Using Consumer Trends for Workforce Planning, Essay Example

Step 1 Supply Analysis: Describe how you would do this.

The department of the company in focus is the customer service department within the organization. It is the bridge which connects the products to the customers and ensures their total satisfaction. “An organizations HRM policies and practices must fit with its strategy in its competitive environment and with the immediate business condition it faces” (Mello, 2014). There has to be an adequate amount of employees to meet the demands of the customer service center. The supply analysis would require the HR department to take the average calls made in a day, and the average time that each call took. Once that is determined, we can ensure we have the proper staff in the customer service department to ensure that customers do not wait for more than a minute and a half to speak to a representative.

Step 2 Demand Analysis: Describe how you would do this.

The demand analysis ties in strongly with the supply analysis. “Leading indicators refer to measurable variables that enable accurate predictions to be made about the future. They are normally used to measure economic performance to anticipate changes before particular economic trends emerge” (Hughes, 2013). The HR department has taken an average daily call expectation based on a select period of time. The demand will fluctuate with business, the higher the business the higher the demand for customer service representatives. It will require the human resource department to review the need on a regular basis. The recommendation will be to validate the demand on a monthly basis, however if the demand is not met, it will be done on a regular basis.

Step 3 Gap Analysis

The gap analysis requires the HR department to consider what new skills will be necessary for the customer service department to comply with their job responsibilities. They also need to determine if the existing employees have the desired skill or if training will be mandated. “A gap (when projected supply is less than forecasted demand), which indicates a future shortage of needed workers or skills.  It is important to know what critical jobs will have gaps so the necessary training or recruiting can be anticipated” (Keel, 2006). With the new dependency of the customer service department, training on the expectations will be mandated. New employees will be hired to ensure that seasoned employees see the importance of the new department and comply instead of resisting.

Step 4 Strategic Development Plan

The HR department has set up job fairs at the local university to aid in the recruitment efforts. If additional employees are necessary, the HR department will use job sites such as career builder, monster jobs, etc. to fill the positions. The succession plan and knowledge management will be overseen by the HR department and the manager of the customer service department collectively. The employee development and retraining will be designed by the HR department. The expectations will be set by the company’s desire for customer satisfaction, and the provisions for their meeting the needs will be built from that. The retraining will require all members of the customer service team to follow the set expectations. The work and organizational change will be implemented immediately. The HR department will set all documentations and changes, then update existing and new employees effective immediately.

References

Hughes, Dr. Rhidian. (2013). Using Consumer Trends for Workforce Planning. Strategic HR Review, 12, 1.

Keel, John. (2006). Workforce Planning Guide. State Auditor’s Office.

Mello, Jeffrey A. (2014). Strategic Human Resource Management 4^th Edition. Thomas Learning.