The human aspect of Human Resources is everything. HR people like you are concerned about employee happiness, engagement, and success. A lot of day-to-day support (even emotional and mental support) plays a massive part in employee success. However, it is also essential for HR leaders to consider the hard data when they are making decisions for their employees and providing solutions to leadership.

The Nivati HR Leader Brain Trust group determined the top data points and statistics every HR leader should track to ensure growth and success for the company and employees.

The Brain Trust events are a place for HR executives to develop new solutions to modern HR challenges. Below are some challenges that the group has voted to try and solve. To join the group, sign up here.  

The Top Data Points HR Leaders Say You Should Be Tracking

Here are the top data points the HR leaders in our Brain Trust group say are great to keep tabs on.

These stats can be gathered to report to your HR team and leadership as often as once weekly or as irregularly as once per quarter or every six months.

1. Turnover and Attrition Rates

Employee attrition and turnover are crucial for understanding how well your company is doing to retain talent. If these numbers are off kilter, it may be a sign to revisit your company culture, benefits, hiring process, salaries, and other aspects that influence retention.

Tracking the turnover rate by department and by position can provide more granular data. Also, consider reporting on regrettable turnover.

There are multiple ways to track attrition (credit to Maggie, one of the HR leaders in the group):

 
• Voluntary - Regrettable
 
• Voluntary - Non-regrettable
 
• Involuntary

Tracking "time in job" statistics can also uncover crucial insights into retention.  

Related: How to Increase Employee Retention

2. Exit Interview Data

The exit interview: awkward, but invaluable.

Here are some questions to ask former employees during exit interviews and keep track of in your HRIS system:

 
• What is your reason for leaving the company?
 
• What would have kept you here?
 
• What did you think of the salary and benefits we offered you?

Here are some other data points to collect at the time of the employee's termination:

 
• Reason for termination
 
• Current supervisor at the time of termination

3. Time Off

High or low rates of time off can both be red flags. If employees aren't taking all of their time off, or it is a struggle to get employees to take time away, it may be time to revisit your company culture. Do executives take time off? If not, encourage them too as well. Employees will gradually feel more comfortable taking time off if their manager is.

Related: The Importance of Taking PTO and Why 8 Days Off Is the Sweet Spot

High absenteeism rates can signal that employees are struggling. If absenteeism is high, consider ramping up your mental health program.  

Related: Absenteeism at Work and What You Can Do About It

4. Hiring and Training Statistics

Here are a bunch of data points to track on hiring and training:

 
• Time to fill/hire
 
• Number of new hires per month (or quarter, or year)
 
• Length of stay/service
 
• Date of termination
 
• Quality of hire
 
• Number of open jobs
 
• Hours in training
 
• HR cost per person-hour
 
• Training cost per person-hour

5. Employee Engagement, Health, and Happiness

Tracking how employees are feeling can provide some interesting insights on how to better support employees beyond their role.

Pull stats from your employee engagement and mental health program platforms on:

 
• Utilization rates
 
• Log in rates
 
• Number of active users
 
• Time spent on the platforms

You can also survey your employees and managers on engagement, health, and happiness:

 
• Supervisor engagement surveys
 
• Employee NPS scores

Related: 5 Employee Engagement Statistics HR Leaders Should Be Tracking

6. Demographics and Diversity

Gathering data on the following topics will help you keep a pulse on the DEI efforts at your company:

 
• Gender
 
• Race
 
• Ethnicity
 
• Headcount

7. Planning and Growth

Here are some stats that can help your HR team plan for the future and track growth:

 
• Corrective action tracking
 
• Succession planning success
 
• Company growth rate

For more tips for HR leaders, check out these blog posts:

 
• Ways to Increase Engagement During Employee Onboarding
 
• How to Prevent High Performers from Burning Out
 
• 40 Ways to Assess the Efficiency of Growing Teams to Prevent Overstaffing

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Disclaimer

By participating in/reading the service/website/blog/email series on this website, you acknowledge that this is a personal website/blog and is for informational purposes and should not be seen as mental health care advice. You should consult with a licensed professional before you rely on this website/blog's information. All things written on this website should not be seen as therapy treatment and should not take the place of therapy or any other health care or mental health advice. Always seek the advice of a mental health care professional or physician. The content on this blog is not meant to and does not substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.