Reference no: EM131705726

Manage workforce planning Assessment

Task 1: Research workforce requirements and develop workforce planning 

Performance objective - This task requires you to demonstrate skills and knowledge necessary to research workforce requirements within an organisational context and to develop workforce planning.

Assessment description - In response to a simulated business, you will research workforce requirements, review organisational strategic plans and develop a report outlining your proposed workforce plan to meet organisational strategic objectives.

Procedure

1.  Review the JKL simulated business documents provided by your assessor and the scenario below. JKL Industries is an Australian-owned company selling forklifts, small trucks and spare parts to industry, with a rental division leasing forklifts and small trucks.

The company's head office is in Sydney and JKL has branches in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra.

After 12 years in business, focusing on forklifts and small trucks, JKL has been offered the sales rights to a range of medium and large trucks from an overseas supplier. This opportunity will provide JKL with an advantage in range over its competitors.

Sales results over the past five years have indicated strong growth in forklift and truck sales, which have averaged 10% sales growth per annum. The rental market has been in decline for the past three years due to the reduced costs of these vehicles and some taxation benefits for purchases of these vehicles.

Taking the sales opportunity will, however, entail some significant changes, including significant changes to company structure and operations. The company will reposition itself to focus solely on retail sales and service and exit the rentals market, in which forces such as competition and consumer choice reduce potential profitability.

The changes will necessarily impact workforce planning. The company will need to ensure it has the right people with the right skills at the right time to achieve objectives. JKL will need to closely monitor turnover and recruitment and implement strategies to retain skilled people and ensure critical roles are filled. In accordance with the organisation's values, JKL intends (to the extent feasible) to recruit from within the company and up skill or re skill existing rentals employees who wish to remain with the company.

As an HR consultant, you have been contracted by JKL to review workforce requirements and develop workforce objectives and strategies. To complete this task, you will need to assess  factors that may affect workforce supply, such as internal labour resources and the external labour market.

2. Using the information provided in Appendix 1, review:

a. current data on staff turnover and demographics

b. projections for future workforce needs.

3. Using appropriate sources, investigate the external environment:

a. external factors that may affect workforce supply

b. relevant industrial relations information, such as modern awards, conditions, rights and responsibilities of workers and management

c. relevant government policy.

4. Using the results of your review of internal and external data and simulated business documentation, such as strategic or operational plans, develop a workforce planning report containing:

a. An executive summary: a short summary of the contents of the report.

b. A discussion of organisational need. including current and future situation with respect to workforce capability:

i. a description of the organisation's requirements for a skilled and diverse workforce

ii. a discussion of the data you have considered and analysis of the impact on organisational objectives, including:

(1) internal and external labour supply predictions 

(2) external conditions, for example, government policy

(3) organisational future demand and predictive techniques used.

c. Recommended actions:

i. Your proposed objectives for the modification of the workforce and retention of the workforce in line with strategic objectives through FY 2016-17. Ensure you develop objectives for sourcing skilled labour and promoting from within by:

(1) developing skills and organisational capability

(2) retaining skilled labour

(3) promoting workforce diversity.

ii. Your proposed strategies for realising each of the objectives above.

iii. Your proposed process for developing detailed targets consistent with objectives in consultation with managers.

5. Develop a communication strategy using the template provided in Appendix 2:

a. Plan communication and consultation activities to be undertaken to communicate, and seek approval and endorsement for, proposed workforce planning measures from stakeholders, including:

i. senior management

ii. line management

iii. workers.

b. Include in your communication strategy a broad plan to communicate implementation of the workforce plan to senior management. 

Note: This communication activity will be planned in detail and undertaken in Assessment Task 2.

6. Develop a risk management and contingency plan using the template provided in Appendix 3. Assess risk and develop contingency planning for the three workforce objectives and strategies discussed in your report. At least one risk management and contingency plan must be in response to an extreme situation.

7. Submit all documentation as per specifications below. Please keep copies for your records.

Note: For Assessment Tasks 2 and 3, you will need to refer to work submitted for this assessment task.

Task 2: Implement actions in support of workforce planning 

Performance objective - This task requires you to demonstrate skills and knowledge necessary to implement initiatives to support workforce planning.

Assessment description - Using the workforce planning report you developed in Assessment Task 1, you will develop a staffing action plan to implement long-term strategies. You will then partially implement the communication strategy developed in Assessment Task 1 to support workforce planning objectives and facilitate organisational change.

Procedure -

1. Review the JKL simulated business documents provided by your assessor and the scenario below.

You are an HR consultant contracted by JKL to review workforce planning, implement activities to manage workforce planning, and evaluate workforce planning effectiveness. 

The broad recommendations proposed in your report to JKL management have been accepted in principle. You now need to plan the implementation of your proposed strategies over the current financial year, 2014-15. 

You will implement part of your communication plan by presenting and explaining your implementation plan to senior management to gain their acceptance and support. It is now the beginning of Quarter 2 FY 2014-15. You will need to plan and schedule activities to implement your management strategies for workforce planning over the next six months.

2. Review the staffing information in Appendix 1 for FY 2014-15.

3. Applying strategies developed in Assessment Task 1 (and documented in a report, communication strategy and contingency plan)and using the template provided in Appendix 2, prepare a staffing plan for FY2014-15. 

a. Ensure your plan includes implementation of strategies for:

i. recruitment and sourcing skilled labour

ii. retention of skilled labour

iii. promoting diversity

iv. succession planning

v. ensuring the workplace exemplifies and is promoted as an Employer of Choice.

Note: Your staffing plan will need to be more detailed and specific than your description of overall strategies in your report in Assessment Task 1. For example, if your overall, long-term retention strategies include promotion from within, you will need to show how this will be implemented in the current period to meet staffing needs, specify who will be responsible, what resources may be required, dates, specific actions to promote long-term strategies and reduce risk. To demonstrate your ability to apply general and longer-term strategies and objectives to current operational problems, your staffing action plan should be broadly consistent with the strategies you developed in Assessment Task 1.

4. Plan to deliver a presentation to senior management to explain and gain support for your workforce planning and your completed staffing action plan. Ensure your presentation:

a. exemplifies strategies to win support and overcome resistance to change from managers 

b. outlines approaches to overcoming resistance to change and managing change so that managers may use these in turn among their own staff

c. explains the need for workforce planning with respect to:

i. external labour supply and characteristics

ii. specific present and future needs of the organisation for skilled labour

d. explains staffing action plan and specific application of broad, longer-term strategies in the current period.

5. Arrange with your assessor to deliver your presentation.

6. Deliver your presentation and:

a. use effective communication skills to build support from senior management

b. be prepared to answer questions and defend your workforce planning, staffing action plan and associated strategies.

7. Submit all documentation as per specifications below. Please keep copies for your records.

Note: For Assessment Task 3, you will need to refer to work submitted for this assessment task.

Task 3: Monitor and Evaluate workforce planning 

Performance objective - This task requires you to demonstrate skills and knowledge required to monitor and evaluate the implementation of workforce planning.

Assessment description - Using the workforce planning you developed in Assessment Task 1, you will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your workforce planning against your objectives. To perform this task, you will develop an internal survey, and review and analyse performance data.

Procedure -

1. Review the JKL simulated business documents provided by your assessor and the scenario below.

You are an external consultant contracted to develop, implement and review workforce planning at JKL. You now need to evaluate the implementation of your workforce planning. You will need to review the effects of actual trends in the JKL workforce, review the external environment, survey the workforce and develop an evaluation report for senior management.

2. Using the information provided in Appendix 1, review workforce trends at JKL with regard to exiting employees. 

3. Review the external environment for:

a. trends in labour supply that may affect demand

b. review relevant government policy

c. industrial relations and industrial relations legislation, including identification of relevant modern awards, conditions, and rights and responsibilities of workers and management.

4. Develop a survey to gauge organisational climate:

a. worker satisfaction and reasons for satisfaction levels

b. worker intentions to retire, exit, pursue internal and external opportunities and reasons

Note: Design your survey to gather necessary data while protecting privacy and fair treatment of individual employees under relevant company policy and legislation. Include a short statement on the intention of the survey, how the data will be used and how it will be stored.

5. Submit your survey to your assessor. Your assessor will supply organisational climate data.

6. Using information gathered from steps 2 through 5 and your workforce plan strategies and objectives developed in Assessment Task 1 and implemented in Assessment Task 2, review and revise your objectives and strategies. 

7. Prepare a report for senior management to:

a. evaluate the internal and external workforce trends and their effect on organisational objectives

b. build support for your recommendations. 

Include in your report:

a. An executive summary.

b. A discussion of internal and external data, including:

i. internal labour trends

ii. external supply

iii. government policy

iv. industrial relations and modern awards

v. climate survey results.

c. Evaluation of the effectiveness of workforce planning and change processes against objectives and targets.

Use information from Appendix 1 and refer to the objectives and targets you developed and implemented in Assessment Tasks 1 and 2.

d. Recommendations for changes to objectives and strategies to achieve organisational objectives or, if achieved, contribute to continuous improvement. Ensure your recommendations are supported by your discussion of internal and external data. 

2. Submit documentation as per specifications below. Please keep copies for your records.

Assignment Files -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1w1wmrguu2dzq76/Manage%20workforce%20planning%20Assignment%20Files.rar?dl=0