1. Workforce planning
THE TIMES 100

2. Workforce planning
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 the current workforce
Human resource data can be analysed to find out:
How many employees work in each area of the business
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 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 de-layering
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. Workforce planning in context

9. Reasons for workforce planning at Tarmac
Why is workforce planning so important for Tarmac? Use the case study to help you find out.
Workforce planning is important to Tarmac for the following reasons:
It needs the workers to help it deliver its vision to ‘achieve the exceptional’ and improve the business
The nature of Tarmac’s business is constantly changing and evolving so it needs to anticipate where new skills are required, such as those involved with different technologies
The scope of Tarmac’s business means that it must have a diverse workforce with a range of specialist skills both onsite and in Head Offices
As with any other business, some workers will leave or be promoted within the business
The economic climate will affect demand for Tarmac’s products

10. Recruitment
When future employment needs have been identified, businesses may find they have to recruit and select new workers. List the stages that Tarmac goes through to ensure it selects the right candidates. Use the Tarmac case study to help you
The stages are:
Identification of recruitment needs
Set job descriptions and person specifications
Advertise
Short list applicants
Carry out interviews
Select candidates

11. Engaging workers
Having the right number of workers with the correct skills is crucial, but once these workers are in place, organisations must also make sure they are engaged and motivated. What does Tarmac do to ensure its employees are motivated? Use the case study to help you
Tarmac ensures that employees are motivated by:
Providing clear and understandable objectives and targets
Using personal development plans
Helping workers to improve and acquire the skills, qualifications and training they need to do their jobs efficiently
Recognising workers’ performance and rewarding them accordingly

12. Personal development plans
Personal development plans are used at Tarmac to enable employees to identify the skills they want to develop. What questions will employees ask when preparing personal development plans at Tarmac?
Questions include:
What skills or behaviours do I want to develop?
What actions will I take to develop them?
When will I do this?
What are the benefits of development for me? How do they help Tarmac?
How do I measure my success?

13. Useful resources
Workforce planning lesson suggestions and resources (The Times 100)
Tarmac case study (The Times 100)
Tarmac website –