If your company is growing, you’re likely taking a fresh look at your current workforce. While creating jobs is a boost to the economy, it’s not a decision employers make on a whim. How do you know it’s time to increase your workforce?

Long-Term Planning

The best way to anticipate workforce needs is to plan ahead. Being proactive in your workforce needs, rather than reactive, is the key to avoiding panic mode.

Your human resources department is in an ideal position to monitor hiring cycles and partner with senior management to develop a workforce plan. Be sure your plan includes:

• Forecast of the company’s growth.
• Development plans for current employees who may move into leadership roles.
• Retention plans to keep current employees, such as allowing for advancement.
• Assessment of necessary skills and experience in both current positions and anticipated positions.
• Options for meeting workforce needs internally and by recruiting additional full-time or temporary employees.

Feedback from Employees

The state of your employees is a good indicator of the health of your business. If managers and human resources are overloaded with complaints of a too heavy workload, it’s time to examine the issue.

Sooner or later employee issues become customer issues and affect the bottom line. Here’s how to validate employee feedback:

• Task managers with a review of the workloads of their subordinates.
• Determine if projects are falling behind or through the cracks.
• Evaluate job duties and processes for sticking points.

If employees are routinely overworked, burnout won’t be too far behind. This is a key indicator that it’s time to add to your workforce.

New Skill Sets Needed

As your company grows and enters new territory, demands on your current workforce increase, and so might the need for different skill sets.

• Look within first. Knowing the capabilities of your current workforce is the best place to start. Perhaps an employee’s skill set is mismatched with their current position and would better serve the company in a new position.
• Determine what lies ahead and hire for it. Recruit based not only on what the company needs today, but what it will likely need in the next few years. This is where forecasting for your company’s talent needs comes in handy.

Let’s Work Together to Plan Your Workforce

Your company can rely on our staffing experts to assist you in planning for workforce needs. Let us save you time and stress in finding qualified employees. Contact us today to discuss your staffing needs.