Founders are bombarded with data. But when it comes to people metrics, most dashboards are full of vanity numbers that look good on paper but reveal little about organizational health.
1. Quality of Hire
Measure performance ratings, retention at 12 months, and manager satisfaction scores for new hires. This tells you if your recruiting engine works.
2. Time to Competency
How long does it take a new hire to reach full productivity? Track this by role and compare against benchmarks. Long times signal onboarding issues.
3. Internal Mobility Rate
The percentage of roles filled internally. High rates correlate with engagement and retention. Low rates suggest growth ceiling problems.
4. Voluntary Attrition by Segment
Slice turnover by department, tenure, and performance tier. Losing top performers in critical functions is the canary in the coal mine.
5. Manager Effectiveness Score
Combine engagement survey results, team retention, and promotion rates to build a composite score for each manager. Coach the bottom quartile.