You draw up a staff planning strategy by comparing your organisation’s current staffing levels with its expected future staffing requirements, and planning specific actions on that basis. This applies to organisations of all sizes: from small SMEs to large corporations. Effective strategic workforce planning ensures that you always have the right people in the right place. In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions about how to go about this.
What are the steps involved in effective workforce planning?
Effective workforce planning involves five steps: analyse your current situation, map out future requirements, identify the gap between the two, draw up a concrete action plan, and monitor and evaluate. This process forms the core of strategic workforce planning and helps your organisation look ahead rather than simply reacting to the issues of the day.
- Analyse the current staffing levels: Identify how many staff members you have, what roles they fulfil and what skills they possess.
- Determine future requirements: Consider your organisational objectives, expected growth or decline, and changes in the market.
- Identify the gap: Compare the current situation with the desired situation. Where do you have a shortage of staff, a lack of specific expertise, or, conversely, a surplus?
- Draw up an action plan: Translate the identified difference into specific measures: recruitment, training, internal mobility or redeployment.
- Monitor and evaluate: Staff planning is not a one-off exercise. Check regularly whether your plan still reflects the reality on the ground.
By systematically following these steps, you’ll be proactively working towards a healthy organisation that’s ready for whatever lies ahead.
What information do you need to draw up a staff rota?
For reliable staff planning, you need an understanding of both your current workforce and the expected developments within your organisation and the labour market. Without good data, planning is nothing more than a well-intentioned guess.
The main sources of information are:
- Staff details: Age distribution, types of contract, job roles, educational qualifications and employment status.
- Strategic organisational objectives: Growth plans, new products or services, reorganisations or mergers.
- Labour market information: Shortages in certain roles, the salary market and the availability of talent.
- Historical personnel data: Staff turnover, sickness absence figures and internal progression over recent years.
- Competency profiles: What knowledge and skills are currently available, and which will be needed in the future?
The more you combine this information, the more precise your planning becomes. Organisations that invest in high-quality HR data find that they can respond to changes more quickly and effectively.
How do you work out the staffing requirements for your organisation?
You calculate staffing requirements by converting the expected workload into the required number of FTEs, taking into account leave, sickness and other factors that affect available capacity. This gives you a realistic picture of how many people you actually need.
A common approach is:
- Calculate the total expected workload in hours or tasks over a specific period.
- Calculate the average number of available hours per employee per year, after deducting leave and other absences.
- Divide the total workload by the number of hours available per employee to calculate the required number of FTEs.
- Add a buffer to cope with unexpected peak loads or temporary increases in demand.
In addition to this quantitative calculation, it is also important to take a qualitative approach: it is not just a question of how many people you need, but also what skills and experience they should bring to the role. Strategic workforce planning always combines both perspectives.
Which tools and software can help with staff planning?
There are various tools and software solutions that simplify the process of creating a staff rota, ranging from simple spreadsheets to specialised HR systems with analytical capabilities. The best choice depends on the size of your organisation and the complexity of your rota planning.
HR software and planning systems
Systems such as AFAS, Exact HR or SAP SuccessFactors offer comprehensive capabilities for staff attendance tracking, capacity planning and reporting. They link staff data to financial forecasts and make it easier to run through different scenarios.
Scientifically validated assessment tools
Assessment tools are valuable for gaining a deeper insight into employees’ talents and competencies. For example, we use the BrainsFirst methodology, in which online brain games identify employees’ natural talents and cognitive behavioural preferences. This provides organisations with an objective and scientifically grounded picture of the talent they have in-house and where there is potential for growth.
In addition to these tools, simple options such as Excel or Google Sheets are also useful for smaller organisations that are just starting out with structured staff planning.
What are some common mistakes made in staff planning?
The most common mistakes in staff planning are: planning with too short a time horizon, failing to take sufficient account of internal mobility, and treating the plan as a one-off document rather than a living tool. By being aware of these pitfalls, you can actively avoid them.
- Plan only for the short term: A plan that looks only three months ahead lacks strategic value. Think at least one to three years ahead.
- Not involving staff: Staff planning that is carried out purely on a top-down basis fails to take into account valuable input regarding employees’ own ambitions and capabilities.
- Do not take staff turnover into account: Don’t forget that some of your current staff will be leaving the organisation in the coming years, either through retirement or for other reasons.
- Do not update the schedule: A plan that ends up in a drawer once it has been drawn up quickly loses its value. Schedule regular review meetings.
- Thinking purely in quantitative terms: Numbers are important, but people’s skills, motivation and potential for development are just as crucial to success.
How do you keep staff planning flexible and future-proof?
You can ensure your staff planning remains flexible and future-proof by working with scenarios, carrying out regular reviews and investing in staff development so that they can adapt to changing needs. In a rapidly changing world, agility is key.
Practical ways to make your planning future-proof:
- Work with multiple scenarios: As well as a base-case scenario, draw up an optimistic and a conservative scenario, so that you are prepared for different outcomes.
- Invest in development: Employees who continue to develop their skills are more versatile and find it easier to grow alongside the organisation.
- Encourage internal mobility: Look within your organisation first before recruiting externally. Staff who are able to switch roles significantly increase your organisation’s flexibility.
- Carry out an evaluation at least once a year: Schedule regular reviews to assess whether the staff rota reflects the current situation and make adjustments where necessary.
- Actively involve managers: They have the best insight into day-to-day reality and can identify where planning and practice begin to diverge.
Sustainable employability is not an end goal, but an ongoing process. Organisations that pay systematic attention to this are building a resilient and motivated workplace.
How Nieuwkans helps with strategic workforce planning
At Nieuwkans, we support organisations and employees in working towards sustainable employability and career development. We believe that effective workforce planning starts with people: their talents, ambitions and potential for development. Our approach is always bespoke; we never offer a one-size-fits-all solution.
What we can do for your organisation:
- Personal coaching and development programmes for staff who wish to develop or take a new direction.
- Support with career development and internal mobility, to ensure that talent is retained within the organisation.
- Scientifically-based talent analysis using the BrainsFirst methodology, providing a clear picture of the talent available within the organisation.
- Support with outplacement and second-track programmes, when employees are taking a new step outside the organisation.
- Programmes focusing on behaviour, leadership and team development, tailored to your organisation’s objectives.
Would you like to know how we can support your organisation with workforce planning and sustainable employability? Contact us and we’re happy to help you find the right solution. If you’d like more information about additional career tools and services, please visit Skillscapers.