HR + Finance: better together
In our new report of 4,700 managers, we found that organizations expect managers to make people decisions that are both fair and frugal. What’s missing is the support from HR and Finance to actually deliver on it
The impact of disconnected HR and Finance data
Manual data assembly
Managers lose hours every week stitching together spreadsheets just to get a basic view of their teams.
The guesswork trap
When data isn't unified, leaders are forced to rely on guessing to hit performance and budget deadlines.
A growing trust gap
Without shared visibility into people and budget data, it becomes nearly impossible to ensure—and prove—that decisions are fair.
The numbers don’t lie…
60%
Spend 3+ hours assembling data before making a single people decision
62%
Admit to relying on an “educated guess” to meet deadlines when they lack clear information
65%
Say they can’t ensure fair pay decisions without a unified data view
54%
Saw at least half of their people decisions challenged or appealed in the last year
74%
Say shared HR + Finance visibility would help them manage more efficiently
2%
Currently have a unified HR and Finance dashboard
Inside the report
The hidden cost of HR and Finance fragmentation
- Managers are losing to the “prep tax” before they can make a single people decision
- Leaders admit to relying on an “educated guess” just to meet budget and performance deadlines
- The direct link between fragmented people data and the growing number of formally challenged pay decisions
Inside the report
The high pressure of the guesswork trap
- Leaders admit they are forced to prioritize hitting deadlines over making data-backed people decisions
- Critical headcount and budget choices often rely on available data rather than a single source of truth
- Fragmented visibility creates an environment where even the most experienced managers struggle to defend their choices
Inside the report
The desire for unified data
- A staggering gap exists between the visibility managers need and the fragmented tools they use today
- Most leaders believe a unified dashboard is an important way to ensure fair and effective people decisions
- An overwhelming majority of managers are ready for AI tools that finally bridge the gap between people and budget data.
HR-Finance alignment helps managers stay budget-smart and people-fair
“Managers describe a unified HR and Finance context at the point of decision as a meaningful lever. In our survey, 61% of respondents say a unified HR+Finance dashboard would improve decision fairness, and 79% say it would help them manage fairly and effectively. However, only 2% report having access to such a dashboard today.”
