Want Your Company to Outperform Expectations? Then Hire the Right Team
Every year, your budget contains salary and personnel requirements. Unfortunately, many companies make an estimation or use short-term projections and leave it at that. This narrow focus often leads to issues like overspending, unfilled positions and bad hiring choices. Why? Because most Boston companies operate reactively when it comes to hiring. A position opens and they scramble to find someone to fill the job. However, with a strategic staffing plan in place you can exercise greater control over your budget while improving hiring and retention across the board.
What is Strategic Staffing Planning?
Many organizations define strategic staffing differently, but it can generally be described as a method of systematically anticipating staffing needs and planning out actions that can be taken today to meet the needs of tomorrow. This requires you to:
- have a thorough understanding of the current workforce;
- predict potential changes that could impact the workforce in the future;
- Identify the skills and core competencies that will drive the business towards its goals; and
- develop strategies and tactics for building the workforce you need.
A strategic plan puts you a step ahead of your staffing needs, rather than getting stuck behind the proverbial eight ball.
The Elements of a Strategic Staffing Plan
What should go into a strategic staffing plan? Effective strategies include:
- Supply Analysis: Take an inventory of the current workforce. What are their demographics and competencies? Who is currently in line for succession in management and leadership?
- Demand Analysis: Take an inventory of the skills and core competencies you will need throughout the year to achieve business goals. This requires predicting internal and external factors that may impact the current workforce as defined in the supply analysis.
- Calendar Analysis: Take stock of seasonal changes in demand and any potential new deals or contracts that could stress the current workforce or change the skills required to achieve your goals.
- Gap Analysis: Compare the supply, demand and calendar to determine skill gaps and surpluses.
- Solution Analysis: Develop strategies for closing gaps to build skills you need and reduce those that are in excess. Solutions should also include contingent labor (Boston temporary staffing, contract workers and subject matter experts) to help manage short-term changes in workflow.
It Pays to Connect With a Strategic Staffing Partner
Developing a strategic staffing plan isn’t always easy – and executing that plan can be an even bigger challenge if your organization has typically operated from a reactionary position of filling vacancies. A strategic staffing partner can help you develop an effective, proactive plan and ensure you have access to the talent you need to ramp up your workforce, when you need it.
If your organization is looking for strategic staffing in Boston, contact the experts at Contemporaries, Inc. today. As one of the best Boston temp agencies, we can help you plan and execute staffing strategies that ensure your success today, tomorrow and well into the future.