The Importance of Workforce Planning at Payara

JuliaPublished on
by Julia Millidge

As a SME (Small to Medium Sized Enterprise) competing for talent in a highly competitive market, the People team focus on working alongside Team leaders to increase their understanding of how to approach ‘future state’ team organisation, identify roles, and develop the existing team members. To do this we use a mechanism called Workforce Planning. 

Workforce Planning is a mechanism that all businesses use to assess and plan for an increase in staffing numbers both through Growth Roles (new positions created)  and Churn Roles (turnover due to terminations or retirement).

Effective work force planning will help any business identify the necessary skills, experience and competencies required in their growing team. To do this a business will need to consider the following:  

  1. What skills and knowledge are needed for roles?
  2. What is the forecast number and time scales for hiring?
  3. What recruitment planning needs to take place to attract the talent required?
  4. Can we upskill and develop existing staff?
  5. Are our pay and compensation strategies competitive to attract the talent required?
  6. How can we transfer essential skills and knowledge?
  7. Have we got  clear career pathways that lead to succession planning?  
  8. Is our recruitment process smooth efficient and inclusive? 

At Payara, the People team host weekly and monthly education sessions for Team leaders to discuss and focus on the list above with the aim of encouraging Team Leaders to prepare for growth and change. 

During the business year we carry out the workforce planning cycle twice, asking team leaders to consider their team in detail against the questions below: 

  • Who is performing in the top 20 % – who would they want to retain at all costs!! 
  • Who is performing in the bottom 20% – who do they expect to lose through Performance Management churn or resignation? 
  • What new roles may be created due to new projects or team needs ? How many and when during the year ? 
  • Are there any  internal promotions or movements within the team which will leave a backfill position?
  • Any other changes which will impact headcount and hiring?

The outcome of the discussions are always interesting and lay the foundation for the People team to develop and evolve the recruitment plans in place continuously. As a business with an aggressive 3 year growth plan, hiring the right talent at the right time is a huge investment, so ensuring the business gets the best outcome is a high priority . 

In summary, Workforce Planning is an essential tool used to identify opportunities and investments for growth, but needs to be agile and flexible to allow for business strategic changes in direction or timeframes and align with talent market trends. 

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