phase III - create a workforce action plan

Agencies create workforce action plans based on information collected through the gap analysis process and gathered from dialogue with managers and supervisors. This input is the basis for determining solution strategies that should be considered for implementation to eliminate identified gaps. By the time you get to this point, you should have a clear picture of the issues and challenges faced across your organization by division and by occupational areas.

HR leadership is typically the primary recipient of the workforce planning output and will be responsible for executing an action plan. You may wish to consider the following questions and respond based on your workforce analysis and information gathered from your managers and supervisors.

What are the three to five most critical workforce planning challenges facing your organization today?
What are the most common themes that emerged from your dialogue with managers and supervisors?
What is the organizational impact if these challenges are not addressed?
What, if any, actions are underway to address these challenges?
Is there enough time to develop staff internally for anticipated vacancies or new skill sets, or is targeted external recruitment the best approach?
Does existing staff demonstrate the potential or interest to develop new skills and assume new or modified positions, or is external recruitment needed?
What competition exists for future skills? Will the agency need to recruit for these skills or develop them internally?
Do current job classifications and position descriptions reflect future functional requirements and skills?
Will some divisions need to be reorganized to meet business needs and strategic objectives?
What are the recommended solution strategies that the organization can take to address the challenges?
Are there areas of work where internal progress improvement is needed?
What will be required in terms of human and financial resources to carry out these strategies?

Adapted from the Partnership for Public Service

Solution Strategies

Organizations create their action plans based the results of the gap analysis and on information gathered from workforce planning discussions throughout the agency. This input is the basis for defining targeted solution strategies that should be considered for implementation. This step involves implementing strategies that can be used to eliminate gaps or otherwise improve workforce processes and practices that have an impact on talent management. As you begin to identify solution strategies needed, consider the following questions.

What should we do to prepare for our changing needs and changing workforce?
What strategies should we employ?
What are some possible solutions to workforce shortages and changes?
What is our Employment Value Proposition? (An EVP is an understanding of the attributes that are considered most important for driving attraction and commitment in an organization. Research shows that there are specific attributes that initially attract employees, and specific attributes that help to retain employees.)
Are we communicating it consistently to potential employees?
Do we have creditability in the labor market?
Are we consistently delivering the EVP to employees?
What more can we do to engage employees as advocates?
Are there workforce process improvements that can be implemented?
Do solutions require legislative or policy change?
What are the constraints against implementing strategies?
What are some possible solutions to those constraints?

A variety of solution strategies, tools and innovative ideas have been developed as part of the Office of State Personnel's Performance Solutions initiatives for your consideration. The solution strategies include the development of programs, practices and models to assist agency's to staff, motivate, develop and retain a competent, high performing and diverse workforce. The Office of State Personnel, in conjunction with contributors from various agencies and universities, has produced this toolkit. Each solution strategy can be viewed in its entirety by clicking on the title.

Recommended solution strategies consist of initiatives in the Staffing, Motivation, Development and Retention areas:

Staffing

Recruitment Strategies

Recruiting the best employees for your organization is an on-going challenge for every manager, supervisor and Human Resources professional. Recruitment is an activity that impacts the performance of the entire organization. The challenge is to find top-performing employees who meet your organizational needs and culture. The right recruitment strategies can help you find and attract the right people at the right time.

Selection

Selection is a systematic process for reviewing applications, evaluating competencies and determining the best fit for each position. Selection strategies also include evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of selection processes in order to increase the number of quality hires in a timely manner.

Succession Planning

Succession management is a process that identifies key or critical positions that will become vacant within a specified amount of time (typically from 18 months to five years) and the competencies necessary for successful performance. It identifies and selects employees who have the capacity to develop those required competencies; designs and administers appropriate career development techniques that allow those employees to acquire the competencies needed for successful performance; and appoints the most qualified person to each position.

Motivation

Performance Management

Any solution, to be effectively executed, must be "plugged into" the performance management process. Performance management is the primary means organizations have for executing their strategy through their people. For a solution to happen, someone (or some group of people) will need to be held accountable for taking the actions necessary for the solution to succeed and for achieving the results for which the solution has been initiated. Establishing expectations and defining accountability for carrying out actions and achieving results is what performance management does.

Rewards and Recognition

An effective rewards and recognition program is a key component of a performance culture. Simply put, if there is no means of recognizing top performance, there is little incentive to achieve it. Employees need tangible feedback in order to know when they're doing a good job. When organizations have a "culture of recognition," employee job satisfaction and retention improve. This section features tools, techniques and tips to help HR professionals and managers implement a culture of recognition.

Work Environment

The work environment has a significant impact upon employee performance within any organization. A model of a high-performing work environment has been developed, using the acronym, "PERFORM". It identifies the attributes found in such an environment, and provides tools to help managers perform self-assessments to identify and increase their awareness of the primary obstacles affecting performance management within their unit. In addition, tools are provided to assist agencies in developing strategies to remove the barriers and obstacles that can block or slow performance.

This initiative provides tools to measure employee engagement, which has been proven to have a positive effect on productivity. Managers will receive guidance on how to focus on the primary issues affecting employee engagement and how to take corrective steps to move their organization toward becoming a high-performing work environment.

Development

Career Development

A career development program is a self-managed program that allows employees to make informed decisions about their work lives. This program provides tools and resources to help employees assess their knowledge, skills and competencies, personality traits and characteristics, work environment, values, leadership and managerial skills, and communication skills.

Career development also includes helping employees to set goals, explore career options and create a strategic development plan that formalizes goals, creates action steps for achievement, and sets dates for completing the steps. "Development opportunity" is an organizational attribute that drives employee commitment and retention.

Diversity Management

Diversity management involves a combination of programs, policies and activities that support an environment in which wherein employee differences are valued and integrated into each part of an organization's operations. These efforts combine to form a comprehensive diversity management initiative that enhances both the performance and the cohesiveness of an organization.

Knowledge Transfer

Knowledge transfer requires strategies for capturing, transferring and retaining knowledge that is critical to the organization's ability to achieve its goals and objectives prior to its loss through attrition of valuable employees. NC's Knowledge Transfer Program offers workable solutions to this problem in three easy steps. Step One involves identifying "Key Positions" and "Key Employees" with critical knowledge that is at risk. Step Two identifies the content and type of knowledge required in the position and/or held by the employee, then determines the KT Models or methods to capture and transfer that knowledge. Finally, Step Three is monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the KT plans and tools used.

Models, with associated tools, describe methodologies that may be incorporated into the performance plans for both the organization and the employee. Cultivating a culture of knowledge sharing is a win-win proposition for both employee and employer.

Leadership Development

Organizations succeed to the extent that they have effective leaders — individuals who thrive on meeting challenges, solving problems, taking the initiative, implementing needed change, and influencing others to make the right things happen. And not just at the top of the agency, but throughout - from the visionary agency head to the insightful frontline worker, from the dynamic operations supervisor to the resourceful administrative support person. Leadership development is about building leadership skills at all levels of the agency as well as assuring that there are people being developed today who will be prepared to step into leadership roles to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Retention

Retention requires a focused initiative designed to reduce turnover of talent with emphasis on the use of diagnostic tools to understand the reasons why employees leave and why employees stay. This initiative recommends retention strategies for agencies to consider that encourage employees to develop and prosper in their employment growth by having policies and practices in place that address their diverse needs. The concept of Employment Value Proposition (EVP) as a retention initiative is presented to understand the employment drivers that help to retain employees.

The materials in this section may be used or adapted for your specific agency needs. Human Resource Consultants from the Office of State Personnel are available upon request to discuss each solution strategy in detail.