It’s no secret that most people think of HR as ‘hiring and firing’. In doing so, they greatly underestimate the many different suits HR wears, including the critical role HR plays in making sure an organisation is well-placed to face future challenges.
Workforce planning (WFP) is a key component of this. Done correctly, it means an organisation will have ‘the right people, with the right capabilities, in the right place, at the right time’. So what actually is WFP? Ultimately, it’s all about the business. Knowing your organisation’s business and the outcomes they want to achieve means you can predict short and long-term future workforce needs. That way you can position and strengthen your organisation’s workforce to best deliver on those outcomes, while also managing workforce-related risks.
Coordinated, strategic and holistic WFP is going to be a huge focus for our Stream in the year ahead. Recently APS Commissioner Peter Woolcott launched the whole-of-service workforce strategy, Delivering for Tomorrow: the APS Workforce Strategy 2025. The Strategy is an ambitious whole-of-government approach that aims to help lead the other Streams as well as provide guidance and direction for managing the whole APS workforce. Formal implementation of that Strategy will begin later this year.
In addition, the HR Stream has started work on one of its signature initiatives to Develop an APS HR Workforce Strategy. This strategy and action plan focuses specifically on enhancing the capability of the APS HR workforce. To do this the HR Stream research team need your insights and advice, so jump on to GovTEAMS or join one of the workshops to contribute.
But ultimately, the effectiveness and the quality of any strategy’s implementation – especially when stretching across multiple agencies – is going to rely heavily on our workforce planners.
So if you work in WFP… no pressure, but we’re relying on you! To help you buff up on your knowledge, skills and capabilities, check out these handy resources.
Workforce Planning Community of Practice
The GovTEAMS WFP CoP fosters knowledge-sharing, capability development, networking and collaboration among workforce planners – whether from the APS, State and Territory agencies, or non-APS Commonwealth organisations. Below are some examples of the type of resources and support you can find.
Note the first time you go to the Workforce Planning Community of Practice you will be prompted to request access. This usually occurs quickly (next business day or earlier).
- For those new to WFP roles or anyone wanting a refresh, there are learning modules and key resources (like job family frameworks and case studies) to help you better understand what WFP is and your role in it.
- For those with more experience, there is information, tools, learning modules and more to help you understand Australia’s broader workforce environment and enhance your WFP skills (e.g. access to data from the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, and training on how to perform tasks like labour market research, jobs forecast growth, analysis and organisational application).
- For those seeking more information and support, there are several different discussion channels that allow WFP practitioners to connect, engage, share knowledge and provide support to each other on specific areas of work.
Don’t delay! Get started today!