Professionals working in the field of human resources (HR) should measure the return on investment (ROI) that employees generate.

This is the view expressed by Impact International's head of global sales Andy Dickson, who suggested assessing the economic benefits of their interactions with staff members and candidates can be used to attract money from financial backers.

Addressing the annual Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development conference in the UK, he advocated "evidence-based HR practice", turning information into metrics that can be used during negotiators with an organization's senior stakeholders.

"I would really, really emphasize the need - particularly now, in the euphemistically titled 'present economic circumstances' – to measure your return on investment," Mr Dickson declared.

His remarks follow a PricewaterhouseCoopers report indicating that organizations in the US are more agile than their European counterparts at maximizing human capital ROI, with strong growth in this area recorded between 2002 and 2006.

Posted by Kate Griffin