1. Importance of Workforce Planning
Workforce planning is an organizational process that involves proactively planning
ahead to ensure your company is staffed properly. It is based on the premise that a
company can be staffed more efficiently if it can forecast its talent needs. Human
Resource professionals need to fully understand business cycles and how to increase the
talent pipeline in order to drive performance.
Business owners who just wait and try to react to current events will not thrive in the
long run. The rate of change in the talent market can be dramatic, and most people
understand the importance of talent to the success of any business. When setting up a
workforce plan, here are some things to keep in mind:
Set Specific Goals – These should be based on what you are trying to
accomplish. Typical goals can include proactively hiring great talent, retaining good
employees, increasing employee productivity and the ability to perform when the
economy changes.
Forecast – Predict business changes that will require an increase in staff. Internal
forecasts can include business plans, sales forecasts, budget forecasts and production
plans.
Gain Cooperation – You will need to gain the buy-in from those who run internal HR
programs (i.e. development, retention, career pathing). Build a plan to share with all
managers on how adapting this workforce plan will dramatically improve their ability to
meet their department’s objectives.
Start With the Basics – Make a modest start because you will want to show tangible
results quickly. Hire temporary workers or contract workers to fill in immediate gaps
quickly. If future growth is in the forecast, focus on hiring, training, and retention
programs.
Workforce planning is truly “future-focused” and is a new way of thinking for most
managers. If done well, workforce planning will increase productivity by having the
talent you need, with the right skills, in the right places, at the right time.