It seems everyone is having a Recruiting and Retention problem. The solution, almost universally is higher pay, more benefits at less cost and perks; we can’t forget the perks. When you add all of this together, you find that everyone is doing the same thing, no one is different, and workers are moving from employer to employer. As we struggle with Recruiting and Retention, we may forget that simple solutions, that aren’t the same as everyone else, are the best. In other words, Fix your Recruiting and Retention Problem with simple solutions.
Here’s how…
We’ll begin with a simple statement,
“A business is buildings, equipment, and its workforce. The buildings and equipment of those businesses can be the same; it is the workforce that makes each different. The economy, competition, climate, political environments are every businesses issue. Solutions for them don’t come from buildings or equipment; they come from the workforce. Solutions come from YOUR workforce; the very people who made your company successful, to begin with.”
All too often, the workforce is viewed as a cost to be managed and contained, instead of the investment that will drive strategy execution, improved performance, profitability, and shareholder value. In other words, many businesses ignore the unduplicatable value of their workforce. What I’m directing this conversation toward is Workforce Planning as a solution for your Recruiting and Retention issues.
What is Workforce Planning?
- It is the system and processes by which leaders ensure they have a sustainable supply of the right talent, available at the right place and time, to meet their short- and long-term business objectives.
- It is an action plan to help you meet your desired long-term goals to maintain long-term success. It’s an ongoing process that allows your company to prepare for the future.
- It supports the Businesses Strategic Plan.
Sounds simple enough and it can be. Far too many businesses complicate the process by believing you have to have and use certain software, utilize specific testing instruments, and have very specific credentials. You don’t need any of that.
Workforce planning can be accomplished using basic office management software, knowledge of statistics and basic math, and experience in quantifiable human resource management. Nothing more than that. Of course, understand the process is also necessary, but even that is simple. The basic steps to developing and executing a Workforce Plan are:
- Develop a Business Strategic Plan
- Identify the necessary Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Experience, and Behaviors (KSAEB’s) necessary to execute the plan
- Identify the gaps between your current workforce KSAEB’s and the needed ones
- Fill/Correct the gap
- Execute your strategic plan
- Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control the process.
That doesn’t mean anyone can do this, however. Workforce Planning often requires skills that are not present within the business or within its HR function. It will, in many instances, require HR to abandon traditional belief systems and transform them into more productive, although complimentary, processes. Commonly HR approaches the workforce as something to be treated with “sameness.” Treating all employees the same regardless of their level of performance is the customary approach used.
Further, HR focuses the bulk of its energies on improving low performers instead of supporting high performers. Their measurements are transactional and focusing on easily managed activity such as turnover, time to fill, cost per hire, and so forth. Because the focus has been on cost containment, HR has not developed the skills to drive workforce excellence.
Most businesses develop strategies to optimize resources, such as:
- Capital
- Brands
- Technology
- Few businesses are as meaningful in their strategies for their most costly resource; their workforce.
- Effective workforce management strategies and practices have a powerful effect on business outcomes, which include Performance, Profitability, and Shareholder Value.
If you want long term Recruiting and retention success, If you want to lead your industry in performance, productivity, profitability, and shareholder value, you’ll give serious consideration to Workforce Planning. NO ONE can duplicate the power of YOUR Workforce; YOU should capitalize on that. It’s time to plan your Workforce.