You're juggling data-driven decision-making and daily HR tasks. How can you find the right balance?

Segregate tasks by dedicating specific times for data-driven decision-making and daily HR duties. Focus on impactful analytics to reduce manual efforts, streamlining processes and enhancing efficiency.

Identify and rank tasks based on urgency and importance. Allocate time slots for data analysis and decision-making, ensuring routine HR tasks are also completed.

This is one of the more critical aspects of managing dual demands. In fact, in my role as a compensation professional, I must effectively balance the data analytics and business intelligence side of my responsibilities with my daily HR responsibilities, which is routinely challenging especially since comp analytics have historically been managed through manual processing in spreadsheets. In recent years, many HRIS and Comp tool providers have incorporated increased intelligence into their management solutions which not only sped up the processing times but added a very important layer of data integrity and accuracy to results. Now with the latest evolution of GenAI, the time saved is exponentially greater!

Use HR software and tools to automate routine tasks, freeing up time for strategic activities. Platforms like HRIS can streamline processes, making data readily available for analysis.

Do you work in HR? Want to increase your earning potential or expedite your career advancement? Adopt this skill! Data Literacy is the most important requirement for HR professionals in analytically based roles. However, this should be a requirement for any person working in HR, no matter your role. Data literacy includes understanding the critical concept of quality assurance which is an area often dismissed or undervalued in favor of the people side of our jobs. I firmly believe that HR professionals with even a basic understanding of quality assurance and data literacy will be better positioned for higher salaries and faster promotional opportunities.

To excel in data-driven decision-making, a strong grasp of data literacy is essential. This means not only accessing data but also knowing how to collect, analyze, and interpret it. Understanding which metrics are most impactful for your organization allows you to focus your analytical efforts effectively, ensuring more informed and relevant decisions. Developing this skill will enhance your ability to discern valuable insights from data, driving better outcomes for your HR tasks.

Engage with other departments to share insights and responsibilities. Collaborating with IT for data management and line managers for on-ground insights can enhance your decision-making process.

Staying informed about the latest HR trends and best practices is crucial. Continuous learning through courses, webinars, and industry literature enhances your ability to make data-driven decisions and streamlines daily HR tasks. This ongoing education empowers you to find innovative solutions, helping you balance your responsibilities more effectively.

This is probably my favorite topic as a Compensation professional whose role is equal parts data/analytics and people services. Finding the right balance between data-driven decision-making and daily HR tasks does involve those noted here but other considerations would be to (1) incorporate dedicated time in your schedule for the analytics side of your role. In addition, making yourself unavailable during this dedicated time ensures 100% of your focus and attention is on the data and processing tasks, which should increase time efficiency overall. (2) regularly review your processes and adjust as needed. This ensures that you remain agile and can adapt to changing priorities or new insights from your data analysis work.