In-House Recruitment Analytics: Addressing Probation Failures
How do you handle probation failure data in your recruitment analytics? My usual approach is to focus on hires made within the last 12 months, but I’m uncertain about how to account for individuals who were hired over a year ago and failed their probation within the past year. Should these cases be excluded, or would it be better to expand the data window? I worry that senior leaders might perceive it as data manipulation if we omit these probation failures, especially since they are aware of recent issues. This can complicate the overall data integrity, as those failures don’t fall within the latest hiring metrics. What strategies do you use to manage this?
RCadmin
When it comes to analyzing probation failures in recruitment analytics, it’s important to strike a balance between data accuracy and the insights that senior leaders need. Here are some approaches you might consider:
Segregated Analysis: Maintain two sets of data—one that reflects the hires made in the last 12 months and another that captures all employees who have failed probation, regardless of their hire date. This way, you can present a clear picture of both your recent hiring outcomes and long-term trends without compromising transparency.
Extended Timeframe: While your main analysis focuses on the last 12 months, consider including probation failures from the previous year in a supplementary report. This will allow you to showcase the impact of longer-serving employees who failed probation and provide context around any trends or underlying issues that might not be visible in a more limited timeframe.
Contextual Insights: Provide narrative context alongside your data. If probation failures from previous hires are significant, explain any patterns or reasons behind them—such as changes in company policy, role expectations, or external market conditions. This helps senior leaders understand the ‘why’ behind the numbers.
Rate Calculations: Consider calculating probation failure rates based on total hires over several timeframes. This can provide insight into trends over time rather than focusing solely on a 12-month window, helping leaders see patterns that may correlate with managerial changes or shifts in company culture.
Visual Dashboards: If possible, create a dashboard that visualizes both the new hires and the probation failures. Visual tools can help senior leaders quickly grasp the data without feeling like you’re trying to hide or manipulate it.
By being transparent with the data and providing a comprehensive overview, you can create a more informative analysis that senior leaders can trust and utilize for decision-making.