3RAI Recording, Analysing and Using Human Resources Information

Unit Overview

This unit improves the student ‘s comprehension of the significant contribution that accurate information, whether manually or electronically processed, may bring to the roles of human resources (HR) or learning and development (L&D). The unit is structured to cover all aspects of data management including, but not restricted to, HR planning, recruiting and selection, performance and compensation management, absence management, disciplinary and grievance protocols, and L&D electronic records management. It encompasses the legal consequences of gathering, storing and using personnel information and will allow the student to document data and information and interpret, evaluate and convey information concisely and clearly in a suitable format to bolster decision-making in order to achieve organizational goals and promote L&D solutions for individuals and groups within a firm.

Unit Objectives

This unit is aimed at supporting the learner:

1. Comprehend what data to obtain to sustain human resource functions.
2. Know-how and when to capture, organize and store HR data.
3. Evaluate HR knowledge and present findings to guide decision making.
4. Identify different ways an entity should obtain and maintain data.
5. Understand why data need to be collected and recorded.
6. Explain how various forms of data help human resource practice as well as the management team.
7. Describe data recording systems, data management approaches and the advantages of storage systems.
8. Explain at least two legal criteria when the HR data is recorded, stored and accessed.
9. Discuss how data can be analyzed and make suggestions.
10. Discuss ways to visually display the data through various formats.

Why an Organization Needs to Collect and Record HR Data

It is imperative that an organization records and maintains a range of data on its staff. The organization requires personal data on its staff to carry out activities such as paying employees directly into their bank accounts, determining pay rates, and keeping records on staff contacts or those of their next of kin in the event of emergencies (Bohlander & Snell, 2006). Additionally, accurate and relevant data is requisite to support the strategic as well as operational decisions of the organization, in the interest of the organization’s ambitions. In this case, examples of useful data include: customer feedback, knowledge and expertise, regulations and legislations, and employee turnover (Ibarra, & Crawford, 2002). Customer feedback is instrumental in charting out future plans concerning staff development interventions. Knowledge and expertise facilitate an organization’s effort to design new products and services, as well as device new ways to penetrate the market. Regulations and legislations may require employer to keep certain records such as data on equality and diversity for public entities. Employee turnover information might inform decisions to make changes to reward frameworks, induction process, or other relevant processes. All the staff data and information that an organization holds is legally protected and thus, can only be gathered and held for a clear purpose and for as long as this information is relevant to the organization’s operations.

How Recording, Analyzing and Using Human Resources Information Relates to the Role of HR Professionals

In HR, human capital refers to the individuals working for an organization and their collective expertise, knowledge, talent, and innovation capacity, are constantly developing. Reports on human capital offers qualitative as well as quantitative data on a variety of organizational aspects such as the level of employee engagement and staff turnover (Martin, 2019). With this information, the organization is able to highlight the ideal HR management interventions for the acceleration of business performance. Generally, the value of an organization is not only anchored on tangible assets such as land, equipment, and money, and intangible assets such as goodwill, but also human capital, which is increasingly emerging as an important part of an organization in the current knowledge-based economic environment (Martin, 2019).

As retaining and improving workforces continue to increasingly pose challenges for HR practitioners, managing human capital in organizations has emerged as a critical role for HR departments. Most organizations currently require their employees to fill various forms through which information such as education levels, marital status, bank details, legal names, social security details, and beneficiaries for benefits plans, is gathered (Bohlander & Snell, 2006). Data collected by the HR departments is vital in determining the level and mix of skills in the current workforce, tracking staff turnover trends, and predicting future performance levels and employee engagement (Martin, 2019). The collection of HR data facilitates the maintenance of employee profiles which enable employee payments and compensation. The collection of HR data enables HR departments to maintain records for regulatory compliance as well as legal liability purposes (Bohlander & Snell, 2006). The government makes it mandatory for various firms, especially larger organizations, to maintain employee records as way of ensuring compliance with various legal provisions. HR departments are charged with safeguarding the welfare of employees, and thus, collecting HR information may be instrumental in reducing accidents rates, minimizing absence, and improving the diversity profile.

This unit is ideal for individuals who:

1. Are striving to or embarking on a HR / L&D career.
2. Are working in support of HR / L&D and aspire to improve their awareness and skills.
3. Have responsibility for HR / L&D decisions and actions without specialist function within an organization.
4. Act to safeguard the integrity and security of data and information technology.
5. Obtain and analyze data to help strategic decision making.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this unit, a learner should: comprehend what data to collect to help human resource activities, know how to record, manage and store human resource information, and be able to interpret human resource knowledge and present arguments in order to guide decision making. These qualifications are not traditionally taught but are more based on particular personal or organizational goals rather than merely academic theory. Units are evaluated by examining narratives based on written work, backed up by facts. Evidence takes several forms and is collected before granting the qualification, and is encompassed in a portfolio which is reviewed by experts and checked by external CIPD verifiers.

References

Bohlander, G., & Snell, S. (2006). Managing human resources. Cengage Learning.

Ibarra, T., & Crawford, J. O. (2002). Importance of information recording and management. CONTEMPORARY ERGONOMICS, 134-142.

Martin, W. (2019, July 03). CIPD Foundation Award – Recording analysing and using HR information (3RAI). Retrieved September 16, 2020, from