Using Instincts in People Analytics
When I started my career in People Analytics, I firmly believed that for HR to be at the table with the rest of the business, all gut instincts must be replaced by data. Our “feelings” and “senses” did not matter if the data did not indicate the same.
Over time, my views have changed. While I still don’t believe in decisions solely based on gut feelings and anecdotal stories (aka the squeakiest wheel), I think our gut feelings—especially as seasoned HR professionals—provide direction to topics we need to investigate further in the organization.
Here’s the thing: humans are wired to detect patterns. Remember when you last felt something was fishy/odd/weird but couldn’t quite put your finger on it? That’s our brain telling us that whatever is happening in that moment fits the pattern of something negative that may have occurred previously. Sometimes, this signal comes from our ‘lizard brain,’ sometimes, it comes from our subconscious mind based on learned life lessons.
This exact pattern-detecting ability can also be applied professionally—especially in HR—because this profession relies not only on textbook knowledge but also on experience and contextual knowledge. This creates the perfect situation to use gut instincts (i.e., detecting something out of its ordinary pattern based on experience and creating a hypothesis) to guide data analysis (i.e., verifying whether the hypothesis is accurate and determining ensuring actions).
Here are a few examples of how I have seen this being put into action:
An organization chart that did not look suitable for the business's growth stage --> HR business partner noticed it and flagged it --> Analysis discovered overstaffing and inflating labor costs.
A series of job requisitions that took longer than usual to fill --> Recruiter noticed the pattern --> Analysis discovered that the compensation set for the job was not market competitive due to the additional skillsets required.
A few performance calibration meetings with ‘interesting’ comments made during them --> HR representative in the room picked up on something not being spoken --> Analysis revealed promotion data skewing towards certain demographic groups.
These stories are plentiful in our personal and professional lives. So, the next time you hear of a gut feeling or observation in a conversation, don’t ignore it. It could be the start of a new analytics project.