Key Findings: EBHR A New Paradigm

Evidence-based HR (EBHR) is a process which delivers more informed and hence more accurate answers to two fundamental questions: first, which are the most important problems (or opportunities) facing the organisation which are relevant to HR? Second, which solutions (or interventions) are most likely to help? The overarching benefit of EBHR is increasing the ability of HR to be more effective in helping the business achieve its objectives. Therefore, the start point for EBHR is to identify and understand the business issues facing the organisation.

This is the third CRF report on EBHR produced since 2011 and since then the pace and scope of EBHR activity has increased considerably. While there is now widespread acceptance within the profession that when it comes to using evidence we certainly can and should do better, we find that take-up of EBHR within the profession could be accelerated. The purpose of this report is to do exactly this through providing a new and unique set of practical tools – the EBHR Toolkit – supported by advice from HR professionals that HR practitioners can use to embed EBHR in their work.

As well as helping HR increase its effectiveness in addressing important business issues, the benefits of EBHR include helping HR mitigate risks, prioritise its activities, increase the credibility of the function and reduce waste.

One of the biggest developments in HR over the last decade has been the rise of people analytics. It is important to recognise that while people analytics can be an essential source of evidence, it is not the same as EBHR. In order to realise the potential of people analytics, it’s important to start in the right place – by focusing on the business strategy to identify where analytics is likely to add value to the most important business outcomes.

Our survey identified potential facilitators which could help HR practitioners increase the effectiveness of evidence-based practice. The most highly rated enablers were the organisation and senior leaders placing greater value on taking an evidence-based approach (including explicitly asking the function to role model evidence-based behaviours), providing easy-to-use toolkits, checklists and templates to follow, ensuring evidence from all four sources is accessible and easy to interpret, and providing training and support.

Interviews with experienced EBHR practitioners highlighted some practical recommendations on how to improve the practice of EBHR. These include prioritising the biggest opportunities for maximising business impact, focusing on asking and answering good and relevant business questions, starting with where the organisation currently is rather than looking for perfection, incorporating structured EBHR practices into core HR processes and projects, engaging key stakeholders – especially business and HR leaders– in the practice of EBHR, upskilling the whole HR function, role modelling EBHR behaviours, and being prepared for the evidence to challenge your own and others’ thinking and practice.

Three case studies (encompassing both private and public sector organisations) demonstrate how EBHR can be used in practice to better understand the business issue, identify solutions that are more likely to work, and help design internal HR and people analytics consulting processes.

The EBHR Toolkit provides a range of practical models, checklists and tips which can readily be used to embed EBHR practice within the function. The process outlines six key steps that HR practitioners can adopt to take an evidence-driven approach to understanding the business issue, and six steps to identify and apply solutions to those questions. It highlights four key sources of evidence: scientific and other external evidence, evidence from inside the organisation, stakeholders’ views, and professional expertise. The toolkit also identifies when HR practitioners should use EBHR, and when the effort is not worth the potential outcomes.

The goal we are seeking in encouraging EBHR is to make better informed rather than perfect decisions. By adopting the EBHR processes and tools set out in this report we will be better positioned to identify the most relevant business issues, develop the most effective solutions and have a positive impact on business outcomes.