Strong business leadership incorporates strategic workforce planning; the strategic planning of how a workforce should be built, how and why certain positions are filled by certain individuals.

The benefits of building a strategy here, of workforce planning, can reduce costs and maximize the efficiency of your efforts.  What benefits specifically will you enjoy and why does workforce planning benefit not only you but your workers too?

Selecting workers based on the skills your business demands in order to meet the goals you have set means that you are more likely to reach those goals.  Selecting the first available candidate, or without truly analysing the qualities which will be needed to carry out this role well is a mistake which will cost you growth.

Get to know your candidates before welcoming them into the workplace, so that if there are gaps in their knowledge you may already know about it and your workforce planning can account for it.  In the same vein get to know intimately the skill set of those who already make up your team. Training and development should form another part of your workforce strategy; we speak a lot about the skills gap, more specifically the digital skills gap, and it is a very real concern for most employers, by planning for regular training to upskill your team, both new and current, you can prepare them for the future of your company as it grows. 

Knowing the extent of your workforce and planning effectively to match it means that your employees are placed effectively, they are not given an unsuitable job role which they would struggle to exceed within.  The position may challenge them, however by knowing them and their abilities you can place them well. An employee who can handle their job, who feels supported and backed with confidence is a happy and confident employee; in this way, strategic workforce planning can aid employee retention.

Placing staff appropriately, giving them a happy and confident existence in your businesses can not only benefit them but can help you to get the best from your employees.  Extracting the best from your employees, in their most suited roles, driving your business forward means that you are gaining maximum efficiency for the business- no wasted staff or resources.

If you’re reviewing your workforce planning, Chesamel may be able to assist in filling the gaps.  To see how we could work with your organisation, reach out to our team or explore our services here.