Summary
Are you struggling with high turnover rates, productivity optimization, and other HR challenges in your organization? Discover how a strategic staffing plan can address these issues and set your business up for success in the future. From identifying talent gaps to forecasting future needs, this blog provides actionable insights on developing a staffing plan that promotes productivity, boosts employee retention, and drives business growth. Don't miss out on this valuable resource for HR professionals and global staffing experts!
If your job revolves around workforce management, talent acquisition, or other critical HR functions, you already have your hands full trying to address ongoing challenges that plague corporate staffing – high turnover rates, over- or-under-employment, productivity optimization, employee onboarding, adoption of new technologies and processes, to name a few. But what about future challenges?
A survey from the Society for Human Resource Management shows that 43% of HR professionals say human capital is the largest future investment challenge for employers.
Developing and implementing a strategic staffing plan that’s tailored to suit specific business needs can go a long way toward recruiting hard-to-find talent for desired positions throughout your organization. You may be wondering where to start or looking for gaps in your current strategy. Here, we’ll tackle how to identify a strong staffing plan, the benefits of a solid staffing strategy, and the steps to ensuring your staffing plan will fulfill your future needs You can also check out our Talent Sourcing solutions if you need help or advice from global staffing experts.
What does a good staffing plan look like?
It can vary drastically from company to company. Typically, senior HR executives assess and determine talent gaps and skill requirements within their organization, and then formulate a plan to address these issues by recruiting the right personnel while keeping business objectives firmly in mind.
A good staffing plan should answer these pertinent questions:
• What are your organization’s core staffing needs?
• How many people must your organization employ?
• What type of skills / experience should you look for in new hires?
• Are there skills gaps / redundancies within your organization?
Benefits of a strategic staffing plan
• Promotes greater productivity and efficiency
• Eliminates talent gaps
• Increases employee retention and reduces turnover
• Enhances customer experience and engagement
• Boosts business growth
• Augments financial decision making
How to develop a staffing plan best suited to your organization’s goals
To create an effective strategic staffing plan, your organization’s staffing needs must be clearly outlined. Here are the three key steps to follow:
- Identify primary business goals
This is crucial before a staffing plan can be put in place. What are your organization’s main goals, both long- and short-term?
If a new market is to be penetrated, should you recruit new talent for key positions or promote them internally? How tech-savvy should new hires be in this business landscape?
Such staffing decisions are best made when you’re certain of primary business goals, as they could have cascading implications if planned incorrectly. - Understand your current talent pool
It may be a heavy lift, but understanding the workforce at your organization’s disposal is vital for making sound staffing decisions. Gather accurate employee data across every department by coordinating with business heads and managers into one consolidated resource.
Once done, run a thorough analysis of the data and draw inferences and insights from the information available. Keep a keen eye on the total headcount, strength of individual teams, high-performing and underperforming employees based on predetermined criteria, and the average age of the workforce. - Forecast future staffing needs
While conducting your staffing assessment to determine how to move forward, these important aspects can potentially affect business decisions and hiring opportunities:
• Organizational objectives
• Turnover rates
• Upcoming mergers or acquisitions
• New product launches
• Business investments
• Economic uncertainty
• Losing talent to competitors
• Labor costs
• National unemployment rate
Once you’ve developed an appropriate staffing plan and secured buy-in from decision-makers and senior leaders in your organization, you should have a much clearer vision of who should belong in the workforce.
Reach out to us for more insights or information on unique staffing strategies!
References:
What is Strategic Staffing? (betterteam.com)
“What Is Strategic Staffing? [Definition and FAQs].” Betterteam, www.betterteam.com/what-is-strategic-staffing.
How to Develop a Staffing Plan | Lucidchart Blog
“How to Develop a Staffing Plan | Lucidchart Blog.” Lucidchart.com, 16 Sept. 2019, www.lucidchart.com/blog/how-to-develop-a-staffing-plan.
How To Create a Staffing Plan in 9 Steps (With Benefits) | Indeed.com
“10 Steps to Create a Staffing Plan.” Indeed Career Guide, www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/staffing-plan.
