Evidence based practice is a technique you will have come across before. Be assured you know about it already. Evidence based practice touches just about every aspect of your life and that of your family, friends and enemies – from the cradle to the grave. School teachers and university lecturers base their work on it, the local general practitioner uses it when prescribing the latest wonder drug, social workers are also advocates of evidence based practice, engineers rely on it and the traffic management system in your village, town or city will doubtless be making use of it too. Whichever way we look at it our life depends upon it. An increasing number of organisations in the public and private sectors are starting to see the benefits of an evidence based approach and discovering that it adds significant value to their effectiveness, if not the bottom line, and helps them to achieve their key performance indicators.
Evidence Based HR Practice (EBHRP) – Creating a Definition
There is no widely accepted definition of evidence based human resource practice but most definitions found in the literature pertaining to evidence based practice in a wider context contain common themes. Three definitions reflecting these common themes are offered here for discussion.
Definition 1:
Evidence based human resource practice is the process of critically identifying and employing HR interventions and approaches that have the strongest basis of empirical support for attaining desired outcomes.
Definition 2:
Evidence based HR practice is a way of working in which the human resource practitioner critically uses best evidence, expertise, and values to make decisions that matter to the organisation and its employees.
Definition 3:
Evidence based HR management is using the existing evidence available within the field of human resource management in order to inform human resource policy, decision making, interventions and ultimately strategy. Evidence based HR practice ensures that practitioners have some idea about what works based on historical and current evidence.
Evidence is usually comprised of data or facts (a fact is a claim supported by empirical evidence). EBHRP can also be an important tool in establishing and maintaining the credibility of the human resource function at the strategic level within the organisation.
What are the main benefits of evidence based HR practice?
Evidence based practice has its roots within the scientific community and has been embraced, in particular, by the medical profession. In order to become an evidence based practitioner, human resource professionals should become familiar with the theory and practice of such an approach and that may require a new way of thinking, behaving as well as new methods of responding and working.
The main benefits of evidence based human resource practice are:
- more informed and effective decision making;
- an enhanced ability to align human resource practice with the strategic goals of the organisation;
- HR policy and practice can be based upon what works, rather than what is thought to work;
- improved credibility for the discipline of human resource practice and for practitioners;
- a more analytical approach based on existing information, data, analytics and statistics already likely to be held within the organisation or sector;
- more consistent decision making and interventions; and
- effective management of risk.
The intuitive response (IR) vs. evidence based HR practice (EBHRP)
There are many theories of management and strategy and there is no reason why EBHRP cannot be integrated alongside them. The main thrust of the evidence based approach is to avoid intuitive, non evidenced based responses because over the long run they are likely to result in poorer outcomes. Evidence based HR practice will sit alongside most of the accepted modern management and strategic theories without conflict.
An intuitive response is best defined as a reactive and instinctive approach to the day to day management of the HR function within an organisation. This can have its benefits but often results in inconsistent and highly unpredictable outcomes. One of the main reasons for this is that it becomes problematic to replicate intuitive approaches as they are often characterised by being highly individualistic.
Because such intuitive responses to HR management can work and have worked in the past this may become the default model for all HR interventions. There, is a place for reactive and impulsive decision making and interventions but this method should be consciously employed as a part of an evidenced based response e.g. we know from our evidence base that intuitive and highly individual decisions and interventions work better than than others in this situation.
Failing to plan for and rationalise intuitive responses means that an organisation will be unable to trap knowledge, use data and human resource analytics or train others in how to make use of such intuitive practice.
An evidence based HR practitioner offers a different approach to the challenges, problems and rewards of management.
So, what are the core skills an evidence based HR practitioner needs in order to be effective?
An evidence based HR practitioner should:
- be a problem solver;
- use an analytical diagnostic approach to problem solving and decision making;
- be a good critical and lateral thinker;
- be 'evidence hungry' i.e. seek to establish tangible evidence for solutions to particular problems;
- look to harvest and trap evidence at every available opportunity;
- be a solution generator i.e. seeking always to generate solutions based on a best practice approach;
- be able to manage expectations and offer possible outcome statements to stakeholders based on a sound evidential base; and
- be competent or commit to becoming competent in using and analysing data to inform professional practice.
Three common hurdles to implementing an evidence based approach
Problem one – ‘It is too time consuming’
As with any new approach there is always an up front time cost which may result in opportunity losses in the initial phases and it may take patience to and tenacity to obtain commitment from senior managers and colleagues at the outset. As with any change there is likely to be anxiety and fear when asking staff to fundamentally alter their approach. Time costs and opportunity losses at the initial stages of the initiative are invariably outweighed by the rewards of evidence based human resource practice over the medium to long term.
Solutions:
- Set a phased implementation in order to allow the human resource function to continue with day-to-day tasks.
- Set up a specific project, using an evidence based approach and record any improvements it produces so that there is at least one tangible example of the benefits of such an approach which can be taken to stakeholders
- Train all HR practitioners and then brief all senior managers. It does not usually prove too difficult to influence people towards adopting an evidence based approach as staff may already be using such an approach informally by drawing upon their own personal evidence base to guide them. There is also a logic and coherence to evidence based practice which appeals to people. In short, it is not a difficult sell.
- Make data and HR analytics available to everyone across the human resource function.
Problem two – ‘Where does the evidence come from?’
The HR function has been relatively slow to implement evidence based practice and, as a result, it often thought that adopting such an approach is inherently difficult due to the lack of available data and information from which evidence can be harvested.
Solution:
- If evidence is proving hard to come by then apply a little introspection to the process of harvesting evidence. There is probably a large amount of data and information sitting there waiting to be tapped within each organisation. For example most organisations keep sickness absence records and recruitment records. Such information could be used to establish benchmarks and for analytical purposes in order to inform future strategy, practice and decision making.
Problem three – ‘It will slow down our response times’
It may initially slow down response times and it is true that organisational stakeholders look to the HR department in times of crisis. Stakeholders then naturally judge the department on the swiftness of response.
Solution:
- A campaign to communicate your solid commitment to EBHRP will help to explain to others what you are doing and why you are doing it. It will also enable you to point out the long term benefits in terms of service quality and outcomes to organisational stakeholders. This may at least alleviate any initial anxiety about the slowing down of response times at the front end of the project.
- Once data and information starts to be collected and collated then response times will speed up again and such responses will be based on best practice. An experimental approach, using one aspect of day to day practice could be implemented. This will enable the human resource function to carry on day to day tasks whilst maintaining acceptable response times. (see example below)
Here is an example of and experimental approach i.e. taking one aspect of the HR function and running an action research project. The HR function may decide to train all managers in disciplinary and grievance investigations with the overall aim of reducing the length of time an investigation takes. In order to establish the evidence relating to the efficacy of training and its impact on investigation completion times, a control group of managers could be given very basic advice, perhaps consisting of a factsheet, instead of training. The remainder of the managers would be given a structured training programme. After completion of the training the two groups’ investigation times might be compared, using an assessment tool. This would then enable the human resource function to advise senior management on the viability of investing further money in investigative training. If there was no significant difference between the two groups’ investigation times then it may be reasonable to recommend that training in investigative skills has made little impact on the length and cost of investigations and therefore training further managers will not be a productive use of management time or of the training budget. There is no point taking a drug if it doesn’t work or if it may make things worse.
Examples of evidence based HRM in practice
How does evidence based HR management work in practice?
The brief examples below serve to illustrate what it might look like in the real world of human resource management:
Scenario 1 – Absence Management
A sales director approaches the human resource department for advice about reducing sickness absence rates.
HR suggest reviewing any previous initiatives which may have been employed in the sales department to reduce or manage absence rates to see what impact they may have had. It is established that the sales department is making only spasmodic use of return to work interviews but nobody knows whether it has actually had the desired effects on reducing absence rates. It is suggested that rates before the implementation of the return to work interview and those after its implementation are reviewed and compared. Some managers are not completing the interviews due to the pressure of sales targets. The HR function decides to take over return to work interviews for a two month period and a watching brief is kept on absence levels to establish whether such an intervention makes a real difference. A small reduction in absence rates is noted and so training is provided for all the sales managers to help them conduct interviews in a time efficient manner( making use of technology where appropriate), without it impacting on their core sales activity. Absence rates continue to show a reduction.
n.b. The HR Department might also look for patterns of absence from computerised records and instruct line managers to be aware of particular trigger points for employee absence.
Scenario 2 – Staff Retention
Staff retention rates at a local authority have been benchmarked against three other authorities with similar profiles and have been found to be low i.e. there is a high turnover of staff. Records of exit interviews for the last twenty four months have been analysed. The evidence demonstrates a problem with the internal grievance process which drags on for months, causing those under investigation great stress. It is also noted that bullying and harassment grievances are high and they are very slow to be resolved. Evidence also suggests that when managers are exonerated of an accusation of bullying or harassment there is no communication to reassure them that their career prospects will not be affected, nor is there any conciliatory statement apologising for the stress and inconvenience caused. Evidence form the benchmarking exercise shows that when organisations start and complete grievance investigations without undue delay, usually within 30 days, then employee relations and staff retention rates are much better.
As a result of the benchmarking the HR department decide to set a target of 30 days for the completion of grievance investigations and to set up protocols, in consultation with the unions, for writing to managers who have been exonerated of bullying or harassment, ensuring them the matter is now closed, no records have been retained on the personnel file and that the incident will not affect their career prospects with the organisation. The situation is monitored over a twelve month period and as a result of these simple interventions evidence of an improvement in staff retention rates and employee moral is obtained.
Scenario 3 - Recruitment
An international bank has recently initiated a policy of only recruiting trainee managers with an MBA. It now has a cohort of trained managers with an MBA as well as the results of their performance over a twelve month period.
The recruitment process is time consuming and costly and the organisation are unable to tell if there new policy is having any affect on the bottom line. HR decide it would be appropriate at this point to compare the MBA cohort performance data with performance data from a previous cohort who were not required to possess such a qualification. Only then can the organisation justify the extra expense and cost of recruiting from such a reduced pool of candidates. It is discovered that there is no profit motive for requesting candidates have an MBA and therefore the candidate requirements are returned to the previous version in which applicants need only possess a good undergraduate degree in a specified subject area, relevant to banking and finance.
Summary
Evidence based HR management is a complex issue but the benefits of a more strategic approach to the practice of this function will not only improve organisational efficiency but will also raise the profile and credibility of the HR profession . It should also increasing the chances of HR being represented at the highest levels within the organisation. It is a form of practice which can be implemented gradually and incrementally. Although there may be an initial investment in terms of time in order to set up evidence based systems, stakeholders will benefit in the medium to long term from a more informed level of service and advice. The HR professional will also have to be more willing to share insights and best practice, in much the same way the scientific community does, in order to establish an effective and credible evidential base.