Reasons for Workforce Planning
Workforce planning is the management process that involves getting the right number of personnel with the required skills, experiences and competencies that match the available job opportunities at any given time. It is thus a comprehensive workforce management process that enables managers to have an appropriate framework for making staffing decisions subject to the missions, strategic plan, budgetary resources and desired workforce competencies.
The reasons for workforce planning are several or multiple. To start with, workforce planning enables managers to make strategic human resource decisions. With a comprehensive workforce management plan, the human resources management is capable of anticipating a change in the workforce market and demand patterns and provides strategic leadership and direction in addressing such workforce issues.
The success of any organization heavily depends on its ability to recruit and maintain the right employees that have the right competencies at the appropriate time. In this connection, workforce planning helps managers to identify the skills and competencies that the organization needs at any given time. This helps in the selection and development of the needed workforce.
The cost of hiring and maintaining human resources is high. Human resources-related costs are thus important components of any organization's financial budget and plan. On the other hand, the cost associated with employee turnover, replacement, retraining, and retention of a strong workforce hikes the human resource-related costs. However, a good workforce planning process can help an organization to cut on these costs. This is because effective workforce planning ensures efficient and effective recruitment, training and retention of a competent and productive workforce.
Workforce planning can enable the management to identify the need for outsourcing of services, especially where there are gaps. This will direct the management accordingly especially in strategic decisions including analysis of ways in which technology and other business-related changes are impacting skills requirement for the workforce.
