Workforce planning - The best way to do it

Workforce planning

Workforce planning is a strategic process that involves aligning an organisation's current and future workforce requirements with its overall business goals and objectives.

Therefore, it's crucial that you understand the business strategy in every detail and the meaning and goals of it. With this in mind it's highly recommendable that you as a HR representative are taking part in the strategic work for the whole company.

For example the strategy might have a great impact on the:

• Production line
• The business culture and the talents you are recruiting
• Remote working if you are starting up a business hub abroad or you let your staff work from home

It aims to ensure that the right people with the right skills are available at the right time to meet the organisation's workforce needs.

Here are the key steps involved in workforce planning:

• Define organisational objectives: Start by understanding the organisation's short term and long term goals, as well as its strategic priorities. This will serve as the foundation for workforce planning and help identify the workforce requirements needed to achieve those objectives

• Analyse current workforce: Assess the organisation's current workforce composition, including the number of employees, their skills, capabilities and demographics. This analysis provides insights into the strengths and gaps within the existing workforce

• Forecast future workforce needs: Use the organisational objectives and business plans to forecast the future workforce requirements. Consider factors such as anticipated growth, changes in market demand, technological advancements and potential skill gaps. This analysis helps estimate the number, types and skills of employees needed in the future

• Identify skill gaps: Compare the current and future workforce requirements to identify any gaps in skills, competencies or capacity. Determine the critical skills and capabilities that will be required in the future and assess the availability of those skills within the organisation

• Develop recruitment and talent acquisition strategies: Based on the identified skill gaps, develop strategies to attract and recruit the right talent. This may involve developing employer branding, leveraging various recruitment channels, partnering with educational institutions or implementing targeted talent acquisition programmes

• Training and development: Determine the training and development initiatives necessary to upskill or reskill the existing workforce. This may involve offering training programmes, mentorship, coaching or supporting employees in obtaining relevant certifications

 

• Succession planning: Identify key roles within the organisation and develop succession plans to ensure continuity in critical positions. This involves identifying high potential employees, providing them with development opportunities and preparing them for future leadership roles

• Monitor and evaluate: Continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the workforce planning efforts. Assess whether the organisation is meeting its workforce objectives and adjust the strategies as needed based on feedback, changing business needs or external factors

When you are done with the workforce planning you are ready to take the next step.

Workforce management

Workforce management includes the following 9 key points:

1. Recruitment and selection: Attracting and hiring qualified candidates to fill job vacancies within the organisation. This includes: Developing job descriptions, advertising job openings, conducting interviews and selecting the best fit candidates

2. Onboarding and orientation: Facilitating the smooth integration of new employees into the organisation. This includes: Providing necessary training, introducing them to company policies and procedures and ensuring they have the resources needed to perform their roles effectively

3. Performance management: Setting performance expectations, providing feedback and evaluating employee performance. This involves: Establishing performance goals, conducting regular performance reviews and providing ongoing coaching and support

4. Training and development: Identifying and addressing skill gaps through training and development initiatives. This can include: Providing both job specific and professional development training, mentoring programmes and career advancement opportunities

5. Employee engagement: Creating a positive work environment that fosters employee engagement, motivation and satisfaction. This includes: Initiatives such as employee recognition programmes, communication channels, team building activities and employee feedback mechanisms

6. Workforce analytics: Leveraging data and analytics to make informed decisions about workforce planning and management. This involves: Collecting and analysing workforce data to identify trends, predict future needs and optimise workforce performance

7. Succession planning: Identifying and developing talent within the organisation to fill key roles and ensure continuity. This includes: Assessing employee potential, providing career development opportunities and preparing employees for future leadership positions

8. Employee retention: Implementing strategies to retain top talent and reduce employee turnover. This can involve: Creating competitive compensation and benefits packages, offering growth opportunities, fostering a positive work culture and addressing employee concerns

9. Compliance and HR policies: Ensuring compliance with labour laws, regulations and company policies related to workforce management. This includes: Staying updated with employment laws, maintaining employee records and adhering to fair employment practices

The final topic within workforce planning is to pick the best workforce metrics.

Workforce KPIs

First of all it's important to state that using workforce KPIs in a generic tool is a misuse of the metrics.

Some KPIs might be great to use in one organisation and not in another company.

Meanwhile, let check out some common used workforce KPIs:

When a workforce KPI is at the red alert stage the process to solve the issue is:

1. Problem viewing
2. Problem stating
3. Problem solving

When the problem reaches phase three it will be a HR task to solve. That means it can be a resource demanding issue to solve.

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