ACADEMY TO

INNOVATE HR

Excel for HR Cheat

Sheet

Excel functions to create formulas Tips to manage employee

data in Excel
Data Cleaning
Absolute • Check for and remove duplicates with The 'Remove
Relative References Name Ranges Duplicates' feature.
(referencing cells) Make formulas easier to
• Use Excel functions like “IF” or “ISBLANK” to find and
Include a $ sign to lock a flag missing data.
Use when you cell reference’s row read and reduce errors
01 want to perform the 02 and/or column when 03 using name ranges for
cells or cell ranges you Structured Data Entry
same operation across you have a constant
multiple rows value or a specific cell frequently reference
in formulas. • Specify formats for dates and numerical data.
or columns. across multiple • To maintain consistency, create dropdown lists for fields
calculations. (like departments or job titles).
• Use conditional formatting to highlight fields that
contain errors or outliers.
• Set data validation rules to allow only certain types of
data in a cell (e.g., numbers only).

Efficient Organization
8 types of Excel functions HR needs 3 Essential Excel Shortcuts • Organize employee data in separate columns
(e.g., first name, last name, department, role, start date,
contact info).
Basic arithmetic functions Navigation Shortcuts • Use tables to better manage data sets.
SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN Ctrl + Arrow Key: Jump to the edge of data regions (e.g.,
01 Example: Sum of the total annual salaries of all employees, the Ctrl + Down Arrow takes you to the last filled cell in a column) Data Segmentation
average number of days taken as leave, or determine the highest and Home: Go to the beginning of a row. • Use filters to view specific subsets of data
lowest salaries within the company. (e.g., employees in a particular department).
Ctrl + Home: Move to the beginning of a worksheet. • Utilize pivot tables to summarize and analyze data,
like department-wise headcount, average tenure, etc.
Ctrl + End: Jump to the last cell with data on a worksheet.
Counting functions
COUNT, COUNTA, COUNTIF, COUNTIFS Data Analysis and Reporting
02 Example: count the number of employees in a specific department; • Use built-in Excel functions for quick analysis of data
calculate the number of employees who have been with the company (e.g., average age, highest salary).
• Create dynamic charts and graphs for visual
for more than 5 years and are in a leadership position. Data Entry and Editing Shortcuts representation of key HR metrics.
Ctrl + D: Fill down. Copies the content and format of the

Logical functions
topmost cell of a selected range into the cells below.
Maintaining Confidentiality
Ctrl + R: Fill right. Similar to Fill Down, but to the right.
IF, AND, OR • Keep sensitive information (like salaries or personal
03 F2: Edit the active cell, putting the cursor at the end of information) in a separate, password-protected sheet.
Example: eligibility for a particular training program based on the current text. • Limit access to confidential data only to authorized
multiple criteria, like department, tenure, and performance ratings. Ctrl + ; : Insert today’s date into the active cell. personnel.

Regular Backups
Lookup functions • Regularly back up the employee data to prevent loss
due to accidental deletion or system failures.
VLOOKUP; HLOOKUP; XLOOOKUP; INDEX and MATCH
04 Selecting Cells and Ranges
Example: Retrieve specific information on an employee's
performance rating from a table or dataset. Ctrl + A: Select the entire worksheet.
Updating Records
• Establish a regular schedule for updating employee
Shift + Arrow Key: Extend the selection by one cell. records to ensure data remains current.
Ctrl + Space: Select the entire column.
Text functions Documenting Processes
Shift + Space: Select the entire row.
05 LEFT, RIGHT, MID • Keep a manual or guide ensuring any staff member can
understand and follow the procedures.
Example: Extract an employee ID from a longer string. • Regularly review and update the guide to reflect any
changes in procedures or best practices.

Text formatting functions

TRIM, UPPER, LOWER, PROPER
Common Excel errors
06
Example: Clean and standardize text data, like removing extra
spaces or standardizing the case of names. Cause: Resolution:
Ensure the denominator in any division operation is not
#DIV/0! Occurs when a formula tries to divide a number by
zero or an empty cell.
zero or empty. You can use the IF or IFERROR function
to handle this error.
Date functions Check the formula for inappropriate arguments.
Appears when a formula has the wrong type of
DATE, YEAR, MONTH, DAY; NETWORKDAYS #VALUE! Convert text to numbers if necessary, or use functions
07 argument (e.g., using text in a mathematical operation).
like VALUE or TEXT.
Example: Calculating an employee's tenure or the number of
working days between dates.
#REF! Appears when a reference is invalid, usually when a
cell referred to in the formula is deleted.
Check the formula for broken links or deleted
references. Replace or update the references as needed.

Excel doesn’t recognize the text in the formula. Check for typos in your formula. Ensure all function
#NAME? This often occurs with misspelled functions or ranges. names and named ranges are spelled correctly.
Conditional functions
Commonly appears in lookup functions when Excel Verify the lookup value exists in the source data. Consider
08 SUMIF, SUMIFS, AVERAGEIF, AVERAGEIFS #N/A can’t find a match. using IFNA or IFERROR to handle these errors gracefully.
Example: Sum of sick days taken by the Marketing department
or the average amount of training hours completed by Sales. Indicates a problem with a number in the formula,
Check for unrealistic or incorrect calculations. Modify the
#NUM! like an invalid numeric value or a calculation that
formula to avoid excessively large or small numbers.
results in a number too large or too small.

Tips to protect data privacy in Excel

01 04 07
Avoid storing highly sensitive data Create user-specific views to display only Implement version control and keep track
specific workbook parts to different users of different versions of the document

02 05 08
Password protect your documents to Utilize data validation to control the type Educate users on best practices
prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data of data or the values that users enter into a cell

03 06 09
Limit access to specific cells or ranges Use secure storage and transfer methods Comply with legal and regulatory standards