HR Analytics: Exploring Employee Data in R

In this chapter, you will get an introduction to how data science is used in a human resources context. Then you will dive into a case study where you'll analyze and visualize recruiting data to determine which source of new candidates ultimately produces the best new hires. The dataset you'll use in this and the other chapters in this course is synthetic, to maintain the privacy of actual employees.

Gallup defines engaged employees as those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace. There is disagreement about the strength of the connection between employee engagement and business outcomes, but the idea is that employees that are more engaged will be more productive and stay with the organization longer. In this chapter, you'll look into potential reasons that one department's engagement scores are lower than the rest.

When employers make a new hire, they must determine what the new employee will be paid. If the employer is not careful, the new hires can come in with a higher salary than the employees that currently work at the same job, which can cause employee turnover and dissatisfaction. In this chapter, you will check whether new hires are really getting paid more than current employees, and how to double-check your initial observations.

Performance management helps an organization keep track of which employees are providing extra value, or below-average value, and compensating them accordingly. Whether performance is a rating or the result of a questionnaire, whether employees are rated each year or more often than that, the process is somewhat subjective. An organization should check that ratings are being given with regard to performance, and not individual managers' preferences, or even biases (conscious or subconscious).

In many industries, workplace safety is a critical consideration. Maintaining a safe workplace provides employees with confidence and reduces costs for workers' compensation and legal liabilities. In this chapter, you'll look for explanations for an increase in workplace accidents.