Recording, analysing and using HR information

In our HR department collecting data is essential to our organisation as it helps management decisions to be made based on factual information. Records on details such as sickness, absence, turnover, race and gender can be monitored throughout the organisation to help inform with policy making decisions and to ensure we are fulfilling government requirements. One reason for this would be HR will have all this information at our fingertips and for any requirements by department managers regarding holidays, recruitment, turnover etc, with this information to hand it allows good quality decisions to be made in regards to staffing issues. Another reason would be ACAS suggest that all organisations, regardless of the size, need to keep records of their employees, from the records the HR department can provide managers with good quality and accurate information.

Absenteeism and holidays, this allows you to monitor levels of sickness throughout departments, you would keep this to identify high sickness areas and create solutions for the problem areas, we also have a trigger system set up to allow us to automatically recognise problem areas. It also allows you to ensure that staffs have their full holiday entitlement, this can assist you in deciding whether or not to grant holidays as you can ensure that you have adequate cover for the dates being requested and make sure that your work rate will not be affected within a certain time. Payroll records analyse data to ensure the organisation complying with minimum wages as required by government legislation, ensure paying within similar roles in the industry and also to aid with deciding on salary increases along with performance management. This helps when it comes to carrying out staff appraisals as both the aforementioned types of data can be taken into account when trying to decide on this.

Manual, these are easily accessible and would include original documentation such as applications form, employees personal details, bank details, copy of contract, attendance and absence records, training records and certificates. Other information would include references and academic achievements. Computerised information has the advantage that it is easily accessible and can be shared among other line managers without handing access to personal information that would be held within manual file. This helps with accurately monitoring absence levels, payroll, training and appraisals, it can aid in all these and also save time across all departments if the data is stored and analysed correctly. It ensures that information as required by law is easily accessible

Two items of UK legislation relating to storing information accurately and confidentially would be firstly the Freedom of information act (2000) gives the right of access to all types of recorded information held by public organisations. Additionally the Data Protection Act (1998) is used to keep accurate records, safe and secure, keep information for no longer than required. This controls how your personal information is held and stored by organisations and ensures everyone whom is responsible for using the data is following strict rules known as ‘data protection principles’. With regards to our approach to data I can confirm that the HR system is fully operational and records are kept in accordance with legislation. Information of this type can be extremely important in increasing the profitability of the business.