1. Workforce planning

2. Workforce planning right number of workers
Workforce planning involves assessing the current
and future labour needs of an organisation to get
the...
right number of workers
with the right skills
in the right place
at the right time
to help it meet its aims and objectives.

3. Stages in workforce planning
Audit the current workforce
Analyse the future workforce in terms of both demand and supply of labour
Identify any gaps
Implement strategies to eliminate the gaps

4. Assessing current workforce needs
Human resource data can be analysed to find out:
How many employees work in each functional area of the business. For example:
Finance, human resources, operations or sales and marketing
The skills and abilities of current staff
The tasks and roles workers carry out

5. Analysing future workforce needs
Supply of labour
How many of the current workforce are likely to retire or leave for other reasons? Will the current workforce have the right skills?
Demand for labour
How many staff will be needed in different areas of the firm & what skills will they need?
Organisational objectives
Does the business intend to grow? Is it considering moving operations elsewhere?
Forecast demand for products
Is the demand for each of the goods and services offered likely to increase or decline?
The external business environment
Are more competitors due to enter the market? At what stage in the business cycle are we?
Changes in technology
Is new technology going to be introduced which may reduce the need for some workers?

6. Strategies for addressing workforce needs
Workforce analysis may indicate that the organisation
should:
Increase the workforce through the recruitment of additional workers
Reduce the workforce through natural wastage, redundancies or restructuring such as delayering
Develop the skills and abilities of the current workforce

7. Workforce activities Recruitment & selection Training and development
Draw up job description & person specification
Advertise the post
Use appropriate selection methods
Appoint and carry out induction training
Training and development
Identify individual training needs
Implement on or off-the-job training
Use appraisal systems to ensure continuous development of employees

8. Training and development

9. Training and development
Training provides work related education which helps employees to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to carry out their jobs. Development helps workers develop and broaden their capabilities to assist their career progress.

10. Importance of T&D A well trained workforce leads to:
Greater productivity
Good quality products and services
More motivated staff
Lower labour turnover and absenteeism
Greater ability to deal with change
More flexibility

11. Training needs analysis (TNA)
Training needs analysis is the assessment of the
training requirements of individual employees or
groups of workers that are needed to allow an
organisation to perform effectively.

12. Induction training This is given to new recruits to prepare them for
their roles. It helps workers to settle in and usually
includes:
Health and safety training
A tour of the workplace and opportunity to meet fellow workers
Information about the values and expectations of the organisation
Discussion about employment issues
Role specific training

13. On-the-job training
This is carried out in the workplace and is related to an
employee’s specific job role.
The three main methods of on-the-job training are:
Observation
Coaching
Mentoring

14. On-the-job training Often cheaper than off-the-job training
Advantages
Disadvantages
Often cheaper than off-the-job training
Good transfer of learning
Workers may feel more comfortable training in familiar surroundings with people they know
Employees are still productive while training
Employers may have more control over the training
Training is usually not provided by professional trainers but by co-workers who:
may be unskilled at providing training
may not be given enough time to carry out training effectively
may pass on bad habits

15. Off-the-job training Off-the-job training is carried out away from the
workplace.
Types of off-the-job training include:
Day release courses at college
Evening classes
Events at specialist training firms

16. Off-the-job training Advantages Disadvantages
Professional trainers and specialist training facilities are used
No distractions from the workplace
Provides an opportunity for networking
Can be very expensive in terms of fees, transport, materials, accommodation and time out of work
Transfer of learning back to the workplace may not be high
Training may lack relevance to the trainee’s job

17. Benefits of T&D
Increased revenues as productivity, quality, service and reputation improve
Lower costs as the workforce is more efficient and there is less wastage
Reduced labour turnover and absenteeism
The workforce becomes more flexible and better able to deal with change
Workers feel more valued and motivated
Workers have better job prospects and job security

18. Costs of T&D
Financial costs for training providers, expenses, administration and time out of work
Disruption to production when training takes place
The possibility that other firms will ‘poach’ staff when they are well trained