HR professionals are required to make decisions that have serious consequences for employees' lives, including their health and wellbeing. So it's important to gather as much reliable data as possible to ensure that such decisions are well-informed.But according to a new survey from HR Ninjas, most HR departments don't have access to sufficient data in this sphere. A total of 714 HR professionals in the UK took part in the Q3 2023 survey via the HR Ninjas Facebook group, and the results are quite eye-opening.Here’s what we found:Only 68.6% said they have access to wellbeing data, such as absenteeism, employee activity rates and mental health check-ins. Even fewer (60.4%) said they have access to engagement data, which includes such things as engagement with benefits, employee satisfaction, the percentage of employees that engage in the company’s cultural initiatives and culture metrics.Worse still, the majority of survey respondents felt they lack sufficient data to push the case for employee wellbeing within their organisation. Just 19% said they have sufficient knowledge and data.Heading in the wrong directionThis situation is clearly a problem because the survey also suggests data is becoming more and more important to HR decision making. Almost three-quarters of respondents (72.4%) said becoming data-driven was one of their key priorities within the next 12 monthsAlmost a quarter (23.5%) said it likely will be in the future. Only 4.6% said: "It's not on our horizon yet". Whatsmore , 89.5% agree they would be more effective in their role with data backing them. With just 4.1% disagreeing with this statement. Emma Lee, European Benefits and Payroll Manager at StandardAero, certainly agrees with this outlook. "Within our organisation as a whole, globally, we're seeing a much bigger push for data-driven HR," she explains. "It's important that we have the information we need so we can make the right decisions. "We have to be sure we're doing the right things for our employees and for our organisation to be more successful," she adds. "Rather than just going, 'Oh yeah, I'm gonna do this because I want to', or because somebody else has told me to do it. It's vital to have the evidence and the proof that we're moving in the right direction." To see the full analysis of the survey, download the ebook here:Making the case for data-driven HRBut when it comes to employee wellbeing, it seems, the data just isn't available. And that's a real problem for the profession. Because as Lucy Adams of Disruptive HR puts it: "Putting together a business case for wellbeing for HR is no small task. Even with the fact that it's much more in the news now, and people are much more aware of it." Why? "Because unfortunately when it comes down to it, leaders are time-poor, results-focused and there's always going to be a worry that wellbeing is going to take focus away from delivering the business," says Adams. In most cases, though, it seems HR professionals aren't getting enough data to meet that challenge. So why not, and what can be done about it?Failure to collect dataSome context to the problem can be seen in the answer to the survey question that asked how often businesses collect data: More than a third of respondents (34.2%) reported that their organisation doesn’t collect/rarely collects data on employee wellbeing and does not measure it.20.3% said they collected data yearly.As well as how often data is collected, the survey also probed how it was collected:The most popular answer by far was employee/pulse surveys (72.5%), Followed by 1:1 meetings (33.7%), And focus groups (19.2%). Only 8.6% chose the option: "We partner with third parties like apps or research institutes that help us measure and track employee wellness metrics."The qualitative data produced from methods such as 1:1s and focus groups is, of course, vital. But without quantitative data to back it up, it can mean HR professionals struggle to make a case for employee wellbeing internally.When asked: "Do you know how to calculate the return on investment (ROI) on the wellbeing initiatives you introduce?", Only 7.1% said that they know how to do this.How to get better dataSo how can HR departments go about collecting better data on employee wellbeing, especially if resources and budget are tight? One strategy is to examine the products and services the organisation is already paying for, and explore whether they can help with data collection and analysis. And if the answer to that question is "they can't", then it might be time to switch to another provider.How YuLife can help your team with the data-gapOne of the unique features of YuLife is the user-friendly Employer Portal, which offers a simple way to add employees and gain insights into the wellbeing of the workforce. The dashboard doesn't just provide a convenient way to manage YuLife membership, but it also makes detailed data easily accessible to the organisation's HR professionals. And there's plenty of relevant data to gather. Because YuLife doesn't just provide end-of-life benefits, it also provides members with an app that gives them rewards in the here-and-now. Members can earn YuCoin via the YuLife app by engaging in healthy behaviours such as walking, running, cycling, mindfulness, meditation, yoga and Pilates. This can be exchanged for real-life rewards from well-known shops and brands, or donated to charities or environmental projects. Employees can also earn extra YuCoin by competing in friendly 'duels' with colleagues, and compare each other's progress on the leaderboard. Typically, this has led to huge take up in organisations that have signed up with YuLife, and boosted engagement in physical and mental health activities among employees. And that in turn provides a treasure trove of data for HR professionals to draw on when drawing up wellness policies and planning campaigns.As a tech-driven startup, YuLife recognises the incredible value of employee wellbeing data to organisations, and so it lies at the heart of its group insurance model.