Uploading & Managing HR Data in Surface

The data fields and variables in Surface don’t match my data. What do I do?

We’ve pre-selected a range of data fields and variables to allow organizations to benchmark their data. Do your best to match your fields and variables to those listed in Surface (we provide examples to help with this). If some of your data fields do not match the Surface options, you can select, “Not applicable/Do not import.”

Can I customize my data fields or variables, or add my own?

At this point, we do not allow customization of data fields or variables. If your data does not match the Surface options, you can select “Other” or “Not applicable/Do not import.”

I plan to upload new data every month - do I have to retake the Talent Practices Inventory, too?

You do not have to redo the Talent Practices Inventory every time you upload new HR data. While each organization is different, most choose to update their inventory with a full reassessment 1-2 times a year, while data tends to be updated more frequently (anywhere from weekly to quarterly). In between full inventory updates, you can track your progress using the “Completed Actions” function.

What happens if we have a lot of missing demographic data?

Missing data will either be omitted from the denominator or captured as “Undisclosed.”

What if I don’t have an HRIS system - can we still upload data?

Yes! If you have a spreadsheet that lists all employees in your organization along with variables like job level, function, gender, etc., you can upload your data to Surface via .csv upload. Just remember to remove any personally identifying information (e.g., names, employee IDs).