The Pandemic Changed Everything
There isn’t a business or organization around that hasn’t been touched by the global pandemic. So much has changed in our working environments in the last year. Manufacturers have been building ventilators, PPE, or hand-sanitizer instead of their usual products. Healthcare providers have been either overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients or dialing back on routine care. Retail, education, public sector, and others are completely disrupted as well.
In light of the massive changes in your business, is your workforce analytics data more or less valuable now?
Data – Forward or Backward Looking?
If the analysis you’re performing is backward-looking, historical, or looking for the past to forecast the future, then it has limited usefulness for what’s happening today.
But if your data support is forward-looking and incorporates predictive workforce and HR Analytics, then it’s more important and valuable than ever. But you need the right tools. Most of the value comes from looking forward, not backwards. Look at what’s happening today to see what needs to be done tomorrow.
For example in retail, employee demand and resources may have changed. Are shipping or curb-side delivery taking a larger percentage of employee time than before? How will this affect my employee scheduling and costs tomorrow and next month? Is it across the board, or are there peak times or locations? Is your current staffing matching the customer demand? How are employee call-outs affecting performance? How have call-out changed over time and area? And as COVID-19 rates change, what is the likely impact in the coming weeks? Which stores or distribution centers are busier (or slower) than ever?
Similar questions are asked in Healthcare, Emergency Services, Education, Manufacturing and Distribution – really any industry you can think of. The need calls for more and deeper analytics, not less.
New Tools Enable Powerful, Forward-Looking Analytics
Being able to answer questions like these is more important than ever and the data makes it possible, especially when coupled with powerful and enabling technology.
Fortunately, the new tools and capabilities that come with large cloud analysis offerings, like Google’s Cloud platform, make this analysis easier than ever. The Google Cloud platform includes Analytics, Machine Learning, Natural Language processing and more, making forward-looking predictive and prescriptive analytics accessible to everyone.
UKG Dimensions ™ with Analytics now includes UKG Data Hub, which is built on the Google Platform. UKG Data Hub unleashes your UKG Dimensions labor analytics capabilities, leveraging the power of the Google Cloud platform.
In the coming weeks and months, this blog will host a series of articles describing the power and usefulness of Advanced HR and Workforce Analytics, made possible by the Google Cloud platform and UKG Data Hub. We’ll look at not only the technology, but also the power and application of advanced analytics affecting your organization. Stay tuned.
