Whether you manage a small, intimate team or an international enterprise, you need the right people to fill positions and flourish within your company.
This is workforce planning in a nutshell. The Society for Human Resource Management describes it as “the process an organization uses to analyze its [employees] and determine the steps it must take to prepare for future staffing needs.”
Workforce planning can be broken down into six steps:
- strategic alignment
- supply and demand analysis
- personnel gap closing
- action plan development
- implementation
- progress tracking
At the same time, workforce planning requires another vital component: position management.
How does position management support workforce planning?
Effective position management allows employers to readily determine the:
- purpose each role serves
- positions that contribute to larger goals
- number of employees needed in key positions
Every employee carries a complex string of data that provides companywide insights, helps organizations make informed decisions and allows businesses to proactively recruit and hire the talent their future success demands.
But a company can’t access any of these benefits without position management software to automate and simplify workforce planning. This tech:
- creates consistency
- supports cybersecurity
- streamlines and standardizes processes
- and more
Still, not all position management software is created equal. Employers should invest in an option that automatically adapts and scales with their operations.
What should businesses look for in position management software?
Ultimately, organizations should prioritize simplicity, automation and customization when it comes to position management software. The best option will allow you to:
- tie job traits to a seat — not an employee
- streamline processes to reduce manual data entry (and errors)
- organize similar roles into categories
- enable position-based system permissions
- see and assess your organization with a visual, accessible chart
- optimize recruiting and onboarding
Workforce planning may seem daunting, but only if you lack the right position management software to make it easier.