Workforce Planning Training for Supervisors

Presentation Subtitle/Description • Presenter’s Name • Date

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Introduction

This presentation provides an overview of the elements of workforce planning to help supervisors understand what workforce planning is and its importance in maintaining the company’s business plan and ensuring that resources are used effectively and efficiently in meeting the company’s goals and objectives.

This is a sample presentation intended for supervisors charged with the responsibility for workforce planning. It should be conducted by an analyst familiar with the dynamics of business plans and workforce planning. This presentation must be customized to reflect a company’s own internal processes.

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Objectives

At the close of this session, you will be able to:

• Explain the basics of workforce planning.• State why workforce planning is important.• Cite steps involved in workforce planning.• Describe workforce planning implementation issues and the importance

of continuous refinement of the plan.

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What is Workforce Planning?

Workforce planning is:• A tool to establish staffing levels and support company budgets which

enables the company to meet its business objectives.• A systematic process for identification of required human capital

resources and the development of strategies necessary to meet these requirements.

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What is Workforce Planning? (cont’d)

Workforce planning:• Provides the required numbers and requisite skills of employees when

and where they will be required and the strategies by which the requisite skills will be met through recruitment, retention, and other means.

• Serves as a baseline in succession planning.

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Why is Workforce Planning Important?

A company is dynamic, not static. Workforce changes occur constantly and workforce planning serves to mitigate these changes.

• Changes in age, skills and diversity – additions and departures.• Shifts to higher skilled “knowledge workers”.• Increasing competition for and scarcity of “knowledge workers”.• Changes in workforce values and expectations.• Impact of external competitive forces.

Companies which are not prepared to meet these challenges and their impact on meeting business objectives may fail in attracting, developing and retaining employees with the requisite skills and the ability to harness new technologies to meet business objectives.

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Why is Workforce Planning Important? (cont’d)

Employers obtain the following benefits from workforce planning:

• More efficient and effective use of staff.• Replacement staff available when needed.• Realistic staffing projections for budgeting purposes.• Rationale for linking costs of training, development, and recruitment.• A baseline for re-engineering or re-organizing of related allocations of

the workforce.

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Steps Involved in Workforce Planning

Step 1. Preparation:

• Recognize that workforce planning is a company-wide effort.• Create measurement models specific to the company’s business

objectives.• Identify the planned objectives and allocation of resources for

workforce planning.• Focus on the quantity and types of skills needed and how these

needs will be met.

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Steps Involved in Workforce Planning (cont’d)

Step 2. Supply analysis - Conduct a supply analysis focusing on current workforce demographics and trends to include:

• Number of employees/contractors/contingent staffing arrangements.• Skills assessments for each of these categories.• Current budgets for human capital expenditures.• Recruitment times, vacancy analysis, optimal methods for filling

vacancies.• Analysis of departures who possess critical skills and/or critical

company knowledge.• Review of contractor agreements and related contingent staffing

arrangements.

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Steps Involved in Workforce Planning (cont’d)

Step 3. Demand analysis: • Demand analysis focuses on the totality of required skills to meet

company needs today and in the future.• Demand analysis views company needs from both internal and external

perspectives. Internal focus is on objectives, processes and capabilities on the work to be

performed and how it is performed. External focus is on the environment in which the company operates –

economic, social technological, legal and political trends and their impact on the company’s ability to operate.

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Steps Involved in Workforce Planning (cont’d)

Step 4. Gap analysis:Gap analysis integrates the supply and demand steps to determine gaps and surpluses at the current time and in the future.

• A gap exists when supply is inadequate to meet demand which present opportunities for the company to develop strategies to eradicate shortages via recruitment, contract workers, internal staff development, outsourcing and/or succession planning.

• A surplus exists when supply is greater than demand which present opportunities for the company to develop strategies for re-organization, re-deployment, internal skill development and cross-skill training, outsourcing, succession planning, and/or redundancy planning.

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Implementation & Refinement

The workforce plan links to the company’s business and succession plans to ensure senior management endorsement also includes:

• Allocation of resources to analyze workforce needs and strategies to meet needs.

• Delegation of authority for plan responsibilities and the implementation of recommended strategies.

• Creation of reasonable timelines for completion.• Development of definitive performance measures and planned

deliverables.• Communication of detailed action plans to all audiences.

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Implementation & Refinement (cont’d)

• Accomplishments vs. plan goals need to be measured at appropriate intervals – milestones markers.

• Annually, defined performance measurements need to be reviewed for strategy changes and/or adjustments.

• Emerging company issues must always be addressed

in the workforce plan.

• To succeed, any plan recognizes that it is measuring a moving target and must be continually monitored, evaluated and re-calibrated.

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Summary

Workforce planning is a tool to establish staffing levels and support company budgets and a systematic process for identification of required human capital resources and the development of strategies necessary to meet these requirements.

• Workforce planning is important because it establishes staffing levels and supports company budgets and identifies required human capital resources and the development of strategies necessary to meet those requirements.

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Summary (cont’d)

The steps involved in workforce planning are preparation, supply analysis, demand analysis and gap analysis.

Workforce planning must link to the company’s business and succession plans to ensure senior management endorsement. Accomplishments versus plan goals need to be measured at appropriate intervals. Emerging company issues must always be addressed in the workforce plan.

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Questions? Comments?

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Course Evaluation

Please be sure to complete and leave the evaluation sheet you received with your handouts.

Thank you for your attention and interest !