MANAGE WORKFORCE PLANNING

Task 1 - Theory: Short Answer Questions

Task 1 requires you to demonstrate your knowledge of managing the planning in relation to an organisation's workforce including researching requirements, developing objectives and strategies, implementing initiatives and monitoring and evaluating trends. To enable you to do this, answer the following questions.

1a. Review and interpret information from a range of internal and external sources to identify:

• Current staff turnover and demographics
• Labour supply trends factors that may affect workforce supply
• Organisation's workforce requirements objectives and strategies.

You must use current information and clearly state your sources.

1b. Describe how industrial relations function or work relevant to the industry of your organisation.

1c. Describe what labour force analysis and labour forecasting techniques are.

Task 2 - Project: Produce a Workforce Plan

This Assessment requires you to develop a workforce plan which includes relevant research and specific strategies to ensure access to a skilled workforce. It may be written using either the simulated business, Bounce Fitness, or your organisation.

You must also demonstrate knowledge of labour demand and supply relative to the specific industry or skill requirements of the organisation that you are using for this Assessment - either the simulated business, Bounce Fitness, or your organisation.

Address each of the following points in a draft format and then write them up for your Assessor in a plan format.

Examples of appropriate plans are available on the website of the simulated business, Bounce Fitness.

1. Start by assessing the supply and demand:

1a. Discuss the business plans of your chosen business to determine predicted areas of organisational growth and downsizing, and associated labour requirements.

1b. Analyse the existing workforce to determine areas where there are excesses or shortages.

1c. Review organisational requirements for diversity in the workforce.

1d. Analyse the current workforce's capacity to meet current and predicted demands for business goods and services.

1e. Consider existing organisational structure and its strengths and shortcomings in relation to foreseeable changes.

1f. Research and review current and predicted external labour supply data, and demographic and economic data, to forecast human resources supply.

1g. Review staffing budgets to predict cost of workforce changes.

2. Now you can develop your objectives and strategies for your plan:

2a. Establish the objectives for the modification to or retention of the workforce.

2b. Define the objectives to address areas with unacceptably high staff turnover.

2c. Define the objectives to retain required skilled labour.

2d. Define the strategies to source skilled labour.

2e. Communicate the objectives and rationale to relevant stakeholders.

2f. Obtain agreement and endorsement for objectives and establish targets.

2g. Develop contingency plans to cope with extreme situations.

3. Next discuss how you would implement initiatives to support workforce planning objectives:

3a. How will you implement action to support agreed objectives for recruitment, training, redeployment, and redundancy?

3b. How will you develop and implement strategies to assist the workforce to deal with organisational change?

3c. How will you implement a succession planning system to ensure desirable workers are developed and retained?

3d. How will you implement programs to ensure the workplace is an employer of choice?

4. Finally, discuss how you will monitor and evaluate workforce trends:

4a. Review workforce plan against patterns in exiting employee and workforce changes.

4b. Monitor labour supply trends for areas of over- or under-supply in the external environment.

4c. Monitor effects of labour trends on demand for labour.

4d. Survey organisational climate to gauge worker satisfaction.

4e. Refine objectives and strategies in response to internal and external changes and make recommendations in response to global trends or incidents.

4f. Regularly review government policy on labour demand and supply.

4g. Evaluate effectiveness of change processes against agreed objectives.

Task 3 - Evidence Record

This form provides verification and evidence that Learner has demonstrated the skills and applies the knowledge required to manage planning in relation to an organisation's workforce including researching requirements, developing objectives and strategies, implementing initiatives and monitoring and evaluating trends.

It applies to individuals who are human resource managers or staff members with a role in a policy or planning unit that focuses on workforce planning.

The Assessor will observe aspects of this by the Learner as much as possible but will also require information from a Manager or Supervisor of the Learner to corroborate and verify their assessment. The Assessor will arrange a time to meet and complete this Evidence Record with that Manager or Supervisor.

Element 1 - Research Workforce Requirements:

Did the Learner effectively review current data on staff turnover and demographics?

Did the Learner effectively assess factors that may affect workforce supply? Factors that may affect workforce supply may include:

• Changes in technology
• Competition for workers
• Economic conditions
• Industry changes
• Market trends
• Skills and labour shortages
• Unemployment rates.

Did the Learner effectively establish the organisation's requirements for a skilled and diverse workforce? Requirements for a skilled and diverse workforce may include:

• Age
• Gender
• Generational
• Learning styles
• Race
• Religious beliefs
• Sexuality
• Workers' background, including cultural and linguistic background.

Element 2 - Workforce Objectives and Strategies:

Did the Learner effectively review organisational strategy and establish aligned objectives for the modification or retention of the workforce? Objectives may include:

• Becoming an employer of choice
• Specific objectives for the organisation on recruitment, training, redeployment and redundancy
• Triple bottom line.

Did the Learner effectively define whether staff turnover is unacceptable and if so consider strategies to address the turnover?

Did the Learner effectively define objectives to retain required skilled labour?

Did the Learner effectively define objectives for workforce diversity and cross-cultural management?

Did the Learner effectively define strategies to source skilled labour?

Did the Learner effectively communicate objectives and rationale to relevant stakeholders?

Did the Learner effectively obtain agreement and endorsement for objectives and establish targets?

Did the Learner effectively develop contingency plans to cope with extreme situations?

Element 3 - Implement Initiatives to Support Workforce Planning Objectives:

Did the Learner effectively implement action to support agreed objectives for recruitment, training, redeployment and redundancy?

Did the Learner effectively develop and implement strategies to assist workforce to deal with organisational change?

Did the Learner effectively develop and implement strategies to assist in meeting the organisation's workforce diversity goals?

Did the Learner effectively implement succession planning system to ensure desirable workers are developed and retained?

Did the Learner effectively implement programs to ensure workplace is an employer of choice?

Element 4 - Monitor and Evaluate Workforce Trends:

Did the Learner effectively review workforce plan against patterns in exiting employee and workforce changes?

Did the Learner effectively monitor labour supply trends for areas of over-or-under supply in the external environment?

Did the Learner effectively monitor effects of labour trends on demand for labour?

Did the Learner effectively survey organisational climate to gauge worker satisfaction? Survey organisational climate could include:

• Employee opinion surveys
• Employee satisfaction surveys
• Systems for checking how staff perceive the organisation and its function.

Did the Learner effectively refine objectives and strategies in response to internal and external changes and make recommendations in response to global trends and incidents?

Did the Learner effectively regularly review government policy on labour demand and supply?

Did the Learner effectively evaluate effectiveness of change processes against agreed objectives?

Performance Evidence:

Is the Learner able to effectively review and interpret information from a range of internal and external sources to identify:

• Current staff turnover and demographics?
• Labour supply trends factors that may affect workforce supply?
• Organisation's workforce requirements objectives and strategies?

Is the Learner able to effectively manage workforce planning including developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing strategies to meet workforce needs?

Is the Learner able to effectively review relevant trends and supply and demand factors that will impact on an organisation's workforce?

Is the Learner able to effectively develop a workforce plan that includes relevant research and specific strategies to ensure access to a skilled and diverse workforce?

Knowledge Evidence:

Is the Learner able to effectively explain current information about external labour supply relevant to the specific industry or skill requirements of the organisation?

Is the Learner able to effectively outline industrial relations relevant to the specific industry?

Is the Learner able to effectively describe labour force analysis and forecasting techniques?