While reviewing some great posts on performance reviews, I recalled a recent survey we did for an HR association. One of the sections dealt with HR performance metrics and I was amazed (shocked is a better word) at the number of HR departments that indicated they don’t track HR metrics.

How in the world can you successfully operate a first class HR function and NOT have basic measures at your finger tips? Measures such as Cost Per Hire, Time to Fill [Jobs], Turnover Costs, etc. are BASIC.  Even if your boss doesn’t require you to keep such metrics, a good (repeat good) HR professional will calculate and track these measures.

Keeping performance measures is not just for responding to surveys or generating reports. These metrics can be very valuable when defending why you can’t layoff anyone else in your group or why you really need a new HR system.  Remember that without the data, your claims of excessive turnover costs, inflated performance reviews, poor supervisory training, and a myriad of similar issues are going to be classified as another HR whine.

If you can’t back it up with figures, you have nothing but your word. That simply isn’t good enough in most cases, especially when credibility may already be suspect due to lack of good data in previous debates.

There are some excellent resources for good HR metrics.  SHRM is a great source of info as well as blogs.  Even without these resources, you can easily make up your own.  How do you know you’re doing a good job?  Prove it with the facts and watch your credibility go up a couple notches.