How-to future-proof your business

Employee Incentives News: How-to future-proof your business

How can you future proof your business against attrition, long periods of leave, unforeseen circumstances and even retirement? We spoke to Crispin Jessop at Allocate Software who believes that you can easily future-proof your business with careful planning and a little help from technology.

“Fluctuations in the profile of every workforce are inevitable but ignoring the consequences can mean a ticking bomb for many organisations. Be sure to defuse it before it causes irreparable damage. Your organization will be rewarded with the best possible talent pool to survive in the highly competitive offshore market and deliver successful projects that are both sustainable and profitable.”

Here are some quick and easy top tips for a future proof business.

Maintain a skills matrix

Preventing skill shortfalls on high-risk projects is so much easier when you know exactly what skills and qualifications your staff have and the type of training they have undergone or need to attend. A well-managed skills matrix will evolve over time to reflect any changes to regulation, business environments and, of course, succession planning to compensate for a declining workforce.

http://www.dummies.com/careers/project-management/how-to-create-a-skills-matrix/

Provide a well-defined career path for employees

This will vastly improve staff motivation and retention, essential to overcoming the gaps left behind as experienced staff leave the industry. Encourage older members of staff to act as mentors to their younger colleagues, therefore transferring valuable skills and knowledge that only experience can bring.

https://www.thebalance.com/steps-to-create-a-career-development-plan-1917798

https://performancemanager.successfactors.com/doc/po/develop_employee/carsample.html

http://www.careers-advice-online.com/sample-career-development-plan.html

Look at workforce optimization software
The latest workforce optimization software offers a host of benefits that can help to redress the imbalance of a reducing skilled workforce. Look out for one single, integrated platform – in large, complex, international organizations, good communication is paramount. Avoid the situation where one part of the company could be hiring new employees or contractors with specific skills while in another region personnel, with those same skills are idle or even worse, being laid off. Easy global access to skills and training information, all in one place, saves time and money.

https://alvaria.com

http://searchsalesforce.techtarget.com/definition/workforce-optimization-WFO-software

http://www.capterra.com/workforce-management-software/ 

Consider an in-built statistical analyser
You might also want to look at an inbuilt statistical analyser – create a profile of those roles that pose the greatest risk or exposure to the organization, backed up with information that can be fed into recruitment and training processes, such as headcount, personnel records, current positions, grades, qualifications and training details. Then match skills and resources against the specific needs of diverse projects around the world.

On top of that, consider both a trouble-shooter – deploy functionality that effortlessly identifies future issues before they cause problems by flagging up future skills gaps, potentially unqualified staff and any likely resource conflicts and specialist tools so you can manage projects by resource utilization and headcount.

https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/strategy/analytics/factsheet

Advanced reporting

Finally – consider advanced reporting. When integrated with HR systems or to other reporting tools, dynamic statistical reporting capabilities give managers the heads-up and the hard evidence they need to increase headcount or buy in specialist skills to plug any gaps. Existing, missing or expiring skills and information, such as role skills checks and promotion suitability, can help fully utilize your existing resources and improve resource-planning in the future