In considering what new and interesting HR facts to share each Friday sometimes I am rewarded by looking no further than my own front door. HRN researches, writes and distributes a new HR industry white paper each month. This month’s white paper titled, “HR Metrics and Turnover: What to Measure and How to Evaluate” is especially interesting and in my opinion a must read for all HR professionals. Below is a brief summary of the document:

Metrics may be referred to as the language of business. As we (HR professionals) strive to be part of the C-Suite, we have been told we need to bring “value” to the table. One way to do that is by effectively using HR metrics. Turnover is close to the heart of many companies and CEOs. When this topic is brought up, many questions arise. What’s your average turnover? Do you know how much it costs to replace an existing employee? How do you know if you make a good hiring decision or not? Recent surveys tell us that once the economy improves, we may need to brace ourselves for turnover in our companies. So what can we do? How can we use metrics to assist us?

 If you would like to read and download the complete white paper simply follow this link.

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I’m sure there was someone who said “Behave your way to success,” long before Dr. Phil ever did, but whoever that was, my tired brain (and Google) can’t seem to find it right now.  In any case, it is good advice for all sorts of applications.  I have wondered how certain people rise to the top in an organization and why others don’t.  What qualities make that person a good leader?  But, I’m not going to explore anything that lofty today. (I said I was tired, remember?)

What really keeps me up at night is not how to develop myself as a leader, but wondering what kind of car I’ll drive when I’m the boss.  (I’m kidding.)  But, it provides a nice segue into sharing the results of a recent Careerbuilder.com survey.  The survey was conducted in August of last year, and included responses from more than 550 individuals in senior leadership positions.

What they wear – Tired of that suit you wear every day?  Survey respondents showed it’s good to be the boss: more than 60% identified business casual as their uniform of choice.  A little fewer than 20% said they wear jeans or shorts.  The business suit came in at last place.  Men in senior leadership positions prefer navy blue, and women have a much higher tendency to wear black.

What they drive – More of those surveyed – 27% – said they drive SUVs to work.  In case you think most bosses are like Bill Lumbergh and drive a Porsche to work, only 8% drive sports cars or convertibles.

What they drink – When they were asked what they drink at happy hours or company parties, one-third of respondents said they don’t drink alcohol at all at those events.  For women who do imbibe at the company party, one-third said wine is their preferred drink, while a quarter of men said beer or wine was their choice.

What they eat – If you think most of the big bosses are heading out for two-hour lunches at the nicest restaurants, think again.  More than half of women (57%) and 36% of men said they typically brown bag it.  Nearly one-quarter of respondents said they normally don’t have lunch at all.

I’ll leave you with one of those interesting facts you can share at your next party: three in ten senior management leaders reported they part their hair to the right.

Source: Careerbuilder.com “Emulating the Big Cheese”

Congratulations!  You’ve identified some HR Metrics you want to capture, taken the measurements and have the results.  In fact, you probably have a nice graph put together to present to your Manager with color-coded columns and assorted data points.  Things are looking good – you finally have something, ie., data, to prove to Management that HR does add value.

But that is only the beginning. HR metrics without careful evaluation are just that – metrics.  I like to think of the next step of the process as an HR metrics Opportunity.  This is when the data can produce useful knowledge and predict trends in the workplace.

HR metrics can be used in benchmarking activities and results, assess compliance, predict performance – good and bad, assess internal controls and risk management performance, and used to improve performance.  HR metrics fail when wrong or limited-value metrics are used, the goal is not clear, risks are not considered, or if there is poor communication with the end user.

Examples of evaluating turnover metrics could include the following:

• Calculation of metric based on voluntary / involuntary turnover
• Breakdown by length of service and time on job
• Breakdown by department
• Breakdown by manager
• Breakdown by performance rating

By drilling down the metric to specific pieces, underlying issues causing turnover may be exposed such as needs for management training, improvement in onboarding processes, or not hiring the right fit for the job.

It is the qualitative pieces of metrics that provide the opportunity to bring value to the table.  For more information on this topic, please stay tuned for upcoming blogs and check out our next whitepaper.

With Christmas already a distant memory, many employees are probably ready for another holiday.  Well, you are in luck if you work for 31% of the employers who observe Martin Luther King Day, which is Monday, January 16.  Organizations with a union presence are more likely to observe the holiday, along with federal employers.

In case you are wondering when Martin Luther King Day became an official holiday, keep reading for a little history refresher.  Martin Luther King is best known for his nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.   Following his assassination in 1968, a campaign began for a federal holiday in King’s honor.  It wasn’t until 1983, however, when it was signed into law by Ronald Reagan, and first observed on January 20, 1996.  At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such and even used alternate names or combined it with other holidays.  In 2000, it was officially observed in all 50 states on the 3^rd Monday in January.

It may be said that Martin Luther King brought to light many issues which resulted in changes in HR laws regarding discrimination and diversity.  Whether or not your company observes the day as a paid holiday, it’s a great time to reflect and remember some of the quotes from Martin Luther King.

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

From the “I Have a Dream” speech, Aug. 28, 1963

“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”

From “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963

“From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring. From the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring. From the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania, let freedom ring. But not only that: Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.”

From the “I Have a Dream” speech, Aug. 28, 1963

“Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.”

From “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963

 Source:  Bloomberg BNA’s Survey of Holiday Practices