Human Resources Outsourced research
An HR Metrics Data Dictionary for Small Teams
A starter data dictionary that keeps HR reporting definitions stable across people and systems.
Published 2026-08-08 · 10 sources
Research question
Why do HR dashboards disagree? Usually because terms such as headcount, time to hire, turnover, and completion have different definitions in different workflows.
Methodology
We built a minimum dictionary from official recordkeeping and privacy guidance, emphasizing definitions that can be reproduced from an approved source.
Key statistic
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes technical notes describing how labor measures are defined and collected. The operational takeaway is to document numerator, denominator, population, date window, and exclusions.
Minimum dictionary
For every metric record its name, business question, formula, source system, refresh cadence, owner, allowed breakdowns, and caveats. Version the definition when policy changes.
Implementation takeaway
Do not expose individual employee details in a general dashboard. Report aggregates, suppress small cells where appropriate, and keep a link to the definition beside every number.
Sources
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