Human Resources Analytics in SMEs in Harare CBD: Opportunities and Challenges

SMEs have been the lifeline for the Zimbabwean economy for a long time. However, issues to do with survival and competitiveness have been problematic in Zimbabwean SMEs. Their demise will be fatal for the Zimbabwean economy and populace. However, human resources analytics could prove fundamental in making smart strategic and human resources decisions that can enhance profitability and survival of SMEs. The main purpose of this study is to understand the viability of human resources analytics in SMEs in Zimbabwe. The main objective of the study is to understand the impact of human resources analytics on SMEs competitiveness. The study will be used to determine challenges and opportunities associated with use of human resources analytics in SMEs. The study uses qualitative methodologies to tap into the subjective data from research participants. At the 13th interview data was saturated, and face to face interviews were stopped. However, repeat interviews were conducted after two weeks to check for consistency so as to determine the trustworthiness of the study. The study found that human resources analytics can be instrumental in recruitment, selection, performance management, reward management and health and safety decisions that can improve competitiveness of the organisation. However, the study found that lack of formal human resources department, lack of skills, limited data and lack of financial resources as challenges associated with human resources analytics. The study recommends improvisation and human resources personnel capacity development in order to take advantage of human resources analytics.