Workforce Planning Introduction

A strategic process that links people requirements with business objectives. It's more than just forecasting numbers; it covers succession planning, talent planning and flexible working.

The process of defining future activities and their scale, identifying core skills, and determining people requirements for achieving goals.

A previous approach to planning focused primarily on quantitative demand and supply forecasts of people; it often failed to accurately predict and plan.

A component of workforce planning that addresses the process and needs for a company to ensure the right people are in place.

Identifying future activities, skills, and people requirements for achieving business objectives.

Using data and numbers to predict future workforce needs. Difficult due to changing business strategies and forecasts.

A strategy for managing workforce issues like shortages or surpluses as they arise, rather than planning ahead.

A document outlining a company's intended activities and scale, serving as a foundation for workforce planning.

Estimating the future need for employees based on projections of the business' activities.

Estimating the future availability of skilled workers in the market.

Combining workforce planning with overall business planning, to create a unified approach.

Changing business plans that make workforce planning difficult.

Information used to estimate future workforce needs, involving internal and external data sources.

Non-numerical information inside the organization; includes business developments and HR insights.

Numerical information inside the organization; workforce data like turnover and skills audits.

Non-numerical information from the outside world, using a PESTLE analysis or similar.

Numerical information from the outside world, such as labor market demographics and skills availability.

A forecasting method where managers estimate future workload and staffing needs.

A method where lower-level managers propose staffing needs, which are then reviewed by senior management.

A method where senior management develops overall forecasts and then communicates guidelines to departmental managers.

Combines information from business plans, activity forecasts, scenarios, and data for demand and supply forecasts.

Derived from the annual budget and long-term business plan, translated into department activity levels.

Department managers independently create forecasts, then aligned with company-wide goals.

Company sets broad guidelines for future activities influencing departmental forecasts.

Reconciles discrepancies between departmental and company forecasts.

Specific levels of work for departments, obtained from overall company plans.

Departmental managers format their forecasts following guidelines.

Putting workforce planning strategies into action, often encountering challenges due to unpredictable events and requiring flexibility.

Utilizing various employment types to meet changing business demands, including part-time, home workers, freelancers, and temporary employees.

Essential employees whose expertise and skills are crucial to the success of an organization.

Freelancers or individuals working on short-term contracts, typically hired on a temporary basis for specific tasks.

Employment contracts without fixed working hours, allowing for flexibility but potentially leading to unpredictability for the employee.

Regularly tracking the progress of workforce planning initiatives, evaluating effectiveness, and making necessary adjustments.

Strategies for reducing workforce size, aimed at minimizing compulsory redundancies through measures like hiring freezes and recruitment optimization.

The specific skills and knowledge needed by employees to meet current and future business demands.

A method developed by the NHS to guide organizations in planning their workforce needs. It includes steps like defining the plan, mapping service change, and understanding workforce availability.

Siemens uses a three-step approach: assessing the current workforce, predicting future needs, and bridging the gap between the two.

A high-level document outlining the company's overall approach to managing its workforce, providing context for workforce planning.

Siemens uses data from SAP, a business software system, to analyze the current workforce and identify potential attrition.

Siemens involves HR business partners and business unit managers in identifying future workforce needs.

Predicting the rate at which employees leave the company, helping to anticipate future workforce needs.

The NHS planning framework requires managers to create plans for different timescales, allowing for short-term and long-term workforce management.

Incorporating workforce planning into existing business processes, ensuring that people are considered in all strategic decisions.