Keeping HR in sync is the key to achieve strategic workforce planning.
It can be difficult to achieve an effective workforce plan but with these simple steps, a strategic workforce plan can be accomplished with ease.
If all departments in your company are not in sync, it is impossible to work toward business goals or achieve any real benefits for the business. This is no different when it comes to keeping HR in sync with strategic workforce planning. While the workforce planning process should be continual, this is not always the case which makes it more essential that HR is in sync with the workforce planning model you use in your business. If you are worried that your HR team may not be in sync with your workforce planning strategy, follow these steps to ensure that your organization is operating smoothly.
Steps for Strategic Workforce Planning
Collaboration & Forecasting
The first major step to ensure that your HR team is in sync with your strategic workforce planning model is to have them collaborate when creating the plan and have them help distribute the plan to all departments. When the HR team is involved in creating the plan from the beginning, they will not be surprised or overwhelmed by any goals or objectives they need to meet. HR has the expertise and connections with the business to understand the roles and skills necessary to achieve these goals and objectives and they know the realistic timelines for hiring. Involving HR in the initial creating process of workforce planning is crucial for them to be able to properly execute their role in the process. HR also has a holistic view of workforce costs, so they will be able to know when budgets need to be increased or reduced to achieve business goals.
Monitor Employees
Once the workforce plan is created and the year starts to progress, it is essential to monitor and review actual performance within each department. This will allow you to understand where headcount or spending may be off track and allow you to revise the plan to help departments better achieve their goals. Make sure your monitoring is up-to-date and constant. This will allow you to make sure that nothing unexpected arises and that the plan is being executed effectively.
Drive Towards a Common Goal
To ensure that every department is driving toward a common, company-wide business goal, it is essential that each department have smaller goals to accomplish. HR can stay in sync with workforce planning by making sure each department reports to them once they have completed a goal or a set of goals. This will not only ensure that HR knows what is going on in the business but also allow them to refine or delegate any goals that are not being met. An effective workforce planning process requires that all departments work together and pull their weight within the plan.
When HR ensures that each department is working together toward a common business goal, workforce planning becomes much easier and more effective. HR needs to monitor each department and even create reviews for them to ensure that they are on the right track and that everyone is pulling their weight to meet business objectives. With these steps in mind, achieving a strategic workforce plan will be simple and efficient.
