Workforce Planning for Queensland Small Businesses
Workforce planning means aligning people, skills, roles, timing and cost with the goals of the business. For a small business, the process does not need to be complicated, but it should identify where the loss of one person or skill could interrupt operations.
Start with the business plan
List the outcomes the business expects to pursue over the next 12 to 24 months. Growth, a new location, new technology, succession or a change in products can each create different workforce needs. Avoid recruiting before the work, timing and budget are clear.
Map the current workforce
- Record each role and its essential responsibilities.
- Identify skills that only one person holds.
- Note roles that are hard to recruit or take a long time to train.
- Review likely retirements, resignations, leave and succession needs.
- Compare current capacity with seasonal and projected demand.
Choose a response for each gap
A gap does not always require a new permanent employee. Options can include training, documenting procedures, changing job design, mentoring a successor, improving retention, using a specialist supplier or changing the timing of growth. Each option has cost, quality and continuity implications.
Review the plan regularly
Assign an owner to each action and review the plan alongside budgets and operational forecasts. Workforce conditions and business priorities change, so the document should be updated rather than filed away.
Business Queensland provides a step-by-step workforce planning process. Connect this work with the Queensland industries hub to consider industry and regional conditions.
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