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Running head: OBJECTIVE TWO – DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 1 Objective Two – Data Collection and Analysis – Professional Human Resources Metrics and Organizational Success Kayla Conklin McDaniel College

Web viewThe first course I took in the Human Resources Development (HRD) program at McDaniel was Introduction to Human Resources Management (HRM). I was transferring into HRD

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Page 1: Web viewThe first course I took in the Human Resources Development (HRD) program at McDaniel was Introduction to Human Resources Management (HRM). I was transferring into HRD

Running head: OBJECTIVE TWO – DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 1

Objective Two – Data Collection and Analysis – Professional

Human Resources Metrics and Organizational Success

Kayla Conklin

McDaniel College

Page 2: Web viewThe first course I took in the Human Resources Development (HRD) program at McDaniel was Introduction to Human Resources Management (HRM). I was transferring into HRD

OBJECTIVE TWO – DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 2

Objective Two – Data Collection and Analysis – Professional

Human Resources Metrics and Organizational Success

The first course I took in the Human Resources Development (HRD) program at

McDaniel was Introduction to Human Resources Management (HRM). I was transferring into

HRD from the Counseling Education program. The artifact I chose to demonstrate my ability to

identify, evaluate, and summarize relevant data to assist organizations was a group paper I

completed in the HRM course. The topic of this paper was human resources metrics, and how

they can be used in strategic planning for organizations. The section of the artifact paper that will

be analyzed in this entry is entitled “HRM Metrics at Sales Focus, Inc.” which runs from page 7

through 13. By the time I started the HRM course, I had only been working in a human resources

role for roughly three months. I was very inexperienced in both my work and school roles at this

time. The HRM course, and the artifact paper, gave me my first experience using HR metrics to

analyze my own organization. The skills, and knowledge, gained from the group project have

assisted me in my practicum project, as well as enhancing various processes at my organization.

For this reason, I have chosen this to be a professional entry to demonstrate my mastery of

objective two.

When I initially collected data for the HR metrics paper, I simply created new hire and

termination tables that were updated weekly. These tables included the employee’s name, client

they worked for, their start date, and their termination date. I used this information to determine

the average number of days an employee worked at Sales Focus, Inc. for my group project. The

number of days an employee worked was reached by subtracting their termination date from

their start date. I researched how to determine an organization’s turnover rate, and was able to

complete this percentage for my own organization by using a basic turnover formula. The data

Page 3: Web viewThe first course I took in the Human Resources Development (HRD) program at McDaniel was Introduction to Human Resources Management (HRM). I was transferring into HRD

OBJECTIVE TWO – DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 3

yielded a very high turnover percentage for Sales Focus Inc. I consider the data collection used

for the group project to be elementary. As previously stated, I was new to the field of human

resources and this project provided little time to do a proper turnover analysis for my

organization. While I had little experience, I was able to recognize that the data presented was

not a representative sample to draw conclusions from (“Research basics,” 2011). I suggested that

I would need to gather the information for one year to get the most accurate turnover percentage.

Regardless, I still believed that turnover at my organization was high, and I decided to create

additional data collection processes to determine potential causes. My theory was if I could

narrow down some underlying causes, and make organizational changes based on these causes,

then employee retention and satisfaction would be increased.

Since the HRM course, I have created an exit interview/survey for employees to complete

when they are separating from the company. This survey includes ranking questions (i.e. poor,

fair, great, and excellent), short answer questions, and sections to “check all that apply.” The

focus of the exit survey is on reasons the employee is leaving, what Sales Focus, Inc. could have

done to retain the employee, what the organization does well, and what the new position offers

that Sales Focus, Inc. does not. I chose to collect data using a survey for a few reasons. The main

reason was due to a geographical barrier that my organization faces. We are headquartered in

Maryland; however, we have offices all over the United States. The survey was created on our

corporate Survey Monkey account and can easily be sent out to employees via email. There is a

paper version of this survey that can be completed by employees at headquarters (HQ) as they

are easily accessible. The benefits of a survey are that they are relatively inexpensive, easy to

administer, anonymous, and the data can easily be put into graphical representations (Fowler,

2009, p. 2-3).

Page 4: Web viewThe first course I took in the Human Resources Development (HRD) program at McDaniel was Introduction to Human Resources Management (HRM). I was transferring into HRD

OBJECTIVE TWO – DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 4

As with most things, there are cons to using surveys as well. Questions on a survey can

be worded in a way so that employees interpret their meaning differently, which may result in

unreliable data (Fowler, 2009, p. 11-12). While it is stressed to employees that the exit surveys

are anonymous, another downside to using a survey is that participants may not be entirely

truthful in their responses (Fowler, 2009, p. 15). This could also create unreliable information for

the Human Resources department. If organizational changes are going to be made based on data

collected with the surveys, it would be important to ensure that the data is as reliable as possible

to eliminate efforts being focused on irrelevant topics.

Once a month, the Human Resources department at Sales Focus, Inc. goes on to the

Survey Monkey account to collect the data from any exit surveys that have come in since the last

collection. Any data from the paper surveys for the month are added in with the electronic data. I

chose to use a standard bar graph to summarize the monthly data so that it is easier for upper

management to digest. On a quarterly basis, I incorporate all of the data for the quarter, and

compare it to the previous quarter data using clustered bar and stacked line graphs. A summary

of employee statements is also included in the quarterly report as it is difficult to show written

accounts in a graphical format (“Research basics,” 2011). These quarterly reports are used to

look for recurring themes among employee opinions, as well as create new ways to combat the

turnover and retain employees.

Two things that were commonly reported in the exit surveys were a lack of formal

training during on-boarding, and the expectation to reach unattainable/unrealistic goals. Since the

initial group project, I have used this data to bring these issues to our corporate decision makers.

At Sales Focus, Inc. all new employees now go through a one week training period. This training

incorporates a history of the organization, overview of company policies and procedures, a tour

Page 5: Web viewThe first course I took in the Human Resources Development (HRD) program at McDaniel was Introduction to Human Resources Management (HRM). I was transferring into HRD

OBJECTIVE TWO – DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 5

of relevant facilities, a quick introduction to all HQ departments and employees, and a thorough

introduction to the products and services of a designated client for sales representatives. Sales

representatives also participate in several role-playing activities during their training to give them

practice opportunities. In addition to the training, we now incorporate a “ramp-up” period, which

is typically the first two weeks an employee is actively working (i.e. two weeks after training).

During this time period, an employee is not held to any production standard, and it is geared

towards job acclimation.

The actions I have demonstrated after the HRM group project show my knowledge of

research methods procedures gained during the program. I formulated a research problem when I

noticed that employees were not staying with the company long, which forced us to repeat the

recruiting, on-boarding, process over and over (“Research basics,” 2011). After I gathered

turnover data for the group project, a hypothesis was developed (“Research basics,” 2011). I

proposed that turnover was in fact due to underlying issues like a lack of employee recognition,

training, and benefits. This hypothesis led me to create additional data collection methods like

the exit survey, as well as the design of an employee recognition program for my practicum

project. I am now able to gather information, analyze it, and create reports for company

executives. These skills are very important for HR professionals in today’s workforce because it

has provided them with opportunities to advance in to the executive realm (IBM Corporation,

2009). No longer is the field of Human Resources simply viewed as lower-level, administrative

work (IBM Corporation, 2009). Data collection and analysis has allowed me to show bottom-line

significance to executives at my organization, which has resulted in company-wide changes.

Page 6: Web viewThe first course I took in the Human Resources Development (HRD) program at McDaniel was Introduction to Human Resources Management (HRM). I was transferring into HRD

OBJECTIVE TWO – DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 6

References

Fowler, F. J. (2009). Survey research methods. (4 ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE

Publications, Inc. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=2Enm

9gWeH2IC&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=survey research methods&ots=y3n_PbJaxM&sig

=Wv7ntPgIxh4Cfe0s3_2WdVsVJKg.

IBM Corporation. (2009). A seat at the table: How smart HR departments win with business

intelligence [White paper]. Retrieved September 10, 2013, from http://public.dhe.ibm

.com/software/data/sw-library/cognos/pdfs/whitepapers/wp_a_seat_at_the_table.pdf.

Research basics. (2011, November 06). Retrieved from http://explorable.com/research-basics.