Can you help a new HR Manager out?

3 comments General HR, Performance Management

Oct 12

I get asked quite a few questions from the HR Community and sometimes it’s hard. I feel like a bit of an impostor, like I should know all the answers, but in reality I’m not an experienced HR professional. I have so much to learn from so many of you and it’s something I’m acutely aware of. I’m still fumbling through the early stages of my career and trying to learn along the way.

Recently I was asked a question by a new HR Manager via LinkedIn and I was hoping you could help them out.

Hi Jess,

Thank you for connecting with me. I’m a new HR Manager and wanted to get your advice on KPI measures for a HR Manager.

My company has proposed some KPI measures for me (e.g. staff turnover, time to fill roles, HR costs to budget) but I feel that some of these measures are not within my direct control. I’m thinking that some of my KPIs could be project based since there are many processes that require review and internal training that are needed for my managers…

Would it be possible for you to give me some feedback on good KPIs for a HR Manager? Or if possible point me in the direction of some source material where I may obtain this information?

So now I’m calling all HR Managers- can you help out? What are your KPI’s as a HR Manager? What does it depend on? Do you have any advice?

  • Traff

    I think HR people should have a mix of project-based KPIs as well as more quantitative KPI measures around HR costs to budget, time-to-fill and staff turnover. At the moment my KPIs are all project-based and I wish I had more metrics-based KPIs in the mix.

    Of course, they are only useful if they are part of the overall strategic direction of the team/business, and you are given relevant backing or support.

    Every employee has an element of their KPIs which is beyond their direct control. For example, salespeople have to contend with weak market conditions that are likely to directly impact their bottom line, but they are still measured on their sales results regardless. HR should be treated no differently.

  • Studyingagain

    fully agree with traff. it then means the staff have to have some of those kpis in their reviews so everyone is measured on the same things.

    i can’t see what the problem is with the kpis that the company want the hr manager to be measured by. they are part of every managers role whether in hr or accounting, sales. they could also be applied to the hr managers role for the whole company and probably should because it is looking at staff turnover, recruitment, budget.

  • JM

    The basic KPI’s get the story started. And help management to look at people analytically. They help you to know where to put your focus. Then there are other KPI’s that tell you how you are going with your people initiatives – eg internal promotions, tenure, how many people have development plans, completion rate on time for the annual review, direct hires vs agency hires, hires from referrals, engagement scores. No matter what you measure – its what you do with the data that really matters.