Introduction
Workforce analysis is the procedure that different types of business organizations are able to review their staffing trends and their data which enables them to determine their future needs to hire new staff and also their current hiring procedures. This procedure enables the organization to determine exactly what kind of experience, skills and knowledge that they require from their staff. The right kind of workforce will be able to go an extra mile to ensure that the organization meets its goals and objectives. Workforce analysis requires the backing of a strong administrative and management leadership. This management should have the vision of the organization clearly articulated and their objectives placed strategically. This type of analysis enables the managers to anticipate the company’s turnover management decision making process on their goals will be accurately done. This argument clearly shows how a workforce analysis goes hand in hand with project management, budgeting and the goals of the organizations. An organization that is set to achieve its short term and long term goals require a good workforce analysis. The following paper will discuss the challenges, strategies and implications of workforce analysis. The topics that will be considered include downsizing, outsourcing, employee turnover and retention, employment at will and employee orientation.
The success of any type of business depends on having the right kind of employees with the right knowledge and skills for the kind of labor they are going to offer and all this should be done at the right time. The general overview of how workforce planning benefits an organization is in the way it enables the management and the working of programs effectively. The workforce analysis should show assessments off competency of the employees, analysis of any gaps that might have been created due to any resignations and how the employees are able to transition the planning that makes up the workforce analysis. This kind of information institutes the soundness of any workforce plan by being able to show the relationships and links between all the other processes in an organization with this type of analysis. Some of the challenges that face workforce analysis include the fact that finding the right kind of employees for the right jobs at the right time might be a challenge. It is extremely difficult to be sure that the employees hired are the right fit for their positions. The human resource department members always state that they would know the right fit when they are able to see it. This meant that companies can reject employees who are highly qualified and very experienced under the delusion of them not being the right fit.
Different strategies are used by different businesses in their staffing procedures. Some of these procedures is by placing a different kind of advertisement in the local newspapers, posting the same advertisements are posted online, writing internal memos incase of any promotions opportunity and referrals, by enlisting your employment and executive employment agencies and also by using the numerous government centers for jobs. Companies that are very progressive are also able to use the social media strategy to access the most qualified candidates for their workforce needs.
Employee orientation is the investment that a company invests in their employees in a long term plan. This process happens at the initial stages of any working environment so that the employees have an easy understanding of the basic information, services and programs, it gives clarity and this encourages the employees to take a better and more active role in the business organization. This process promotes the consistent management of the business; it also demonstrates a certain commitment to the equal and human treatment of the workers. Clear standard is also set by the employees being clear thus reducing the chances of any misunderstandings and disputes. The strategies used to ensure smooth employee orientation is through seminars and courses that are offered for the human resource personnel can be able to offer the best type of orientation for their personnel. The challenges that face this process include the fact that certain orientation programs can be redundant for the different types of employees in an organization. An example is when a business decides to orient all their employees at once while the said employees have different specialties. This type of orientation can also be rather biased and some employees may feel undermined. The implications of employee orientation are that the company will be able to equip their employees with the necessary knowledge that they need for the company and it also makes them feel welcome thus making them more productive and proactive.
Employment at will means that an employee can be easily dismissed by their employer for any particular reason without having to justify their actions and giving any just cause. This is normally done with no warning to the employee and they cannot claim for anything since they were hired at will. When the term hired at will is used this means that the employee cannot demand for any justification or cause for their employment termination. Moreover, an employee can also choose to leave their jobs at any time with no warning to the employer. Most of the employees who are employed at will are not protected by the signing of any contracts or by any type of legal agreement. The strategy used for employment at will is the right that the employers have to discharge or terminate their employees at will for any reason. Despite the fact this kind of rule is not very popularly practiced, there are still some business that run with this rule.
The employers may only need the employees up to a certain period of time and when that time is up the employees are discharged from their duties. The challenges that are faced in employment at will is the fact that many job candidates require to know the exact time that they will be working for the organization that is in term of a contract and most of them also require a certain type of stability in their jobs. The implications are most businesses have had to draw up contracts that are binding and this rule that was used traditionally is quickly losing its popularity. This implies that employers now embrace the signing of agreements as this will also act as a motivating tool for the employees. In the long run the business will continue growing because it has a workforce that is stable and highly motivated.
Downsizing is the process of reducing the number of employees that work in a particular organization that were on the company’s payroll. This is normally a permanent process and the employees who were let go may not be rehired. Downsizing can also be done to the branches or departments in the company that are considered not productive. When a company decides to downsize the company it is mostly trying to find better methods of improving efficiency and maximize their profit making. The challenges that face downsizing is the fact that after the employees have been let go the company’s image flatters.
The company will seem like it is in financial struggles and investor confidence in the company will be shaken. Qualified candidates might be apprehensive about applying to that company in the fear that they could also be downsized. Another challenge is to motivate the remaining employees. Their employees will be worried about their jobs that they will not perform them effectively. There are different strategies that the company can use to ensure effective downsizing. Giving the employees notices about the impending procedure so that they can be able to look for new jobs will speak well of the company. Payment of their severance packages will also effectively reassure the remaining employees that incase of any more downsizing they will be taken care off. The implications of downsizing are the pull out of certain investors from the company because they will not be able to trust that company anymore. This might therefore force the company to look for new investors so that they can be able to rebuild the company or the company may end up shutting down.
Outsourcing is looking for certain skills, products or services from an outside party. Outsourcing can be both local and foreign. Some companies even have to open branches outside the country so that they can be able to lower operational costs. Almost all the companies outsource at one point of their operations. The outsourced product or service is usually considered as an added advantage to the company. An example would be when an insurance company outsources the landscaping services from a different firm that specializes in landscaping. One of the challenges that mostly affects companies when it comes to outsourcing is delivery.
The outsourced company might delay the service or bring in the wrong product thus slowing down the business. The problem is even greater if a company is outsourcing a whole department of their business. Some of the strategies that companies use when it comes to outsourcing is ensuring that the company they decide to outsource from is highly reputable and has a good working record with other businesses. Therefore good communication skills between the clients and the providers are very important. The implications that can be felt when it comes to outsourcing include the disruptions of operations in case something happens to the company providing the service. If the service provided is of good quality this implies that the company will end up lowering the cost of their operations and in the end making their products and services more effective and of high quality.
Employee turnover refers to the number of employees who decide to leave an organization in a given period of time and it is usually expressed as a proportion of a percentage of the total number of employees in the organization. Employee retention is the number of employees an employer is able to retain in his company over a certain period of time. Employee turnover included all the employees who were fired, resigned, retired or just made redundant. Employee turnover starts being challenged when the skills that were being offered become scarce and the rate of employing new employees become very expensive. The challenges of employee retention only come about when the employees start being reluctant in their duties and their quality of work diminishes. The strategies used to avoid any of the challenges above are by training the current employees so that they are more productive and skilled. It is possible to retain the workers but have a high quality workforce despite having a employee turnover that is very high.
In conclusion, workforce analysis has been in the past approved not in the basis of being qualified but of being credible. This kind of thinking would stand the test of time because organizations will start running into difficulties. The challenges, strategies and implications that occur because of workforce analysis create a better understanding of the importance of this procedure. The success of any business organization is always determined by the workforce. The different employment practices that are carried out in any workplace are important to the general growth of the employees. Outsourcing will lower the cost of operations while employee orientation will ensure that the employees feel welcome and reduce any chances of disputes. It is important for the employees to familiarize themselves with ever employment practices so that they get to understand the dynamics of the working place.
