| name | people-analytics |
| description | Use when designing people analytics programs — covers data hygiene, the 6–8 reports that matter, and pitfalls in measurement. |
People Analytics
Core Principle: Data Hygiene Before Analytics
A people analytics program built on bad data produces confidently wrong answers. Before investing in dashboards or specialized tools, audit:
- HRIS as single source of truth
- One field for level, one for location, one for manager, etc.
- Demographic data consistent and complete (with employee consent)
- Job titles standardized to a controlled vocabulary
- Audit cadence quarterly
A clean HRIS beats sophisticated analytics on a messy one.
The 6–8 Reports That Matter
For a CEO and Head of People, monthly:
- Headcount and trend: by function, level, geo
- Open reqs and time-to-fill
- Hiring funnel: applications, interviews, offers, accepts; by demographic
- Attrition: regrettable vs. all; by function, tenure, demographic
- Engagement / eNPS: trend
- Comp distribution: by level / function (ranges, compa-ratios); audit by demographic
- Manager span and layer audit
- Manager scorecard summary
Each report:
- Refreshed automatically (no manual extracts)
- Versioned and archived
- Reviewed in a recurring meeting
- Tied to action when signal is concerning
Beyond the Basics
For larger / more sophisticated programs:
- Time-to-productivity (ramp curves)
- Promotion velocity by demographic
- Internal mobility rates
- Retention curves by cohort, source, manager
- Pay equity (under privilege)
- Performance rating distributions by manager × demographic
- 9-box / talent reviews (with skepticism)
Pitfalls
Streetlight Effect
Optimizing for what's measurable instead of what matters.
Easy to measure: time-to-fill, eNPS, training completion rates.
Hard but matters: quality-of-hire, behavior change, fairness perception.
Don't replace the meaningful with the measurable.
Demographic Re-Identification
Cell-size minimums (n ≥ 5–8) at every cut. Intersectional cuts often run into limits — surface in aggregate or qualitatively.
Spurious Correlations
With dozens of metrics × dozens of cohorts, correlations appear by chance. Distinguish:
- Repeated patterns (multiple periods, multiple cuts)
- One-off blips (often noise)
Engagement-Driven Compensation
Don't tie comp to engagement scores. Gaming destroys signal.
Manager Scorecards Used Punitively
Without context, manager scores become a popularity contest. Use as input to coaching and development; not as the sole performance metric.
Privacy and Trust
Boundaries:
- Aggregate trends shareable
- Individual data restricted
- Anonymity in surveys preserved (cell-size; vendor agreements)
- Demographic linkage with consent only
- Don't use AI tools that ingest sensitive data without clearance
Tools
| Stage | Pattern |
|---|
| < 100 | Spreadsheets + HRIS reports |
| 100–500 | HRIS reports + light BI tool (Looker / Tableau / Mode) |
| 500–2000 | Dedicated tools (Visier, ChartHop) or BI on data warehouse |
| 2000+ | Data warehouse + dedicated people analytics function |
Manager-Level vs. Aggregate
Manager-level reporting at scale enables manager-specific accountability. Norms:
- Managers see their own team results (where n permits)
- Managers don't see individual responses
- Manager-of-manager reviews trends with the manager
- Persistent issues escalate
Watch for managers pressuring teams to score them well — destroys signal.
Pay Equity Analytics (Specialized)
Pay equity analyses run under attorney-client privilege when remediation will follow. See pay-equity-analysis skill.
Common Failures
- Multiple "sources of truth" disagreeing
- Reports built by hand each month
- Cell-size violations
- Spurious correlations driving decisions
- Manager scorecards without context
- People analytics function with no path to action
- Vendor dashboards that show signal nobody acts on
Cross-References
hr-operations-architect agent
pay-equity-analysis skill
engagement-survey-design skill
dei-strategist agent
Key References
- Industry practitioner work from Visier, ChartHop, One Model
- Boudreau, J., & Ramstad, P. (2007). Beyond HR.
- McKinsey People Analytics studies (with appropriate skepticism)