As the world grapples with the threat of coronavirus, organisations are looking to their HR function to support business critical decisions around jobs and continuity planning. HR directors and managers in particular are being asked critical questions by their leadership teams, but do they actually have the data and tools to answer them?

Industry analysts Fosway Group recently conducted a study of HR professionals that has revealed that many are relying on outdated technology and data sets to support crucial strategic decisions at this time.

“As the Covid-19 crisis has unfolded, the pressure on HR teams has intensified dramatically. Suddenly they have been asked for all sorts of answers and data to support strategic decisions that for many organisations is frankly about keeping the lights on, ” explained David Wilson, CEO of Fosway Group.

“What is not helping is that, for the majority, their HR systems are not actually designed to record or analyse the data necessary to provide business critical answers. There is enormous reliance on managers and spreadsheets to support new daily reporting, and only a minority have the tools to model the future impact of Covid-19 on their workforce and ongoing business operations,” he added.

Some of the key findings include:

• Only one in four HR professionals said it was easy to report on key statistics including how many people are self-isolating, working remotely or are hospitalised.
• Only 30% of HR leaders believe their team has the skills to analyse and predict the impact of COVID-19 on their organisation.
• Just 13% have found it easy to do the analysis.

The full results of the research can be seen in the infographic below.

Interested in this topic? Read Why people analytics is the platform for an effective Covid-19 response.