Let’s be honest: most HR reports are packed with fluff.
Time-to-hire, training hours, how many people clicked the latest wellbeing email.
Cool. But do they tell you anything useful? Not really.
If you’re in HR, and you’re tired of collecting numbers just to fill up a dashboard, you’re not alone.
Some metrics help you look busy. The good ones help you make decisions. That’s the difference.
Here’s what you should be watching – if you actually want to know what’s working, what’s broken, and where you’re bleeding talent.
1. Quality of Hire
Not how fast you filled a role. That’s easy to track and kinda meaningless on its own.
Ask this instead: Was the hire any good?
If you don’t check in after 3 months, 6 months, and a year, you have no idea whether your recruitment team is bringing in solid people – or just ticking boxes.
2. Regrettable Attrition
This one hurts the most.
When high-performers walk out, it’s not always about money. Sometimes they just didn’t see a path forward – or felt invisible.
Don’t just count who left. Dig into who you actually wish had stayed. That’s where the pain is. And that’s where the fix needs to start.
3. Manager Red Flags
A manager can make or break someone’s experience.
If one team keeps losing good people, you don’t need another engagement survey. You need to sit the manager down and ask, “What’s going on?”
Track:
Team turnover
Internal transfers out
Engagement dips (especially open comments)
Promotion blocks
A good HR team spots the pattern before it becomes a problem.
4. Time to Ramp Up
People get hired. Then what?
If they’re still ‘getting settled’ 4 months in, that’s not onboarding – it’s lost time.
You want to know how long it takes for new hires to actually contribute. Not when they get their ID card. Not when they finish training. When they actually start doing the job well.
5. Internal Hires
Why hire externally every time when you already have people who know the ropes?
If your internal mobility rate is low, it means either:
People don’t know about open roles.
Managers are blocking moves.
Your culture doesn’t reward growth.
Fix it. Or get used to losing good people to companies that do.
6. Exit Interview Gold
Forget the sanitized notes. Read the real stuff people say when they’re halfway out the door.
Trends show up fast:
“No one listened.”
“I was doing the work of three people.”
“There was no future for me here.”
If you see those comments repeatedly, don’t wait for HRBP meetings. Act.
7. Burnout Signals
Sick leaves going up? More weekend emails? Team chat blowing up after hours?
That’s not hustle—it’s burnout. And it’s your job to call it out before it wrecks people.
You don’t need a formal survey to sense the shift. Just pay attention.
8. ELTV (Employee Lifetime Value)
Not a sexy term, but it’s a real thing.
How much value does someone create over the time they’re with you? Not just in revenue—but in culture, mentorship, stability.
Hiring someone great who stays 5+ years is worth way more than a revolving door of average performers.
This one’s hard to measure—but you’ll feel it when it’s missing.
9. D&I That’s Not Just Optics
Don’t brag about your diversity numbers if every single leadership role looks the same.
Track:
Who’s getting promoted?
Who’s sitting in decision-making meetings?
Who’s invited to speak up – and who stays silent?
Representation isn’t just a checkbox. It’s whether people feel like they belong. That stuff doesn’t show up in a pie chart.
10. Trust
Can’t measure it directly, but you’ll know when it’s gone.
When people stop giving feedback, stop asking for help, stop caring – that’s not disengagement. That’s mistrust.
HR needs to listen before it turns into a problem. If the same concerns are popping up in whispers across departments, don’t wait for it to show up in metrics. It’s already there.
Bottom line?
If your HR reports look good but don’t lead to change, they’re useless.
Metrics aren’t just numbers – they’re early warnings, gut checks, and proof of whether people are thriving or quietly checking out. The best ones don’t sit in a PowerPoint. They make you do something.
Cut the fluff. Focus on the stuff that actually tells you the truth.
