How FirstKey Homes Coaches Managers with Real-Time HR Data
FirstKey Homes is a national residential property management company operating across 29 markets and 16 districts throughout the United States, supporting a large frontline workforce and distributed leadership teams.
The conversations have changed from, ‘Here’s the data,’ to ‘I see the trend and the root cause.
With HRBench, everything rolls into one source of truth. We’re able to get them the actual reports that they need.
Challenge
Struggled turning data into action.
FirstKey Homes operates across 29 markets and 16 districts throughout the U.S.
With a large frontline workforce, including service and maintenance technicians constantly in motion, turnover, staffing levels, and hiring velocity directly impact business performance.
HR would send managers spreadsheets listing:
- Active headcount
- New hires
- Terminations
- Open roles
But managers struggled to interpret what the numbers actually meant.
At the same time, Finance was pulling separate reports from UKG and other systems during budgeting season—creating mismatches around headcount definitions, open roles, and organizational structure.
HR needed to:
- Create a single source of truth
- Improve manager accountability
- Reduce reactive hiring cycles
- Strengthen HR’s credibility across departments
It was just an Excel spreadsheet with a bunch of numbers on it. There was no narrative around it. It was just, ‘Here’s the data.’
Solution
Built one real-time source of truth
Establish a Single Source of Truth for HR and Finance
This was the first year FirstKey partnered one-on-one with Finance using HRBench.
Instead of pulling disconnected reports:
“With HRBench, everything rolls into one source of truth… We’re able to get them the actual reports that they need.”
Org charts now include:
- Current headcount
- Open requisitions
- Reporting structures
This eliminated disputes around where employees sit and what roles are active.
Headcount became the starting point of every planning conversation.
Build Manager “Walkthrough” Dashboards
HR partnered with the HRBP team to answer one question:
What decisions are managers actually responsible for?
Instead of flooding leaders with 45+ metrics:
“We don’t want to throw a bunch of metrics on a slide… We started with the decisions managers are actually responsible for.”
Each HRBP now runs district-level “walkthroughs” using dashboards filtered to their markets. Every walkthrough includes three core metrics:
- Headcount
- Open requisitions
- Turnover
Managers can drill into:
- Voluntary vs. involuntary turnover
- Early-tenure exits
- Staffing gaps
- Role-specific attrition
And instead of isolated monthly numbers:
“They’re able to go to managers with a trend instead of just talking numbers.”
Shift from Reporting to Root Cause Analysis
Before HRBench:
- Data was reactive
- Conversations were backward-looking
- Managers saw static spreadsheets
After rollout:
“The data becomes more of what decision the manager is responsible for versus just giving them a bunch of numbers.”
HRBPs now:
- Compare trends month-to-month
- Review 60–90 day patterns
- Identify early turnover roles
- Investigate onboarding gaps
- Trigger engagement or performance re-checks when needed
Managers don’t just see turnover.
They see why it’s happening and what they can control.
How FirstKey Homes Coaches Managers with Real-Time HR Data
FirstKey Homes uses specific, real-time HR dashboards to reduce turnover, strengthen manager accountability, and drive better staffing decisions across 26 markets. In this webinar, they’ll break down the exact metrics and workflows their HR team uses.
Watch webinar
Results
Standardized walkthroughs with actionable metrics
Stronger HR and Finance Partnership
“We’re partnering one-on-one versus just asking for data reports… There’s truly conversations going on with the data.”
- Faster report delivery
- Reduced pushback during budget season
- Better alignment on headcount definitions
- Clearer forecasting conversations
HR moved from reactive report provider to strategic partner.
Manager Behavior Shift
According to HRBPs:
“Managers are starting to understand more what they can do better when it comes to turnover.”
Instead of reacting to attrition after it happens, managers now:
- Spot early-tenure turnover patterns
- Adjust hiring practices
- Address training gaps
- Reduce revolving-door staffing cycles
As John shared:
“Now we get managers thinking about what we can do to keep employees with us versus always having that revolving door.”
Elevated HR Credibility
When dashboards first rolled out, the goal wasn’t just visibility, it was narrative.
“It was key to show managers the story of their department… not just the number.”
By focusing on trend data and decision-driving metrics:
- HR presents context, not noise
- Leaders see rolling 12-month patterns
- Root causes become visible
- Forecasting becomes proactive
HR’s role shifted from “report builder” to “decision enabler.”
FirstKey Homes
FirstKey Homes is a national residential property management company operating across 29 U.S. markets and 16 districts. With a distributed leadership structure and a large frontline workforce, including service and maintenance teams, FirstKey relies on consistent, data-driven decision-making to manage staffing levels, control turnover, and support regional operations. Their HR team partners closely with district leaders and Finance to ensure workforce data supports both day-to-day management and long-term planning.