rewarding to see. At the same time I was struck by the gap between the level of expectation about the returns from HR analytics and the current level of practice that we see. In short, to meet the expectations of business leaders in relation to HR analytics we are going to need to get very focused and very effective, quickly.

absence rates, Data, expectations of business leaders, HR analytics process, HR measurement practices, HR trend, manage talent risks, number of hires, organizational success, spend on HR, talent skills and capabilities, top 5 trends, trends, vacancy rates

People analytics for business: In high heels and backwards

December 12, 2012 Ian J Cook HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources

fred astaire and ginger rogers ballroom dancing

Business measurement and analytics has been growing in importance for many years. It has spawned a whole new type of management thinking about evidence-based strategy and decisions. The sophistication levels keep increasing. Here is an example; an online retailer takes real-time data from their customers browsing habits. They pass this to their suppliers who can then can anticipate sales volumes. The suppliers link this to production schedules and to raw material purchasing leading to a a truly integrated supply chain. There is a real elegance to these systems. They move like a dancer in perfect time and balance, leading to performance excellence.

business intelligence, Business measurement and analytics, data and outcomes, evidence-based strategy and decisions, hr analytics, HR metrics, HR Metrics Service, HR space, human behavior, integrated supply chain, management, online retailer, organizational outcomes, People analytics for business, performance excellence, production schedules, production slowdowns or reductions, qualitative and quantitative approach, raw material purchasing, real-time data, resignation rates, statistical modeling and analytic techniques, vacancy rate, workforce

The winds of change: Making HR measurement happen

November 13, 2012 Ian J Cook Employee Relations, HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources

The momentum behind measurement in HR is growing and what I learned from the trip indicates that one of the drivers of change has shifted.

accounting, Business, change, Data, finance, hr analytics, HR measurement, HR metrics, HR reporting, hr strategy, HR system transformation project, HR trends, HRIS, Human Resources Information System, human resources management system, leadership, management, results, tangible reporting of HR results

HR Metrics: “Data suppresses anti-bodies”

October 10, 2012 Ian J Cook HR Analytics, HR Policies and Procedures, HRMS, Human Resources

I came across the title of today’s piece in Guy Kawasaki’s book “the Art of the Start”. It has made me smile for the last week. The quote elegantly expresses why HR practitioners need to be measuring. Here is why

Data, data supports decisions, HR data, HR data and analytics, HR is often the source of new ideas, HR metrics, HR practitioners, hr strategy, leadership, New ideas are perceived as a threat, performance management process, policies and practices

HR metrics: Linking qualitative and quantitative measurement

September 12, 2012 Ian J Cook Employee Relations, HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Wages and Compensation

Last month I promised a description of a metric which starts to take organizations deeper into the insight they need to be successful and to show real results. True to my promise here it is:

description of a metric, employee turnover, headcount, HR, hr analytics, HR metrics, HR practices, inducement, Pensions and Benefits, performance and incentive practices, promotion, qualitative measures, quantitative measures, salaries, top performers, top quartile

Start with firm foundations to obtain stable HR data

August 9, 2012 Ian J Cook Health and Safety, HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources, Payroll, Recruiting and Hiring, Training and Development

I am often contacted by human resources groups and analysts looking to take their work to the next level and discover the next great insight. Often they are seeking some holy grail or mystic equation that will simply answer the complex questions that human systems create. This is a worthy and powerful quest and one which is moving human resources groups and the organizations they serve into a better and more productive position. Unfortunately…

Analytics, common approach, common standard, Data, data quality, data structure, HR data, HR metrics, HR Metrics Service, HRIS, metrics, qualitative, quantitative, system design, system output

Strategy misaligned to HR

July 12, 2012 Ian J Cook Employee Relations, HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring, Training and Development

This week I was helping a colleague figure out what their HR data was telling them and how to put this into a report. The first place to start was the organizational goals and where they wanted to get to.

Data, employee engagement, hr strategy, organizational goals, productivity, recruiters, recruitment, retention, retention programs, reward structures, skills training, strategy, Strategy misaligned to HR, team skills, teamwork, turnover

HR measurement – a Trojan Horse

June 13, 2012 Ian J Cook HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources

Last week was a first for me. I was asked to present on human resources measurement to an audience of finance professionals. The response to my sold out sessions was mixed. Some wanted to know more. Others wanted to be able to put people measurement into a simple box, record this as a consistent item on the balance sheet, and get back to the serious business of money.

business strategy, finance and HR, HR data, hr strategy, human resources data, people data, people measurement

Neither too little nor too much: HR spending and resignations

May 10, 2012 Ian J Cook HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring

Here is one of the first interesting results produced from the Human Resources Metrics Service database. There is a clear relationship between what an organization spends on HR and the level of resignations it experiences…

budget, costs, employment law, hr analytics, HR budgets, HR impacts, HR metrics, HR spend, quits, recruiting and retention, resignations

The HR long game

April 12, 2012 Ian J Cook HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring, Training and Development

For many in the human resources function, every day is a series of reactions and responses to events. The experience of work is the constant juggle of urgent demands to hire people, sort out employment issues, deal with grievances or conflicts, resolve pay demands or other requests. All of these activities are important and urgent and place an immediate call on our attention and action. This experience creates a habit, where new information is reviewed with a bias to action or crisis. If there is nothing urgent or important here then the information can be ignored—there is nothing to do…

Absenteeism, benchmarking report, Data, HR data, HR function, HR issues, HR measurement, HR metrics, HR Metrics Service, productivity, resignation rates, trends, vacancies

Perception is reality

March 8, 2012 Ian J Cook HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources

Last night, I was presenting to an MBA class at the University of British Columbia. For interest’s sake, I started with the question, “what are your perceptions of HR?”

The negative answers I got back were not surprising…

Analytics, HR data, HR data and analytics, HR metrics, hr strategy, influence, metrics

Data vs. uncertainty

February 9, 2012 Ian J Cook HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources

One of the main barriers to a good decision is uncertainty. This is especially true when…

Data, decision making, headcount ratio, HR data, HR data and analytics, HR headcount, HRIS, HRmetrics, influence, strategic HR, strategy

Predictive analytics for HR

January 12, 2012 Ian J Cook HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources

The start of any year is the time to focus on trends. Predictive analytics is one of the trends that looks “hot” for 2012 in the world of HR measurement.

employee turnover, employment, hr analytics, HR measurement, metrics, predictions, productivity

The future is in our hands – and in the data!

December 8, 2011 Ian J Cook HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources

For my last post of 2011, I will follow the age old tradition of predictions for 2012. The slight twist is that the post will feature someone else’s predictions—much easier than gazing into my own crystal ball.

2012, Analytics, big data, data analysis, data science, HR measurement, HR metrics, predictions, strategic HR, strategic planning, talent management, value

The cost of measurement

November 10, 2011 Ian J Cook HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources

Once you have a reputation as a “measurement guy” you get a lot of speaking requests. Recently I was asked to speak on a wellness topic. In the end I declined because even though the measurement aspects of the question were clear, I did not have the knowledge of the topic to deliver well. The request got me thinking about the costs of measurement. Often this is an area that is not considered when people get into the question of finding data.

analysis, cost, costs of measurement, Data, employment, engagement, HR budgets, HR measurement, measurement, survey