High workloads and constant deadlines often push organizations into a cycle of ad hoc hiring, filling vacancies quickly without thinking long-term. This can lead to a mismatch between employee skills and the company's future needs, which can hinder growth and innovation. Lieke, head of account management, explains how strategic workforce planning breaks this pattern.
The importance of strategic workforce planning
With strategic workforce planning, you ensure that your company has the right people with the right skills for the future. You combine your business plans with actively developing your team for both current and future needs. This process ensures that you not only have the right talent in place in the short term, but also invest in developing your employees to meet future challenges. The result is a resilient organization that proactively responds to changes in the marketplace, fosters innovation and lays a strong foundation for sustainable growth.
"Strategic workforce planning is not just about filling current vacancies," Lieke explains. "It's having foresight, understanding what your team should look like in five years and what you need to do now to achieve that. This long-term view helps companies build a team that not only succeeds today, but can thrive in the future."
Take the time to build your ideal team
"Many managers get stuck in a pattern of meeting one tight deadline after another, which means they never have time to think about the future," Lieke notes. Often budget constraints and the complexity of predicting future needs also play a role in procrastination. The solution? "Start with a clear understanding of the ideal team and the company's strategic goals," says Lieke. "It all starts with a blank sheet of paper. What are your operations and what is your ideal team? What hard skills and soft skills should employees have? What are the male/female ratios and what do you need now to have this team five or 10 years from now?"
For companies that want to begin strategic workforce planning, Lieke advises, "Give yourself time to think it through. Start with a clear vision of your future goals and take the time to evaluate the current skills within your team. Identify the gap between where you are now and where you want to be. This requires not only a thorough analysis, but also open conversations with your team about their aspirations and development opportunities. Then, put together a plan for both internal development and external recruitment aimed at closing that gap. This process ensures a focused approach, investing in people who will move your organization forward."
Investing in the future
"It may sound like a big task that you're up against, but it's an investment in the future that's going to help your operations and the success of your company later on," Lieke continues. "For example, I spoke to a manager at a company with many seniors, some mediors and many freelancers. He experienced the problem that crucial knowledge stuck with zzp'ers, which led to the mediors leaving. Together we looked at setting up strategic personnel planning. Eventually, he reduced the number of freelancers and hired young talent instead to encourage knowledge sharing and reduce costs. This resulted in a dynamic team and a more efficient cost structure by putting the right people in the right places."
Greater diversity through strategic workforce planning
Diversity in skills within a team is not just an enrichment; it is a strategic necessity. By making diversity a core component of strategic workforce planning, organizations ensure that their teams are not only prepared for current challenges, but also flexible and innovative enough to seize future opportunities. "Teams that combine a wide range of skills and perspectives are better equipped to solve complex problems. They are better at generating innovative solutions and better able to adapt to the rapidly changing demands of the market," Els states.
When team members bring in different strengths and specialties, they complement each other and increase the team's overall effectiveness and resilience. Be sure to consider diversity and inclusion right from the writing of a job posting. This creates a dynamic work environment where challenges are approached from multiple perspectives, leading to more thoughtful and sustainable solutions.
A leader who dares
Support from within the organization is essential to the success of strategic workforce planning. "You need a corporate culture where change is embraced and where there is room for development," Els emphasizes. In addition, you need an inspiring leader who dares to say, 'Enough is enough, we have to do things differently,'" says Els. Courageous and inspiring leadership contributes to a long-term vision and ensures that the team is constantly evolving to meet future challenges.
The success of strategic workforce planning initiatives can be measured by various KPIs, such as reducing external costs, improving employee satisfaction, and the extent to which the company achieves its strategic goals. "You know you are successful when you see movement in the direction you wanted to go," says Els.
Foundation for the future
In a world where the pressure to deliver immediate results often comes at the expense of the future, strategic workforce planning provides the necessary balance. It is a method that not only addresses current needs, but also lays a foundation for future growth and success. "By investing in the right people, with the right skills, for the right roles, we are not only building teams that are successful today, but also able to meet the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow," concludes Els.
➡️ Strategic workforce planning in practice: Ferdi Leenders chose our young professionals 10 years ago. Wondering how that turned out? Read his experience.
