Blog

01/11/2023

By Chris Andrews – Managing Director

Effective workforce planning is essential for organisations to align their talent needs with their business objectives. It ensures that you have the right people with the right skills in the right roles at the right time. It should be a simple process that cuts through the layers of complication and leaves hiring managers with clarity and focus on what is needed. In this simplified summary, we will explore 6 key steps and considerations to help you plan your workforce for sustained success.

#1 Understand Your Business Goals

Context is a great place to start. Your workforce plan should begin at the top – what is the strategic plan of the business and what is the role of your business unit in delivering on the plan. What are the external and internal factors that will impact your ability to deliver?

#2 Conduct a Workforce Analysis

From the above, you can review current strengths and weaknesses in capacity and capability. Analyse your current workforce to identify any gaps or surpluses in skills and competencies in relation to your business goals.

#3 Identify Critical Roles and Skills

From here we can identify the key roles and skills that are critical to achieving your business goals. These may include leadership positions, technical expertise, or specialised skills unique to your industry. Determine whether you need to invest in training and development programs to upskill your existing workforce or recruit externally to fill any skill gaps. You can also assess the supply and demand for these roles in the external job market.

#4 Develop Talent Acquisition Strategies

Identifying critical roles and skills, allows you to develop a talent acquisition strategy aimed at attracting and hiring the right talent. This may involve developing strong employer branding initiatives, leveraging various recruitment channels, and partnering with external agencies or recruiters. It is also a good time to implement tailored screening and selection processes to ensure you identify the necessary skills and culture fit.

#5 Focus on your employer Brand

Don’t forget that this is a two-way street. Isolating the skills you need is important but so is making sure those relevant individuals want to join your team, so start to consider the EVP (employee value proposition) as well as the overall applicant experience you create – both of which contribute to your employer brand.

#6 Monitor and Adapt

Workforce planning is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and adaptation. We generally work on a 6-month review process to ensure its currency. Always monitor industry trends, technological advancements, and changes in market conditions that may impact your workforce requirements. Be flexible and willing to make adjustments to your plan as needed to ensure its effectiveness and relevance.

Final thoughts

Strategic workforce planning is essential for aligning talent with business goals. It involves being prepared to be agile and having a complete understanding of business objectives and critical roles. Remember, it’s an ongoing process requiring adaptation to meet evolving business needs!

Our ecosystem of services enables us to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses across all stages of the talent funnel; Plan, Map, Brand, Search, Sell, Filter. Our experts provide tailored support across recruitment delivery, process optimisation and employer branding. Contact us to learn more!