Podcast: Use Your Manual to Align Your Leadership with the Word of God

Jun 4, 2024

The American Bible Society helps people experience God through the Bible. With partners around the world, they help translate the Bible, distribute the Bible, engage people with the Bible, and advocate for the Bible’s message of hope here in America and globally.

Through the Church and a global network of local Bible societies, ABS carries the gospel message where it is needed most. Research and experience tell us the Bible makes us more generous, more compassionate, more loving toward our neighbors, and more hopeful about our future in Christ.

That’s why their mission since 1816 has been to help all people experience the life-changing message of God’s Word.

Meet Jennifer Holloran, president and CEO of the American Bible Society. Jennifer is passionate about ensuring her organization exceeds expectations. In this episode of Encouragement for Work, learn how to Use Your Manual to Align Your Leadership with the Word of God. Listen in as you learn these three keys to organizational leadership success.

1. Know Your Role as Aligner

As the leader of your organization, God has placed you in a position of responsibility to align the direction of your organization with God’s will. As followers of Christ, we do not work from the assumption that we know best.

Proverbs 3:5-6 GNT: Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.

Where do we start? Surrendering our own desires for the future to Him. Then, discerning His will and conforming yourselves and our organizations to it.

James 4:13-15 GNT: Now listen to me, you that say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to a certain city, where we will stay a year and go into business and make a lot of money.” You don’t even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears. What you should say is this: “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”

Romans 12:2 GNT: Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God – what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.

2. Know Your Role as Shepherd

As the leader of your organization, God has given you responsibility to care for a certain portion of His flock – those who work under your leadership, but also those who are beneficiaries of the work that your organization does. God’s Word provides clear direction about what it means (and what it doesn’t mean) to serve in a shepherding role.

Mark 10:42-45 GNT: So Jesus called them all together to him and said, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the heathen have power over them, and the leaders have complete authority. This, however, is not the way it is among you. If one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest, and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served; he came to serve and to give his life to redeem many people.

In fact, the Bible breaks it down even further for us:

1 Peter 5:1b-4 GNT: I appeal to you to be shepherds of the flock that God gave you and to take care of it willingly, as God wants you to, and not unwillingly. Do your work, not for mere pay, but from a real desire to serve. Do not try to rule over those who have been put in your care, but be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the glorious crown which will never lost its brightness.

3. Know Your Role as Chief Steward

Finally, as leaders, God has given us an important responsibility of stewardship for all that has been entrusted to us. We will be held accountable for how we steward our organizations and the resources God has given us. Matthew 25 illustrates how that wonderful that accountability can be when we are faithful:

Matthew 25:21 GNT: ‘Well done, you good and faithful servant!’ said his master. ‘You have been faithful in managing small accounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!’

Matthew also shows us what happens when we are not faithful:

Matthew 25:26-28 GNT: ‘You bad and lazy servant!’ his master said. ‘You knew, did you, that I reap harvests where I did not plant, and gather crops where I did not scatter seed? Well, then, you should have deposited my money in the bank, and I would have received it all back with interest when I returned. Now, take the money away from him and give it to the one who has ten thousand coins.’

The bottom line if we want to be good stewards?

Luke 12:42-43 GNT: The Lord answered, “Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? He is the one that his master will put in charge, to run the household and give the other servants their share of the food at the proper time. How happy that servant is if his master finds him doing this when he comes home!

The Bible has even more incredible wisdom to shape how we lead, if we will take the time to use the manual we’ve been given. When we align our leadership with the Word of God, we have put ourselves on the path to true effectiveness and satisfaction of a job well done.

Learn more about HR best practices as Mark interviews Jennifer about emerging HR practices post-pandemic, helping you to develop high performance in the workplace.

Mark A. Griffin | Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Podcasts

A Guide to Creating Human Resources Metrics for Your Organization

Jun 1, 2024

It is vital for human resource professionals to track and assess their HR strategies’ efficiency. 

That’s why they use specialized metrics to gather and analyze information about an array of workforce dimensions. While there are many possibilities to choose from, not all metrics are equal. Likewise, not all are suitable to help your particular organization.

There’s a lot of information out there to navigate through as you seek to exceed your goals, remove obstacles to success, and promote a culture consistent with your mission, vision, and values. But it’s not insurmountable.

You can learn how to develop and utilize HR metrics to gauge performance and support your organization’s strategic vision. From selection to implementation, discover the key steps for creating human resources metrics that truly matter to your organization’s success.

Understanding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in HR

Key performance indicators, or KPIs, are an essential tool in gauging whether an HR department is meeting its objectives. They can play a critical role in strategic decision-making and enhancing problem-solving abilities that align with organizational goals and objectives. 

It’s important to distinguish between common HR metrics and KPIs. Because while all KPIs are metrics, not all metrics are KPIs, which have distinct characteristics, such as: 

• Specificity
• Measurability
• Attainability
• Relevance
• Direct connection to broader organizational goals.

HR teams use these vital indicators about such things as employee turnover rates, employee engagement, training effectiveness, development assessments, and pay equity. Analyzing these crucial data points can pinpoint sectors that are ripe for enhancement and make HR activities consistent with the larger organizations’ goals. 

These measurements can then be turned into actionable insights that elevate human resources from a purely operational arm into a pivotal, future-shaping part of the organization.

And, for the record, the more specific your metrics are, the better.

Identifying Crucial HR Metrics for Your Organization

At first glance, selecting suitable HR metrics for your organization may feel like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube. It can appear overwhelming due to the vast variety of choices available. 

However, when you track your organizational objectives, it becomes clear which HR metrics you can accurately apply. After that, decoding the puzzle is easy and even enjoyable.

(To learn more about what KPIs are all about, click here.)

Your organization-specific list will almost certainly include the group of HR metrics listed below. They’re designed to provide you with vital insights about the efficiency of your HR measures and areas for growth…

1. Recruitment Metrics 

The success of any thriving organization depends on its recruitment. But without proper benchmarks, it can be tough to determine if your hiring is effective and efficient. 

Therefore, recruitment metrics are critical measures in assessing these processes. They give you insights into how effective your processes are. 

For instance, one focus is on the time to hire: how long it takes between when the recruitment process begins and when a suitable candidate accepts his or her job offer. This is an essential measure of how quickly your candidates of choice move through the pipeline.

Or how about your cost per hire. Recruitment costs reveal the financial investment that goes into securing each new hire within expected salary bands.

HR authority SHRM pins the employee cost per hire at $4,683 on average. How close are you to that figure? 

Quality of hire is another important consideration – an assessment that gauges what advantages newly hired personnel add based on aspects like performance, team and/or organizational assimilation, and ongoing work contributions.

Your organization itself must also exude attractiveness that draws potential applicants into competitive landscapes. The Offer Acceptance Rate elucidates this appeal by showcasing how many extended offers actually result in hires.

HR teams are increasingly adopting refined tools such as talent analytics and predictive models to both: 

• Sharpen prospect identification skills during recruitment exercises, and 
• Devise stronger employee retention approaches after the contract has been signed.

2. Retention Metrics 

Bringing in new talent through recruitment is one thing, but maintaining it through high retention rates is another vital aspect of organizational health. Elevated retention not only lessens the financial burden associated with frequent recruiting and training of newcomers, but also cultivates a sense of loyalty and trust among employees—crucial for ensuring stability and promoting growth within the organization. The Employee Turnover Rate (ETR) serves as an important indicator in this context, providing a measure of how many individuals leave over a given period. To calculate this rate, divide the total number of those left by the total number of employees at the start, and then multiply that figure to express it as a percentage.

Monitoring for potential turnover during an employee’s initial year can flag underlying issues detrimental to both your employer’s brand and hiring finances. Thus, tracking first-year turnover holds considerable value amongst key employee metrics here. Assessing both voluntary exits—where employees choose to leave—and involuntary ones, gives comprehensive insights into job satisfaction (or lack thereof), which may be hindering successful staff retention.

Imperative for grasping overall workplace morale while safeguarding against attrition is examining overtime per full-time equivalent (FTE), revealing average overtime across your workforce. This not only sheds light on potential burnout risks impacting worker contentment—which affect your retention rate, and subsequently affect continuity—it also identifies undue strain, potentially accelerating employee departure rates. By keeping these crucial data points in check, organizations are better equipped to cultivate environments that encourage continued employment tenure alongside deepening commitment from their personnel.

3. Employee Engagement Metrics

To achieve organizational success, it’s crucial to keep employees fully engaged. That’s why metrics exist to assess employee engagement. 

This can provide insights into job and employee satisfaction, as well as the overall commitment of staff within the organization. 

We cannot overstate the significance of these metrics. They impact work quality and employee growth rate and retention, and shape the organizational culture.

The Employee Engagement Survey from the Best Christian Workplaces, which is determined through survey responses, stands out as one such metric. It offers valuable perspectives on whether employees would recommend their workplace to others. And it provides a clear picture of organization-wide engagement levels.

Another important indicator is the absenteeism rate: the average frequency at which employees do not attend work. A higher-than-average absence rate could indicate underlying challenges in key areas such as:

• Organizational governance
• Leadership effectiveness
• Workplace conditions
• Work-life balance and harmony.

These four elements are integral to shaping employee contentment and dedication. As they improve, so does productivity and efficiency.

Metrics require data in order to implement data-driven HR strategies

With access to vast amounts of data, HR strategies have transitioned from mere intuition to solid, evidence-based insights. By harnessing the power of HR analytics, organizations can not only refine their talent acquisition tactics, but they can also diminish employee turnover and bolster overall workforce engagement.

That’s why it’s crucial to delve into how applying a data-centric approach to your human resources practices could revolutionize the efficiency and effectiveness of those processes.

Collecting and Analyzing HR Data

HR data’s quality and applicability form the foundation of any effective data-driven HR strategy. Strategies fail when they lack precise and relevant data, which is why HR departments can employ various software tools to:

• Craft customized reports and extract insights from KPIs.
• Streamline data gathering from a variety of sources.
• Apply sophisticated analytics to support informed decision-making processes.
• Convert intricate datasets into practical, actionable insights.

Note those last two in particular. Because there’s more to an efficient HR strategy than just amassing large quantities of data. 

It’s also about evaluating which training initiatives actually deliver and which ones don’t. 

For instance, HR teams can monitor salary average overtime metrics to effectively manage both internal and external costs – particularly during periods when staff shortages lead to frequent and costly overtime. And an all-encompassing view of total HR-related expenditures is crucial for assessing its financial efficiency.

Sifting through employee data for relevant feedback or assessing how technology investments pay off are two more examples. And the list goes on from there.

Aligning HR Metrics with Organizational Objectives

Ensuring that HR metrics are in sync with an organization’s broader goals is essential for success. This entails navigating shifts within an organization and maintaining a strategic focus. 

Human resources departments should establish specific targets across several areas to support central organizational aims. For instance:

• Aligning the organizational structure
• Developing compensation strategies
• Enhancing employee skill development
• Refining performance review processes
• Managing transitions effectively.

In turn, they can use these data analytics for various purposes, such as:

• Projecting future labor market trends that could indicate either talent deficits or surpluses in particular sectors.
• Applying predictive analysis techniques for early detection and addressing potential skills shortages.
• Correlating recruitment efforts directly with projected talent needs.

It can be helpful to benchmark these goals against industry leaders. This can help HR teams stay informed about current trends concerning consumer demands and workforce expectations. Of course, each organization will have specific considerations that may or may not deviate from top-ranking competitors. 

Addressing Pay Equity in HR Metrics

These days, it’s imperative for organizations to address pay equity as part of their human resource metrics. 

This goes beyond meeting legal requirements. It’s a fundamental part of sound ethical HR practices. 

Pay equity means ensuring that employees who perform similar roles receive equal pay – regardless of personal attributes such as race, sex, ethnicity, age, or religious beliefs that are unrelated to job performance.

Therefore, metrics that assess how well these practices are in place are essential. Ideally, they should measure them over time to ensure they eventually lead to proper pay equity. 

To achieve it, employers should take the following steps:

• Perform audits dedicated specifically to pay equality.
• Implement impartial criteria when determining salary.
• Increase transparency surrounding remuneration.
• Amend any discovered imbalances.

Most organizations with a properly maintained and applied pay equity metric end up rewarding motivated employees. This then ultimately improves retention and lowers turnover overall.

Establishing Benchmarks and Targets

Defining benchmarks and targets for each of the HR metrics you use is critical, and it’s important to get top management involved in the process. 

You want to match benchmarks and targets with your overall organization’s strategy and individual departmental considerations. But also, evaluate your metrics by comparing with different HR departments in other organizations that are similar in size and performance. 

Each HR metric’s goals must represent a meaningful step toward achieving key long-term organizational objectives and goals. Benchmarking best practices include:

• Selectively choosing appropriate competitors
• Verifying data sources for reliability
• Establishing realistic objectives
• Upholding an ongoing commitment toward benchmark activities. 

These metrics should also include measuring how well managers are doing their jobs, how fast employees move up in the company, and how much it costs to train each employee. 

Monitoring and Adjusting HR Metrics as Necessary

Human resource management is an area of constant change and realignment. It’s important to always keep an eye on your processes so they’re properly aligned with the firm’s needs and goals.

It’s also essential to research how setting benchmarks and goal evolution can improve HR metrics. Once again, pair them with flexible strategies that allow for constant improvement. 

This should ensure a thriving, cohesive workforce that’s in tune with the organization’s goals. HR functions must constantly evolve their metrics to effectively navigate today’s tumultuous world. By refining key indicators such as cost per hire, employee engagement rates, and eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Scores), organizations can enhance hiring practices while also highlighting improved areas. 

That, in turn, should benefit the company financially and in terms of employee morale–a win-win all around. 

In Conclusion…

In the dynamic world of HR, metrics are a compass to guide strategic decision-making. 

From recruitment to retention, and employee engagement to pay equity to organizational alignment… putting this data to good use can transform HR from mere support to a strategic driver. 

It all comes down to: 

• Identifying the right metrics
• Aligning them with organizational objectives
• Monitoring and adjusting them. 

When organizations do this, the results can be immensely positive. Many organizations prosper when results are measured. This process allows organizations to monitor goal attainment, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions. They serve as a framework for evaluating employee performance and aligning performance and actions with strategic goals.

FAQs About Creating Human Resources Metrics for Your Organization

Q: What is the difference between HR analytics and HR metrics?

A: HR metrics focus on specific quantifications that monitor and assess various HR functions. Whereas HR analytics examine extensive HR data to glean strategic insights.

By leveraging HR analytics, organizations can make informed decisions regarding talent acquisition, employee engagement, workforce planning, and retention strategies – just to name a few areas of improvement.

Q: How can an organization use HR metrics to create value?

A: HR metrics are crucial for monitoring essential hiring and retention processes, including employee performance, compensation patterns, and levels of engagement. They offer valuable insights that help pinpoint successful initiatives, areas for improvement, and further ways to grow.

Q: How can recruitment teams use HR metrics?

A: Metrics such as cost per hire and time to hire can serve as indicators of the recruitment process’ effectiveness and efficiency. And once an organization has that information, they can better evaluate what is working and what isn’t in order to improve their searches.

Q: Why are retention metrics important?

A: Once someone accepts a job offer, there’s no guarantee they’ll stay the full year, much less longer. Organizations that have insights into employee satisfaction levels tend to have better reputations and retention – which of course make for better work environments in general.

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For further actionable insights, reach out to In HIS Name HR here. We help organizations build high-performance human resource programs designed to build your workplace into the productive, engaging, effective, integrity-filled space you want it to be.

Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources, Job Shepherd Employer, Kingdom Company Building