Having a solid staffing plan is crucial for success. It allows you to optimize your workforce continuously and act proactively, letting you ramp up or down with greater ease and at the proper time.
An effective staffing plan doesn’t happen by accident. Instead, it takes time and effort to create, ensuring critical facets aren’t overlooked by mistake. If you want to make sure your staffing plan is on point, here are the five steps you can’t forget.
1. Performance Analysis
An effective staffing plan involves more than simply ensuring you have enough employees on site. You also want to achieve performance goals, both at the individual level and on a broad scale. With a performance analysis, that’s far easier to achieve.
Spend time reviewing your employees’ and organization’s performance. By examining individual and collective productivity and output quality, you can identify areas that may need addressing. Additionally, you can see how shifts in your workforce makeup may alter the equation, allowing you to target the right gaps when hiring.
2. Talk to Managers at All Levels
Every layer of the leadership team has a unique perspective on your workforce. Direct supervisors may have keen insights about individual teams, while executives have a strong understanding of broader strategic goals.
By speaking with managers at every level, you gain perspective on issues and priorities you may otherwise overlook. That empowers you to create a more effective staffing plan that takes everyone’s needs into account, leading to better overall results.
3. Formalize the Staffing Plan in Writing
A formalized staffing plan acts as a roadmap for success. By outlining the specifics in writing, you essentially create a touchstone that you can return to as the year progresses and various events occur.
In your plan, identify the number and types of positions that’ll need filling. Determine how long they need to be on staff and allocate funds to the role. Identify any must-have skills for the new hire, as well as nice-to-haves and areas you’re willing to train. Create a timeline for filling the associated vacancies, and note which resources you plan to tap when recruiting.
With that in place, you have a guide that covers your staffing needs. Just make sure to build in some flexibility, allowing you to adjust should circumstances change.
4. Focus on Communication
Communication is critical if you want staffing success. Make sure to keep managers informed about the steps you’re taking and when, and go the extra mile to secure buy-in from the executive team. Also, inform any individual contributors who may need insights into what’s on the horizon, particularly teams that are worried about being understaffed or where employees assist in training new hires.
By being open and transparent about the plan, everyone gets on the same page. As a result, things often progress smoother, which is beneficial to all involved.
5. Partner with a Staffing Firm
In many cases, staffing plans involve a mix of permanent and short-term hires. Additionally, they may include hard-to-find skillsets. As a result, having a staffing firm by your side is wise. You’ll get access to knowledgeable recruiters with experience finding and vetting candidates quickly. Plus, it allows you to focus on your other responsibilities, ensuring you remain fully productive while guaranteeing your staffing needs are met.
Bottom Line
At Essium, we know the value of efficient hiring processes that offer exceptional results. Our state-of-the-art technology can make streamlining your hiring and onboarding processes a breeze, all while increasing candidate quality. Contact us to learn more about how our solutions can benefit you.
