“Beyond Numbers: Strategic Insights from Splendor Investment Dashboards”

Turning workforce data into smarter business decisions

Creator: Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Introduction

This project’s main aim was to analyse employee data at Splendor Investments. In this project, you will work with a comprehensive dataset containing detailed information about employees within the company.

The task is to leverage SQL to explore and analyse the dataset, extracting valuable insights to aid in understanding the company’s workforce better.

Executive Summary

The Splendor Investment Report provides a comprehensive analysis of workforce demographics, compensation structures, and organisational performance across departments and business units. Drawing from detailed dashboards, the report highlights key trends in employee attrition, bonus distribution, salary progression, and workforce diversity.

Findings reveal notable disparities in departmental bonuses, early-career attrition challenges, and equity gaps in compensation across ethnic groups. Additionally, the data underscores the concentration of pay within specific business units and the ageing workforce in certain geographic regions.

This documentation translates these insights into actionable recommendations — ranging from strengthening onboarding programs and revising bonus structures to implementing succession planning and equity audits. Together, these strategies aim to enhance employee retention, foster inclusivity, and align compensation with organisational value creation.

Project Objectives

1. Analyse employee data using SQL to uncover insights.
2. Transform the insights into meaningful KPIs.
3. Create an interactive dashboard to visualise the KPIs.

Processes

The data was processed through a series of steps to ensure its successful completion, such as:

Data Extraction and Query:

• Computed averages and percentages for key indicators:
• Average bonus by department, age group, and ethnicity.
• Attrition rates (e.g., number of employees gone, tenure before exit).
• Salary trends across years and job titles.
• Business unit pay distribution in millions.
• Identified outliers (e.g., top 5 earners, highest/lowest salaries)

Questions Answered:

1. How many employees are there in each department?

2 . What is the average age of employees in the Sales department?

3. Who are the top 5 highest-paid employees in the company?

4. What is the distribution of employees across different genders and ethnicities?

5 . How has the average salary changed over the years?

6. Which department has the highest average bonus percentage?

7. Identify employees who exited the company within their first year.

8. Calculate the total annual salary expenditure for each business unit.

9. What is the average age of employees in each city?

10. Determine the average salary for each job title.

11. Compare the average bonus percentage between different departments.

12. How many employees have left the company, and what is their average tenure?

13. Identify employees who have been with the company for more than 10 years.

14 . Calculate the average bonus percentage for employees under the age of 30.

15. Compare the distribution of bonus percentages across different ethnicities.

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Query:

Questions 1 to 5

Questions 6 to 10

Questions 10 to 15

Data Visualisation & Transformation:

• Built interactive dashboards to display:
• Departmental bonus comparisons.
• Salary trends over time.
• Workforce demographics (gender, ethnicity, city).
• Attrition and tenure statistics.
• Used charts, tables, and KPIs to highlight disparities and trends for easy interpretation.

Dashboard 1

Dashboard 2

Insight Extraction

• Analysed dashboards to identify patterns and anomalies:
• Low bonuses in technical departments.
• High attrition in early tenure.
• Equity gaps in bonus distribution.
• An ageing workforce in certain cities.
• Concentration of pay in specific business units.
• Compared metrics across categories to uncover strategic implications.

Recommendation Development

• Translated insights into actionable strategies:
• Adjust bonus structures for fairness and competitiveness.
• Strengthen onboarding to reduce first-year exits.
• Implement diversity and equity audits.
• Plan succession strategies in ageing workforce regions.
• Align compensation with business unit ROI.

Reporting/Presentation

We created a presentation report, using Canva and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Insights:

The Splendor Investment Report highlights several interconnected workforce and compensation challenges. Attrition remains a pressing issue, with 103 employees leaving overall and 33 exiting within their first year, suggesting gaps in onboarding and early engagement. At the same time, bonus disparities across departments are evident-technical teams like Engineering (5.87%) and IT (4.25%) receive significantly lower bonuses compared to Accounting (11.83%) and HR (11.48%), which may hinder retention of critical talent.

Equity concerns also emerge in compensation distribution, with Black employees receiving lower average bonuses (36%) compared to other ethnic groups (40%), pointing to the need for fairer performance evaluation systems. Salary analysis shows clustering among top earners (~$258K) and concentration of pay within Speciality Products ($29.26M) and Corporate ($28.83M) units, raising questions about whether compensation aligns with strategic value creation.

Finally, demographic data reveals an ageing workforce in cities like Sao Paulo and Chongqing (avg. age 46), while long-term employee retention is low (only 15 staff with over 10 years of service). Together, these insights underscore the importance of strengthening onboarding, revising bonus structures, implementing diversity audits, succession planning, and aligning pay with business outcomes to build a more resilient and equitable organisation.

Recommendations:

The Splendor Investment Report highlights several areas where strategic action can significantly improve workforce stability, equity, and organisational performance. To address high attrition-particularly the 33 employees who exited within their first year-the company should invest in robust onboarding programs, mentorship initiatives, and structured early engagement activities. These measures will help new hires integrate more effectively and reduce early turnover.

Compensation structures require rebalancing, as technical departments such as Engineering and IT receive substantially lower bonuses compared to Accounting and HR. Revising bonus policies to ensure fair recognition of technical contributions will strengthen retention of critical talent. At the same time, diversity and equity audits should be conducted regularly to identify and correct disparities, such as the lower average bonuses received by Black employees. Transparent performance evaluation frameworks will ensure that rewards are distributed equitably across all groups.

Demographic analysis reveals an ageing workforce in cities like Sao Paulo and Chongqing, underscoring the need for succession planning and knowledge transfer programs. Preparing future leaders and capturing institutional expertise before retirements occur will safeguard operational continuity.

Finally, compensation distribution shows a heavy concentration in Speciality Products and Corporate units, raising questions about alignment with strategic value. A thorough ROI evaluation of business units should be conducted to ensure pay structures reflect actual performance outcomes. Differentiating compensation among top earners will also help reward exceptional contributions and prevent stagnation.

Together, these recommendations form a comprehensive roadmap: reduce attrition, rebalance incentives, promote equity, prepare for workforce transitions, and align pay with business value. Implementing these strategies will create a fairer, more competitive, and future-ready organisation.

Conclusion

The Splendor Investment Report provides a clear view of workforce dynamics, compensation structures, and organisational challenges. By analysing attrition patterns, bonus disparities, equity gaps, and demographic trends, the dashboards highlight areas requiring immediate attention and long-term planning. Implementing the recommended strategies-strengthening onboarding, rebalancing incentives, promoting diversity, preparing for succession, and aligning pay with business value-will not only improve employee retention and satisfaction but also enhance organisational resilience and performance. Ultimately, these insights serve as a roadmap for building a fair, competitive, and future-ready workforce.