In an audit report released last month, the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) examined the way that the Chief Human Resource Officer of the USPS, Jeffrey Williamson used industry data for better performance. The results were mixed, showing some key areas where the USPS could make better use of data, including compensation data from a specific period.
The report noted that the CHRO is pursuing a new, modernized HR system for the USPS that will enable real-time analytics actions, and has already overseen internal use of predictive HR systems to facilitate healthcare funding for retirees and work retirement trends into future planning. In addition, the audit found that the HR chief is attempting to integrate HR systems together for more efficient data processing. Currently, “more than 50 key metrics” are monitored through the CHRO dashboard.
On the other hand, the report also noted a failure on the HR department’s part to make full use of worker compensation information that was made available by the Department of Labor. The OIG said that they “estimate $13 million (about 1 percent) in disbursements at risk due to potential billing inaccuracies.”
“We recommended the CHRO instruct the HR staff to reconcile workers’ compensation data and billing for July 2013 through June 2014, to ensure accuracy,” it added. This was reportedly not done previously because of “identifiable personal information” contained in the contested data. The overall billing cost from the Department of Labor for 2014 equaled more than $1 billion.
Even when some data is being harnessed effectively, organizations might still need to address specific problem areas in other sectors for the best results. With the aid of consultants, comprehensive HR project management allows systems to be updated and integrated to reduce discrepancies.