1. Data-Driven Engagement: Using Metrics to Enhance the Employee Lifecycle
Presented by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of the Director (OD), Office of Human Resources (OHR),

2. About NIH
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , is the nation’s medical research agency—making important discoveries that improve health and save lives.
NIH Mission: to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.
Organizational Structure: 27 different components called Institutes and Centers. Each has its own specific research agenda. The Office of the Director is the central office at NIH for its 27 Institutes and Centers, and includes a centralized Office of Human Resources (OHR).
Size: ~20,000 full-time, federal employees
Introduction to NIH – who we are and the organizational structure

3. About the Office of Human Resources, NIH

4. Presentation Overview
Why Employee Surveys?
NIH Surveys Approach
NIH Climate Surveys
The NIH Exit Survey
Taking Action Based on NIH Survey Results
SMARTHR
Global Recruitment & Metrics

5. Why Use Surveys? Assess the effectiveness of NIH programs
Develop new training, programs, and practices within the NIH
Provide insight into employee opinions
Create a happier and more productive workforce
Fill the ‘gaps’ of quantitative data
Understand organizational climate (Engagement/Employee surveys)
“Health” of an organization
Employee's shared perceptions of their work environment
Save money through retention and productivity (Exit survey)
Employee turnover costs anywhere from 50 to 200 percent of the average employee’s annual salary

6. NIH, OHR Climate and Employee Surveys
The climate of an organization impacts behavior, processes, workforce's performance and productivity, and employee engagement and retention
Organizational climate surveys can be used to
Identify organizational strengths and weaknesses.
Quantify attitudes and beliefs.
Create a holistic picture of the organization.
Highlight issues that may be inhibiting individual and organizational success.
An organizational climate survey is like a weather report that quantifies attitudes and beliefs. The results can help to create a holistic picture of the organization and allow the company to leverage its strengths. The feedback also highlights issues that may be inhibiting individual and organizational success.
Organizational climate surveys can be used to
Give employees the opportunity to describe their desired culture.
Establish a benchmark for evaluating changes in overall performance over time.
Demonstrate that management cares about their employees by taking action based upon the feedback.
Identify the causes of employee turnover and describe the impact of current programs and policies.
Diagnose the current operating culture of an organization.
Identify issues and subcultures.
Validate the call for change.
Support managers and HR leaders in designing correct interventions to drive change.
Integrate different teams.
Facilitate mergers and acquisitions, or strategic partnerships.
Develop action planning for employee development and organizational change.

7. Climate Data at NIH
NIH’s SAID Survey Team obtains climate data through the following recurring surveys:
Employee Viewpoint Survey (OPM), Gov wide & yearly
NIH OHR Climate Survey (NIH, OHR), bi-annual
NIH Exit Survey, quarterly
Currently developing a ‘Retention’/ ‘Pulse’ Survey (NIH, OHR), yearly

8. Ways to Look at Climate Data
Compare organizations
Similar organizations
Sub-organization to whole
Benchmarks in the industry
Cross-cut the data by demographics
E.g., levels, locations, job type, tenure, etc.
Historic analyses
Compare to previous year(s)
Develop trend models
Based on trends, forecast for the future
Workforce planning and action planning
<Merging with other data types to gain more context>

9. Results of Climate Survey data at NIH
Based on climate survey data, NIH has implemented:
Flexible work programs
Flexible schedule and telework initiatives
New recognition and reward programs
Senior leadership site visits and increased visibility
Best practice sharing across sub-components
Better mentoring strategies
Sharing of best practices – reaching out to divisions who were successful in certain areas and distributing these best practices across the organization; development of mentoring strategies
Highest Increases from 2009 to 2011
I know OHR's senior leadership appreciates the work that I do to support OHR. (increased by 13% to 81%)
I believe OHR's senior leadership has the skills necessary to guide OHR. (increased by 12% to 86%)
OHR's senior leadership generates high levels of commitment and motivation to OHR overall. (increased by 12% to 77%)
Work is distributed evenly and fairly in my home organization/branch. (increased by 10% to 75%)
Considering everything, I am satisfied with my job. (increased by 10% to 88%)
When compared to 2009 data, 78% of the questions in the 2011 NIH, OHR Climate Survey experienced an increase in the percentage of positive responses.

10. NIH Exit Survey Objectives
Understand the organizational conditions that cause employees to leave
Determine where improvements can be made to retain employees
Add a ‘human’ aspect to turnover data
Understanding the ‘why’ behind the numbers
To end the employee relationship on a positive note
Make considerations for succession planning
What positions/ organizational components are the most difficult to retain and why

11. NIH Exit Survey Design
Initial questions were determined using a pilot group.
Questions were developed by I/O Psychologists
Revised yearly using a structured modification process.
23 standard questions (asked of all respondents); Additional questions based on reasons for separation
3 open-ended questions; Additional open text fields
Responses collected using online survey tool
Results are provided to components/NIH using a custom automated tool, developed by HR SAID, called SMARTHR
Quarterly and Annual reports
Organization specific and NIH-wide reports
Pilot group was convened to determine initial survey questions, format, and distribution methods
The survey goes through a yearly modification/review process where customer feedback is gathered via survey and focus group, in addition to a thorough review by the SAID Survey Team and SAID leadership.

12. NIH Exit Survey: Types of Survey Questions
Demographic Questions
IC, Series, Grade, Pay Plan, Tenure
Gender, Race, Disability
Reasons for separation
Follow-up questions are based on the reason(s) selected for separation
Respondents are asked to select top 3 reasons for separating
Overall impression of NIH
Training needs fulfilled
Work skills fully utilized
Recommend NIH as a good place of employment
Information about employee’s new job
Type of Job
Better pay?
Better benefits?
Demographics look at the organization, the level of the employee (sr/jr), how long they have been at NIH, and the type of position/job they are working in
(May need to explain series/grade/pay plan/tenure)

13. NIH Analysis of Exit Survey Data
Compare organizations
Similar organizations
Sub-organization to whole
Cross-cut the data by demographics
E.g., levels, locations, job type, tenure, etc.
Use in conjunction with Climate and Engagement Survey Data
Link exit survey data to employee survey results to determine how employee engagement is impacting turnover
Use in conjunction with other HR data
Tie opinion data with other data to obtain greater context
NIH Exit Survey customers are all able to view the NIH-wide findings in addition to their individual IC/organization

14. NIH Analysis of Exit Survey Data (cont.)
Historic analyses
Compare to previous year(s)
Look for trends in open-ended questions
Open-text can provide additional context and more in-depth Information
Develop trend models
Based on trends, forecast for the future
Workforce planning and action planning
Previous survey data can be displayed using drop-down features in SMARTHR

15. NIH Use of Exit Survey Data
Development of retention strategies
Why are people leaving?
What would have helped retain them?
Workforce Planning
Where are current gaps?
What are high turnover vs. stable areas?
Insight into underlying issues
Are there trends for why people are leaving?
Opens communication channels
Departing employees can voice their opinions and input in a confidential manner.

16. NIH Outcomes Using Exit Survey Data
Integration of Exit Survey results with workforce data
Exploring reasons for separation trends
Expansion in workplace flexibilities
Flexible work schedules and telework initiatives
New employee recognition and reward programs
Increased leadership face time
The OD All Hands Meeting
Best practice sharing across NIH ICs and sub-components
Better mentoring strategies
New onboarding process
SMARTHR development
In order to make better use of the survey data and facilitate action planning for our customers, the SAID Survey Team is working on building an Action Planning module into our survey reporting tool
This module will look at data at the IC-level and provide recommendations based on survey findings for the quarter/fiscal year. Recommendations will be based on best practices in the industry, along with identified best practices across NIH.
NIH was identified as the #1 ideal employer in “Universum’s America’s Ideal employers 2012” in the field of natural sciences, and for the third year in a row, was the only federal employer to make AARPs “Best employers For Workers Over 50”. We think the Exit Survey is an important tool in achieving these distinctions.

17. SMARTHR Overview
Self Monitoring Analytics Reporting Tool for Human Resources (SMARTHR)
Purpose:
Increase efficiency in the use of resources
Automate and streamline specialized reporting
Bridge reporting gaps by connecting disparate data sources (HR and non-HR)
Transform data into HR information
Provide direct access and monitoring of HR information by NIH users
Features:
Mobile Friendly (smart-phones and tablets)
Web-based with Single Sign-On authentication
Drill down and exporting capabilities
Security based on role, module, and business area

18. SMARTHR Data Universe NIH Data Sources HHS/OPM Data Sources
Other Data Sources

19. Blackberry Bold or newer models
SMARTHR Mobility
Blackberry Bold or newer models
iPad 1 and 2
iPhone
4 and 4s models 19

20. SMARTHR Platform
User Interface powered by Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0
Mobile Interface powered by HTML5 and JavaScript
Reporting Capability powered by Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
Database Engine
Reporting Services (SSRS)
Analysis Services (SSAS)
Integration Services (SSIS)
Security powered by Site-Minder (NIH Single Sign-On)
Integration powered by Web-Services
Emerging technologies meeting NIH enterprise architecture standards
may be included in the future

21. SMARTHR Demo

40. SMARTHR Future Additional survey reports (Helpdesk and Training)
Additional dashboards (Compensation and other pay elements)
Organization Health Reports
Action Planning
Predictive and scenario modeling

41. Global Recruitment & Metrics

42. Using metrics to drive business improvements
Agenda
Leveraging metrics data to improve your organization’s recruitment and hiring strategies
Using metrics to drive business improvements
Applying metrics data to assess individual and organizational performance

43. 2012 Recruitment Requirements
Targeted Recruitment
Goal: Fill recruitment requirements identified by customers
Requirements collected in annual survey
Focus on critical shortfall occupations
Identify key professional societies and marketing strategies
Deploy outreach strategies:
Conference presentations
Public lectures
Research journal articles
2012 Recruitment Requirements
601 Health Science/HSAs 245
401 Biologists
602 Medical Officers 176
610 Nurse
2210 IT Specialists 120
301 Admin & Program Spec 116
343 Program/Mgmt Analyst 93

44. Metrics Drive Recruitment Strategies and Tools
Annual recruitment requirements drive the recruitment process for the entire year
Influences outreach efforts
Allows OHR to decide to use a global or individual customer recruitment strategy
Determines the development of the HR Classification and Recruitment Documents System (CARDS) tools
Provides insight into needed customer specific recruitment strategies

45. Metrics Drive Recruitment Efficiencies
Vacancy Announcement and Certificate Report
Monitoring all of HR’s announcements allows lists of announcements with certificate information to be created
Sharing certificates allows positions to be rapidly filled, saves money and resources

46. Metrics Drive Business Improvements
Key Performance Indicator Report is a snap shot of our performance in achieving the OPM’s 80 day hiring goal
Analyzing each step of our hiring process helps us quickly focus on areas in need of improvement

47. Metrics Drive Individual Performance Assessment
Our Workload Analysis allows management to track completion of important HR tasks. Tracking this data:
Allows a clear and transparent way to measure the value of an employee’s contributions and reduces employee “burnout”
Creates a sense of fairness in the performance evaluation process

48. Metrics Drive Individual Performance Assessment II
The Age of Actions Report allows leadership to track the percentage of actions meeting OPM’s 80 day hiring goal, and also to also drill down to individual actions
Allows leadership to identify individuals not meeting 80 day goal, and also those individuals making data entry errors that might need further training

49. Metrics Drive Organizational Performance Assessment
Metrics allow workload tracking and assessment across different branches to ensure even distribution of resources.

50. Contact Information
Kevin P. Murphy
Director, Systems Analytics Info Division (SAID), OHR
Lillian Thomas
SAID Survey Team Lead, OHR
Luis Unda
SAID Analytics Technical Lead
Cheryl Wild
Chief, CSD Global Recruitment and Metrics

51. Questions?

52. References
Attridge, M. (2009). Employee Work Engagement: Best Practices For Employers. Research Works: Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, 1, 1-11.
Harter, J.K., & Blacksmith, N. (2010). Employee engagement and the psychology of joining, staying in, and leaving organizations. Oxford handbook of positive psychology and work.Oxford library of psychology., (pp ). New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press, xxiv.
Jones, J.R., Ni, J., &Wilson, D.C. (2009). Comparative effects of race/ethnicity and employee engagement on withdrawal behavior. Journal of Managerial Issues, 21(2),

53. References (Cont.)
Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work. Academy of Management Journal, 33,
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job Burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52,
Obadara, O.E. (2008, December). The Influence of Organizational Climate and Culture on Workers’ Job Satisfaction and Commitment, Journal of Research in National Development, 6(2).
Roberts, D. R., & Davenport, T. O. (2002). Job Engagement: Why It’s Important and How To Improve It. Wiley Periodicals, Inc,