{"id":23084,"date":"2025-06-30T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=23084"},"modified":"2025-06-27T15:23:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T14:23:30","slug":"people-analytics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/people-analytics\/","title":{"rendered":"What is people analytics? A guide for HR teams"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is people analytics? A guide for HR teams\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-06-30T11:00:00+01:00\">30 June, 2025<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"What is people analytics? A guide for HR teams\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/people-analytics\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/sarahcheesman\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/07\/Sarah-Cheesman-350x350.png\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Sarah Cheesman\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/07\/Sarah-Cheesman-350x350.png 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/07\/Sarah-Cheesman-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/07\/Sarah-Cheesman-810x810.png 810w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/07\/Sarah-Cheesman.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Sarah Cheesman<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You&#8217;ve got more data on your people than ever before, but are you using it to make decisions that actually move the needle?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is where people analytics comes in handy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rather than relying on gut instinct or anecdotal evidence, people analytics gives you a way to spot patterns, predict outcomes, and make smarter choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you&#8217;re hiring, managing performance, or trying to reduce turnover, this is how you can take action with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this guide, you&#8217;ll learn what this type of analytics is, why it matters for medium-sized businesses, and how to build a practical strategy using the HR tools you already have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We&#8217;ll cover the data you need, common challenges, and real-life examples to help you get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s what we cover:<\/p>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#h-what-is-people-analytics\" data-level=\"2\">What is people analytics?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-why-people-analytics-matters-for-employers\" data-level=\"2\">Why people analytics matters for employers<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-how-people-analytics-works\" data-level=\"2\">How people analytics works<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-what-hr-data-do-you-need\" data-level=\"2\">What HR data do you need?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-how-to-apply-people-analytics-to-your-business\" data-level=\"2\">How to apply people analytics to your business<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-building-a-people-analytics-strategy\" data-level=\"2\">Building a people analytics strategy<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#h-know-your-goal\" data-level=\"3\">Know your goal<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-audit-your-data\" data-level=\"3\">Audit your data<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-choose-your-metrics\" data-level=\"3\">Choose your metrics<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-get-buy-in\" data-level=\"3\">Get buy-in<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-start-small-then-scale-up\" data-level=\"3\">Start small, then scale up<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-how-hr-software-can-help-with-people-analytics\" data-level=\"2\">How HR software can help with people analytics<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-final-thoughts\" data-level=\"2\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-people-analytics\">What is people analytics?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People analytics\u2014sometimes called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/glossary\/what-is-hr-analytics\/\">HR analytics<\/a> or workforce analytics\u2014is the process of gathering and analysing employee data to improve business decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It covers everything from recruitment and retention to performance, wellbeing, diversity and more. The goal isn&#8217;t to just collect data, but to turn it into insights that help your business run better and support your people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think of it like this: rather than guessing why engagement has dropped in a certain team, you can look at survey results, absence patterns, and performance scores to find the real reason, and fix it fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-people-analytics-matters-for-employers\">Why people analytics matters for employers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For medium-sized businesses, resources are tight and every decision counts. People analytics helps you make more strategic, evidence-based choices across the employee lifecycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s how it adds value:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Spot problems early:<\/strong> if turnover is rising in a specific team, analytics can help you pinpoint the root cause, whether that&#8217;s workload, management style or pay disparities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improve hiring decisions:<\/strong> by looking at the performance and retention rates of new hires, you can see which recruitment channels or interview practices lead to better long-term outcomes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Support diversity and inclusion:<\/strong> people data can highlight representation gaps, pay inequalities, or areas where inclusion could be improved.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Boost <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/glossary\/what-is-retention\/\"><strong>retention<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> when you understand why people leave\u2014and what keeps them\u2014it&#8217;s much easier to build a culture where people want to stay.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">David Green, managing partner of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insight222.com\/\">Insight222<\/a>, stated on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/capabilities\/people-and-organizational-performance\/our-insights\/talent-at-a-turning-point-how-people-analytics-can-help\">McKinsey Talent podcast<\/a>, &#8220;A really good people analytics function combines the broad view\u2014the broad understanding of organisational research, the broad understanding that this is a field that&#8217;s been around for a while, and we know what motivates people\u2014and then brings that to bear to highlight individual facts.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-people-analytics-works\">How people analytics works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The process might sound technical, but it&#8217;s easier to get started than you think. At its core, people analytics follows a simple cycle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Collect:<\/strong> gather data from your HR systems, surveys, performance reviews, absence logs, and more.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Clean: <\/strong>make sure the data is accurate, consistent and anonymised where needed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Combine:<\/strong> bring different datasets together, for example, linking engagement results with absence patterns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Analyse:<\/strong> use tools such as spreadsheets, dashboards or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/human-resources\/\">HR software<\/a> to spot trends and correlations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Act:<\/strong> turn those insights into actions, whether that&#8217;s a policy change, targeted support or a new hiring approach.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even small tweaks can make a big difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, perhaps you&#8217;ve noticed that employees with certain onboarding experiences are more likely to stay beyond 12 months. That&#8217;s insight you can act on right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-hr-data-do-you-need\">What HR data do you need?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The good news? You probably already have most of the data you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Key sources for people analytics include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Demographics:<\/strong> age, gender, location, tenure, department.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Recruitment:<\/strong> time-to-hire, offer acceptance rates, sourcing channel success.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Performance:<\/strong> ratings, promotions, training completion, goal tracking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Engagement:<\/strong> pulse surveys, eNPS (employee net promoter score), exit interviews.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Absence and turnover:<\/strong> sickness rates, leave patterns, voluntary exits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You don&#8217;t need to analyse everything at once. Just start with the metrics linked to your biggest business questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re worried about burnout, look at overtime hours and sick leave. If you want to improve diversity in leadership, track promotion patterns across groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Always make sure your data complies with UK GDPR. That means handling it securely, being transparent about usage, and avoiding personally identifiable analysis unless absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-apply-people-analytics-to-your-business\">How to apply people analytics to your business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Data alone doesn&#8217;t drive change, what matters is how you use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some practical people analytics use cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reducing turnover:<\/strong> if your exit interviews show that people leave because of unclear career progression, you can act on that insight by introducing internal mobility initiatives or mentoring programmes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improving performance:<\/strong> analyse training data to see which development programmes actually lead to better results, and invest in what works.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Supporting wellbeing:<\/strong> combine data from absence logs, workload trackers and engagement surveys to spot where wellbeing support is most needed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhancing talent acquisition: <\/strong>improve your hiring processes by clarifying the attributes of top performing talent and using the outcomes to guide searches for new employees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Guiding succession planning:<\/strong> use data to help you identify and develop employees to fill vital positions within the business when people leave their roles for new opportunities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People analytics helps you move from reacting to problems to anticipating them. It supports more inclusive, fair and consistent decision-making\u2014and it builds your credibility across the organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-building-a-people-analytics-strategy\">Building a people analytics strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Creating a people analytics strategy doesn&#8217;t mean hiring a data scientist or buying enterprise-level software. It starts with being intentional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s how to get going (and if you&#8217;re looking for more inspiration, tools such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cipd.org\/uk\/knowledge\/guides\/analytics-practitioner-guide\/\">CIPD&#8217;s People Analytics guide<\/a> can help with practical templates and frameworks):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-know-your-goal\">Know your goal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What are the biggest workforce challenges you want to solve?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Focus on one or two high-impact areas to start, such as reducing sickness absence or improving hiring quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-audit-your-data\">Audit your data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">List out what you&#8217;re already collecting and where it lives. Are there gaps? Are the sources reliable? Who owns them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-choose-your-metrics\">Choose your metrics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Decide on a handful of key performance indicators (KPIs) that will show whether your actions are working. Avoid vanity metrics and focus on what&#8217;s meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-get-buy-in\">Get buy-in<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Talk to stakeholders, such as line managers, finance, operations. Show them how people analytics can help them and their teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-start-small-then-scale-up\">Start small, then scale up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Run a pilot project and share the results widely. Success stories will build support for broader adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-hr-software-can-help-with-people-analytics\">How HR software can help with people analytics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re using modern HR software, chances are it already includes analytics tools, you just need to know where to look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The best platforms make it easy to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Generate reports with built-in dashboards<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Track key metrics over time, such as absence trends or recruitment performance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Customise visualisations to share with senior leaders or line managers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Integrate with payroll, finance or performance tools to bring everything into one view.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/human-resources\/\">HR software<\/a> allows you to automate the heavy lifting\u2014so no more fiddly spreadsheets or late-night reporting. You can track what matters and act faster, with confidence that your data is up to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-final-thoughts\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you&#8217;re running a growing business, your people decisions matter, and with the right approach to data, you don&#8217;t have to rely on guesswork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People analytics helps you see what&#8217;s really going on across your workforce\u2014what&#8217;s working, what&#8217;s not, and where the biggest opportunities lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s all about bringing clarity to those questions that keep you up at night:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why are people leaving?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How do we keep top talent?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are we doing enough to support our managers? You don&#8217;t need a data science team to get started. You just need to start asking the right questions, and using the right tools to find the answers.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" 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button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR processes for medium businesses\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/hr-process\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR processes for small businesses\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/hr-payroll-benefits\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR, payroll and benefits\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-31436 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership category-trends-insights tag-employee-engagement tag-employee-retention tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses tag-hr-process tag-hr-payroll-benefits tag-looking-after-your-employees tag-midsized-business tag-state-of-small-business business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-1200x810.jpeg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-684x384.jpeg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-768x518.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-1200x810.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-07-27T15:58:09+01:00\">27 July, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">12 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-the-organisational-skills-gap\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWhat is the organisational skills gap and how can businesses close it?\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tDiscover how to identify and close the organisational skills gap. Learn practical strategies for workforce planning, skills development, internal mobility, and skills-based hiring.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-31420 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-growth-customers tag-grow-business tag-recruit tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses tag-hr-process tag-hr-payroll-benefits business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/sme-workforce-pulse-how-to-recruit-for-an-expanding-business\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1169342765-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1169342765-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1169342765-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1169342765-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-07-22T10:57:27+01:00\">22 July, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">7 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tSME Workforce Pulse research &amp; how to recruit for an expanding business\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-23063 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-trends-insights tag-accountant-payroll tag-hr-payroll-benefits tag-payroll business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-are-payrolling-benefits-in-kind\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-961279906-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"managing payroll tasks for the business\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-961279906-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-961279906-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-961279906-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-26T09:54:55+01:00\">26 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">12 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tPayrolling benefits in kind: What\u2019s changing from April 2027 and April 2028\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-30434 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership category-trends-insights tag-ai tag-recruit tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses tag-hr-process tag-hr-payroll-benefits tag-looking-after-your-employees business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-ai-in-hr\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/06\/Ai-in-HR-infographic-image-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"A woman poses in front of the Sage glow line and a black background.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/06\/Ai-in-HR-infographic-image-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/06\/Ai-in-HR-infographic-image-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/06\/Ai-in-HR-infographic-image-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-23T09:02:11+01:00\">23 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">10 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is AI in HR and how can you use it responsibly?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-30414 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-free-guides-templates tag-accountant-payroll tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses tag-hr-process tag-hr-payroll-benefits tag-payroll business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business business_type-accountants industry-hr-and-people-management industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/sme-workforce-pulse-how-to-plan-pay-rises-you-can-keep-giving\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-143917299-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-143917299-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-143917299-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-143917299-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" class=\"card-post__meta-icon svg-icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M11.988 2.989a.75.75 0 0 0-.739.761v10.689l-1.72-1.72a.75.75 0 0 0-.957-.099.75.75 0 0 0-.315.776c.031.146.104.28.211.384l3 3a.75.75 0 0 0 1.06 0l3-3a.76.76 0 0 0 .231-.533.74.74 0 0 0-.22-.538q-.108-.106-.247-.164c-.139-.058-.191-.057-.291-.056s-.198.022-.29.061-.174.097-.243.169l-1.72 1.72V3.75a.76.76 0 0 0-.22-.541.76.76 0 0 0-.542-.22zM5.75 8.5C4.24 8.5 3 9.74 3 11.25v7C3 19.76 4.24 21 5.75 21h12.5c1.51 0 2.75-1.24 2.75-2.75v-7c0-1.51-1.24-2.75-2.75-2.75h-3a.76.76 0 0 0-.537.216.74.74 0 0 0-.223.535.76.76 0 0 0 .223.535.74.74 0 0 0 .537.216h3c.699 0 1.25.551 1.25 1.25v7a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25 1.25H5.75a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25-1.25v-7c0-.699.551-1.25 1.25-1.25h3a.76.76 0 0 0 .537-.216.74.74 0 0 0 .223-.535.76.76 0 0 0-.223-.535.75.75 0 0 0-.537-.216z\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-23T09:00:00+01:00\">23 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tSME Workforce Pulse &amp; how to plan pay rises you can keep giving\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is people analytics and how can it help HR teams make better decisions? Learn how to get started and turn your people data into action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1813,"featured_media":16428,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[240,41,234],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[69,71,73,74],"imagine_tag":[92,217,96,109,218],"coauthors":[361],"class_list":["post-23084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses","tag-hr-process","tag-hr-payroll-benefits","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Sarah Cheesman","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1450969748.jpg","imagine_tags":{"92":"HR and Payroll","217":"HR processes","96":"Medium businesses","109":"Small business","218":"Top HR resources"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1813"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23084\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/16428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23084"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=23084"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=23084"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=23084"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=23084"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=23084"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=23084"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=23084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}