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.