Effective staffing is about so much more than filling vacant positions. It requires you to align your present and future workforce with your long-term business goals. If you hope to grow your company, expand your service offerings, develop new products, and keep pace with the competition, you will need a larger and more diverse workforce than you have now. That is why the proactive approach offered by strategic staffing is so essential.
Unfortunately, the cost and consequence of strategic staffing must be carefully managed. In addition to paying more in wages, growing your workforce requires adequate office space, access to computers and business technologies, and enough managerial oversight to keep your evolution running smoothly. Increase your chances of success by following these simple tips.
Create a Plan
All strategic staffing decisions must follow from a careful understanding of where your business is headed. Start by looking at your original business plan. How has it changed, and what are the implications for your workforce? Do these changes require more staff, or is it possible to retrain existing employees? Are you open to the idea of telecommuting to fill vacancies? Ask yourself these questions when you are determining the character of your workforce, and create a clear plan for your future.
Develop a Recruitment Strategy
With your strategic staffing plan in place, you should have a clear picture of the kinds of employees you need to recruit. The next step is finding them. If you need more entry level employees, develop relationships with local colleges to funnel recent graduates into your business. If you need more senior employees, work with a staffing firm to help you identify the right candidates. And remember that a simple vacancy is not enough to attract top talent. You need to offer salary, benefits, and perks that are commensurate with their skills and accomplishments.
Don’t Lose Sight of Retention
Keeping your existing employees is just as important as recruiting new ones. If a longtime employee leaves, it can create a catastrophic hole in your workforce. And in order for your strategic staffing plan to succeed, you need to recruit new employees and then keep them within your fold. Make employee retention a priority, and find meaningful ways to incentivize employee loyalty. This could include everything from more vacation time, to an improved workplace atmosphere.
Rely on Temporary Employees as Necessary
Strategic staffing is not exclusively about adding full-time employees. In order to meet the demands of specific projects or especially busy periods, it may be more cost-effective to bring in temporary employees. They can handle basic administrative tasks, and temporary employees with technical skills are a growing part of the workforce. Other options include subcontracting and outsourcing.
Even if you are not in a period of growth or change, all your hiring decision should be made with strategic goals in mind. The recruitment process requires a significant investment of time, human capital, and, in some cases, money. You want to get the most from your investment. To learn more about developing the best possible workforce for your business, rely on the staffing experts at Selectek.
