People and Workforce Analytics in Switzerland

Not long ago, HR was viewed primarily as a support function – recruiting employees, maintaining employment policies and HR records, and administering compensation programmes. Today, HR is on its way to being considered a driver and informer of management decisions and a strategic partner of the business. A key difference between HR then and now is people analytics.

Growing importance of people analytics

This holds true in particular at a time of growing shortage of skilled employees, the rise of alternative workforce models, and decreasing employee tenure and engagement. Organisations face the challenge of identifying gaps between available skills and those that will be needed in the future, and predictors of turnover and low engagement. Building on these insights, they need to ensure that HR initiatives mitigate the risks and manage workforce diversity.

However, organisations are struggling to realise the potential benefits offered by people analytics. The 2018 Deloitte Human Capital Trends report revealed that 85% of Swiss respondents rated people data as important or very important, but only 3% thought that their organisation made sufficient use of it. This Deloitte Switzerland People and Workforce Analytics study (2020) looks in more detail at the current use of people data in Swiss organisations and their aspirations for the years ahead.

Leading organisations across the globe are using people analytics to translate their investments in talent into tangible business benefits. We see great potential in the Swiss market to catch up. Swiss organisations want to ensure that people analytics is used to set the focus on people and support management in bringing valuable initiatives to employees 

Veronica Melian,
Leader Swiss Human Capital Consulting team at Deloitte

The importance of people analytics is universally acknowledged, but although aspirations are high, a big gap remains between current and ‘aspired to’ practice.

Purpose of the study

This study has two purposes. First, it provides more transparency around the extent of the development of people and workforce analytics in Swiss organisations, and secondly it makes recommendations about what they should do. Results and recommendations are presented for three major challenges that organisations are facing.

Challenge 1. What kind of workforce do we need in our organisation?

Workforce planning and skills management

As digitalisation disrupts industries and changes the nature of work, organisations are experiencing a shift in how work is performed and which skills are relevant. Strategic planning also needs to accommodate demographic changes, alternative workforce models and new career paths. Organisations are challenged to re-think what kind of workforce they need, and holistic workforce planning is crucial.

In the report, we are also looking at the categories taken into account for workforce planning, including different types of alternative workforce, skill gaps analysis, and the challenge of keeping the updated documentation of employee skills.

Download the full report to find out more, and see how your organisation compares to Swiss competitors.

Challenge 2. How do we keep the right people and prevent attrition?

Measuring employee engagement and diversity

The 2019 Deloitte Human Capital Trends report identified one of the biggest challenges for organisations as improving the ‘employee experience’. Employers look to create a workplace that is inclusive and meaningful and to provide a sense of belonging and trust. As the battle for scarce talent increases, measuring and actively managing disengagement and attrition risk can be key to staying competitive.

Challenge 3. How to realise the full strategic potential of HR and maximise its impact?

How do HR functions intend to leverage people analytics, to move from an operational and tactical role to a strategic partner, and how should they measure their own effectiveness?

HR functions with well-developed workforce planning use people analytics to support business decisions throughout the organisation. They adopt a data-driven, fact-based approach and foster a data-savvy culture. They also track data and KPIs to measure the effectiveness and impact of HR services and initiatives.