Workforce planning allows for a more effective and efficient use of staff. It helps ensure replacements are available to fill key vacancies. It makes it possible to make staffing decisions based both on the work needed and the funds available. It provides realistic and accurate staffing projections based on skills needed to do the work. It provides clear training and development goals and priorities focused on the work that needs to be done. It may also help the company prepare for restructuring, reducing, or expanding its current workforce.
Workforce planning requires an analysis of numerous factors, including current staff, short- and long-term needs, and weaknesses in the talent pool. Proper planning calls for a detailed understanding of the skills of the workforce and decision tools to maximize the company’s talent pool.
Planning the workforce requires an overall understanding of the company’s goals and strategies. The skill set of the workforce should align with these goals. If the company is planning on expansion, for example, the workforce to support the expansion needs to be identified, put into place, and trained before the expansion rolls through the company.
Some of the steps to consider when planning your workforce are:
1. Review your organization’s strategy, for your area. What are your current workforce needs? Start with a clean piece of paper and draft the deliverables, duties, tasks, and outcomes necessary to run your area and meet your strategic goals. What are your future workforce needs? Write down the “future state” of your organization if your goals are met.
2. Document your existing workforce competencies, job levels, certifications, etc. Also document turnover and time in position in order to assess how often you may need to (re)fill the position. Consider time to train the position as well.
3. Create a projected workforce based on your goals and existing trends. Ask yourself questions like:
a. What changes (technology innovations, process developments, organizational structure) are expected?
b. How will these changes affect the work? How will they affect the skill requirements?
c. What will the planned organization look like – number of employees, competencies, certifications?
4. Align your existing workforce with your projected workforce. Identify gaps or excesses in headcount, knowledge, skills, abilities and experience. During this process you will: identify skills needed for success; develop retention strategies; consider training versus recruiting to fill gaps; consider contractors versus hiring; and create mentoring programs for staff needing nominal development.
5. Review your plan with your supervisor to get approval and spot any weak areas in your plan.
6. If your plan calls for a new role, ask yourself the following questions:
a. Will structure changes better allow the company/ department to achieve its goals?
b. Where are more people needed? Fewer?
c. Which skills are lacking? In surplus?
d. Will the tools used in the past support the future direction? Will the tools needed to support the strategy require new skills?
e. How expensive will the change be?
f. What are the critical positions? Where are the retention risks?
7. Draft a job description
a. Define the position – write down everything you want in a new hire before you assign a title to the position. Think about desired outcomes, specific deliverables, as well as duties or tasks critical to success. You may have to eliminate some as you hone the list to acceptable professional standards and the market, but you will start with a better idea of what you are hiring for.
b. Title the position and the department to whom the new hire reports.
c. Write a summary overview of what the position entails, followed by a bulleted list of job duties and responsibilities. Include all key areas of responsibilities. Include a catch-phrase line to include additional “duties as assigned” to prevent a “that wasn’t in my job description” conflict later on.
d. You may want to include a list of people and positions the hire will consult with on a regular basis.
e. Qualifications should be in a separate paragraph. Reflect any particular skills, attributes, or credentials necessary to perform each responsibility on the list.
8. Determine the best way to change the workforce:
a. Buy – recruit and hire talent
b. Build – develop and promote talent from within the company
c. Borrow – contract
d. Trim – reduce the number of employees
9. Determine approximate cost of the new role - Each initiative must be evaluated on cost, benefit, and value. Create budgets for each option, evaluate opportunity costs, determine capacity requirements, and check in with financial goals.
10. Get authorization – give your job description and completed Intent to Hire form to your supervisor for approval. Once you have supervisor approval, give to the HR office for review and approval.
11. Finalize the job description – make any necessary changes to the job description and post.
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