Dear Workforce:

I recently hired 11 new people, and unlike previous new hires, I used a different set of trainers to get the new employees up to speed. My new employees are doing great now; however, I’d like to assess the performance of my trainers from the perspective of a new hire. What resources are available (such as a survey) that I could use to measure the effectiveness of the training provided?

--Happy Hiring Manager, telecommunications, Newark, New Jersey

Dear Happy Hiring Manager:

Assessing your training programs could help you determine its value and may give your trainers helpful feedback regarding their facilitation skills. The new employees’ reaction to the trainer can affect their mindset about the company. When evaluating training programs, keep in mind the following question: What is the goal of the training, and to what extent is this goal being met? You may discover a need to assess training on multiple levels, ranging from the reactions of trainees to the impact of the training on business results. Consider using the four-level structure outlined by Donald Kirkpatrick in his book Evaluating Training Programs.
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Tags: Dear Workforce — Metrics — Training

Dear Workforce:

We are in the process of setting up some metrics for our HR group. Naturally we would like to achieve a 100 percent customer-satisfaction rating from our customers, but we also want to be realistic. Is there an industry standard that you would recommend as a starting point?

—Shooting High, senior analyst, government, Seattle

Dear Shooting High:

Setting up metrics for human resources is a big step toward becoming a high-performing organization. Research shows that companies using talent management metrics are far more likely to perform well in the marketplace.

But what things do you measure? It depends on your company’s size, its ability to capture meaningful data, and the goals established both for HR and the organization as a whole. Finding out from your internal customers where you stand, and then setting goals to strengthen the perception of HR as a service provider, is a logical place to start.

It also pays to think more broadly about measuring your company’s overall talent management. You can learn a lot by looking at your hiring process. How quickly positions are filled is only one way to look at hiring. Take it up a level and examine how well you fill open positions. To determine this, check the performance ratings of newly hired workers at 12 months. Then set a goal to improve the performance of new employees through more effective hiring processes, and measure new-hire ratings periodically to see how the company is faring. This takes the perspective off HR as a business partner, and gets the rest of the organization to “own” the process and align itself behind talent management.

Or you could look at turnover rate. It is easy enough to see changes in this number over time, but tracking “regrettable” turnover—employees who left whom you longed to retain—and setting goals to reduce that number through better management of talent will produce better organizational results.

To use metrics to become a top-performing company, keep in mind a few guidelines:
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Tags: Dear Workforce — Metrics