Workforce (or employment or personnel) planning is the process of deciding what positions
the firm will have to fill, and how to fill them. It embraces all future positions, from maintenance
clerk to CEO. (However, most firms call the process of deciding how to fill executive jobs
succession planning.) We will see that workforce planners use various tools in their analyses. For
example they scan employees’ current skills based on employee biographical records, and conduct
skills shortage analyses, succession planning, cross-training, and recruitment and mentoring
programs. However, analyses aside, judgment should play a big role in workforce planning. Be
prepared to modify any analysis based on subjective factors.
Towers Watson’s Internet software (“Towers Watson Workforce MAPS”) helps clients manage
this workforce planning process. It has dashboards (see the following four exhibits) for
monitoring key metrics, for instance on recruiting and retention; a workforce scan that provides
detailed analysis of the client’s current workforce and historical workforce trends; a workforce
projection showing projected employment and skill levels given the “status quo”; scenario modeling
to let the employer compare “what if” scenarios; and an external labor scan for analyzing how the
external labor market impacts the employer’s workforce.