Case Studies
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WORKFORCE PLANNING IN A LOCAL AUTHORITY
The client
A unitary authority
- Engaged in provision of social services and hence subject to a Joint Review
- Located in south east England and experiencing tight labour market competition, including from London-based Councils
The challenge
- To place Workforce Planning firmly on the agenda of middle and senior management
- To engage busy staff in a new initiative where the principal drive for change originated externally
- To develop a workforce plan for Social Services
- To develop an appropriate workforce planning framework and process with a view subsequently to introducing, and eventually embedding, Workforce Planning across the Council
The solution
Whilst service managers were well aware of resourcing issues in their areas there was no co-ordinated approach to workforce planning nor to solution implementation. Workforce data was collected and held only for purposes of payroll and did not comprise a management information system. Hence the (then) current position regarding the authority's workforce was unknown.
The Consultancy Company fielded a team of 3 consultants - an Information Systems specialist, a workforce planning/Human Resources specialist, and a project manager/researcher. We presented an 8-stage approach, and plan of work comprising 4 work packages with identified milestones and deliverables, so providing flexibility and opportunities to resource the project internally as much as possible.
We undertook delivery of:
- Information and information systems review
- Analysis and documentation of current workforce data and information
- Labour market research
- Design of workforce planning process and frameworks
- Facilitation of forward planning through facilitated workshops, advice and guidance
Simultaneously we worked closely with Council staff, to involve them in the workforce planning process, and to ensure that this was properly informed by their experiences. Workforce planning groups were supported in developing local plans and input to their Directorate Workforce Plan.
The Social Services workforce planning process was then treated as a pilot project for the Council and the learning clearly documented. A process and framework for Council-wide workforce planning was presented to the client, together with advice on how to avoid potential pitfalls and bottlenecks.
In addition, since - as a consequence of this assignment - this Council was placed at the forefront of public sector workforce planning, we helped to position the authority itself as an example of good practice by presenting to externally managed workshops, seminars and conferences.
Benefits at a glance
- A clear understanding of the capability and limitations of the Council's existing IT systems and software for Workforce Planning purposes
- A piloted process for developing workforce plans for other service areas
- A developing Workforce Plan for the Directorate incorporating Social Services
- Comprehensive and documented baseline workforce and labour market information
- A better understanding of the workforce planning implications of the Council's Development Plans
- Promotion of the Council as an exemplar of good practice with respect to Workforce Planning in the public sector
