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HR Tech Outlook | Thursday, May 04, 2023
Employee engagement has become a major focus for organizations as research continues to show engaged employees are more productive, innovative, and committed to their work. However, measuring and managing engagement levels has been done the same way for decades. Most companies use qualitative listening systems that leverage surveys. However, more HR & People Operation teams are incorporating quantitative measurements through people analytics. While both methods provide valuable data and insights, they differ in both their focus and their strengths.
Hear Your Team to Understand Them
Employee listening systems, such as surveys and feedback programs, collect qualitative data from employees. This can provide insight into employees’ satisfaction with their job, their relationship with their manager, or their perception of the company’s culture. It sheds light on employees’ motivations, concerns, and preferences, which helps identify pain points, potential risks, and informs decision-making for engagement initiatives.
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However, a focus on qualitative data alone is not ideal. Companies that rely solely on qualitative data often experience inaccurate decisions, lack of data validation, difficulty in measuring success, and a lack of objectivity.
This Difference Between Work Processes & Behavior
People analytics and quantitative data also help provide engagement insights around work behavior and processes. This data is typically collected through HR information systems, performance metrics, and other objective sources. People analytics platforms provide a data-driven approach to analyze how employees are performing their jobs, how work is being completed, and how processes can be optimized.
For example, a company might analyze and explore data on employee productivity, turnover rates, or performance scores. This data can help identify patterns, trends, and correlations that can inform decisions related to talent management, performance management, and learning and development programs. All of which contribute to engagement levels.
Similar to above, companies who only use quantitative data for decision making will suffer from ignoring valuable qualitative insights, an overreliance on numbers, limited scope, difficulty in measuring intangibles, and lack of creativity. The key is to find a balance between both.
Companies Can Combine the Two for Success
At the end of the day, both qualitative survey data and people analytics play important roles in measuring and managing employee engagement. Employee listening systems provide valuable qualitative insights that help understand the “why” behind employees’ behaviors and perceptions, while people analytics provide quantitative insights into work behavior and processes.
By considering both types of data, companies can gain a more complete understanding of the factors that influence employee engagement, validate their data, and make well-informed decisions. This can lead to more effective engagement strategies, increased employee satisfaction, improved retention rates, and ultimately, a more engaged and productive workforce.
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