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Partial book profile

Fundamentals of HR Analytics A Manual on Becoming HR Analytical

A practical manual showing HR practitioners how to apply data, statistics, and analytical thinking to connect HR policies and practices to measurable business performance.

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What it’s about

Fundamentals of HR Analytics demystifies people analytics by arming HR professionals with a hands-on, eight-step methodology to turn business problems into testable hypotheses, analyse data, derive insights, and tell compelling stories that drive decisions. Rather than treating turnover and engagement as ends in themselves, the book teaches readers to make business outcomes (revenue, profit, productivity) the dependent variable, and to combine HR variables with business data to demonstrate HR's true impact. With accessible reviews of finance, statistics, and analytic tools (Excel, Tableau, Workday), and richly detailed real-world case studies across turnover, training ROI, workforce planning, recruitment, compensation/benefits, and career planning, the book makes analytics achievable for every practitioner—helping HR finally earn its 'seat at the table' by speaking the language of business.

The through-line

Who it’s for
An HR practitioner who wants to be a credible, strategic business partner with a 'seat at the table' by making data-driven people decisions.
The problem
HR struggles to link its policies and practices to business outcomes and to answer leaders' questions with credible, fact-based analysis. They feel ignored or dismissed, fearing their arguments come across as 'gut feel' versus the line's 'gut feel'.
The plan
  1. Learn the core finance and statistics concepts cast in an HR light.
  2. Adopt data-analytic thinking and the eight-step methodology.
  3. Master data collection, cleaning, and warehousing.
  4. Build and test hypotheses and models on real HR problems.
  5. Apply techniques to turnover, training, resourcing, recruitment, pay, and career planning.
The payoff
HR becomes a trusted, data-driven business partner whose recommendations are bought into by senior leadership. · People decisions demonstrably improve productivity, revenue, and profitability. · Turnover and other problems are reduced through evidence-based interventions with positive ROI.

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Additional reading

  • High Output Management · Andy Grove

    Referenced in the book as an example of how to think analytically and build a business case for a management decision, specifically regarding the ROI of a manager training their own team.

  • The Power of People: Learn How Successful Organizations Use Workforce Analytics to Improve Business Performance · Guenole, N., Ferrar, J., & Feinzig, S.

    Cited in the book, this is a foundational text that aligns with the book's core theme of using workforce analytics to drive tangible business improvements.

  • Human Capital Analytics: How to Harness the Potential of Your Organization's Greatest Asset · Pease, G., Byerly, B., & Fitz-enz, J.

    Cited in the book and written by a pioneer in the field, this work provides a comprehensive view on human capital analytics, complementing this book's hands-on manual approach.

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