Workforce Management – A Key Issue

Since 2007 when the Credit Crunch hit…

The UK economy is forecast to shrink by at least 3% (probably the worst in Europe) Unemployment is likely to reach 3 million by the end of 2009.

Governments world-wide appear to be floundering, announcing ill-thought-out initiatives which seem to have little effect on the deepening crisis.

The Bank of England base rate has dropped to 0.5%, the lowest it has ever been in its 400 year history!

Some UK banks have already been taken into public ownership, others are surviving only with government support.

Businesses across the U.K. are looking for answers at to what went wrong, what should be done to resolve the situation and prevent it happening again, what is the likely outcome for them as employers and what they can do to ensure their survival?

The government is preparing for huge job losses because of the economic crisis, with emergency plans.

Speaking at a conference for Job centre Plus staff, work and pensions secretary James Purnell highlighted the concerns of employees who could face losing their jobs.

But that’s not the answer…

Yes the credit crunch is biting and, now more than ever, firms need to maximise the potential of their workforce.

Some of this may be achieved by downsizing but in the end the key is to ensure that the best possible results are being realised from the recruitment of replacement staff and new employees and the retention of key staff who are valuable to the organisation.

H.R. departments are facing what may be the toughest time they have ever had with the pressure to reduce recruitment costs whilst still ensuring there are no costly recruitment failures.

Now is the time to make sure that H.R. staff are properly trained in recruitment skills to avoid errors that could prove costly in financial terms and corporate reputation

Improving the way you manage recruitment
One of the major assets of any company is its workforce. The proper recruitment of the staff that makes up that workforce is an essential part of any business.
How efficient and effective is your recruitment management?
The way in which you manage your staff recruitment has a direct effect on your company. Whether it is the hiring of replacement staff for existing roles on the recruitment of new talent, the way you manage the process will affect its outcome and the performance of the company.

In today’s market place recruiting the right individuals is more important than ever. Every recruitment project must be handled so that it produces the optimum results in terms of time, cost, effort and results.

Furthermore any recruiting process must take into account the legislation that surrounds employment in the 21st century. There are rules about what you can and cannot say in an advert, laws about what you can ask and even legislation that dictates the way you can interview.

Any company that wishes to stay ahead of the game and be able to recruit the right staff for its workforce must be fully up to date with the latest techniques and methods.

By taking the steps necessary to make sure that your recruitment methodology is the best you can make it, your company will benefit in many ways:

• Improved recruitment management skills
• Reduced recruitment costs
• Effective applicant C.V. processing
• Savings in time and effort
• Improved efficiency
• Increased staff retention
• Better management of recruitment agencies
• A better workforce

“The best way to improve your workforce is to recruit more effectively”

I would recommend that employers who are serious about cutting costs and, maintaining and improving standards investigate the potential of training for H.R. staff on courses such as The Experience Network’s P.A.S.S.™ – H.R. Professionals Training Course designed specifically to help H.R. department staff learn the key skills that they need to run an efficient and effective H.R. operation.

The course covers; The importance of Organisational awareness; C.V. Profiling – the art of skilling a C.V.; Why you should use role profiles; Effective recruitment advertising; How to use recruitment agencies and includes The S.A.P.S.™ interviewing & evaluation technique on how to interview and evaluate applicants correctly and legally.

About the Author:
Dr. Alex Tremayne, Chief Operations Officer, The Experience Network