STUDENT

GUIDE

BSBHRM524
COORDINATE
WORKFORCE PLAN
IMPLEMENTATION
 Contents

Overview 4
Topic 1: Research workforce requirements 5
Topic 2: Coordinate workforce objectives and strategies 16
Topic 3: Coordinate implementation of initiatives 27
Topic 4: Monitor and evaluate workforce trends 32

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 Overview

The Student Guide should be used in conjunction with the recommended reading and any further
course notes or activities given by the trainer/assessor.

Application of the unit

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to coordinate the implementation of a
workforce plan, including researching requirements, coordination of planning and implementing
initiatives and monitoring trends.
The unit applies to individuals who are human resource practitioners or staff members with a role in
a policy or planning unit that focuses on workforce planning.
No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Learning goals
Learning goals include:

 You are able to research workforce requirements.

 You are able to coordinate workforce objectives and strategies.

 You are able to coordinate implementation of initiatives.

 You are able to monitor and evaluate workforce trends.

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 Topic 1: Research workforce requirements

What is a workforce plan?

A workforce plan helps a business to identify the skills and staffing resources that it requires for
now and into the future. Workforce planning not only looks at recruitment needs, but also training
and development opportunities, succession planning and deployment within the business.

The aim of a workforce plan is to be

proactive in identifying the human needs
of the business and minimising any key
person risk.
To create its workforce plan, a business
will review its current goals and strategies
against its staffing resources and plan for
recruitment, training and development or
internal deployment accordingly. As the
goals and direction of the business
change, the workforce plan will require
Image by Startup Stock Photos on Pexels
equivalent adjustment.
The format and content of a workforce plan should be written according to the objectives and
procedures of a business. The workforce plan may incorporate targets that align to business
objectives, so that the necessary staff may be placed and planned for, to meet those objectives.
For example, the business may life to include targets on diverse demographics to ensure they have
a diversity in their workforce. In this instance, diversity targets may easily be built into the workforce
plan.

Activity: Watch

As an introduction to the unit, watch the following clips:

Strategic workforce planning.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_05rzCqYNM (09:35)
HR Workforce Planning – the basics.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGNlcPxFptQ (09:45)
Workforce planning, a quick demo.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_05rzCqYNM (02:37)

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Workplace relations by industry
Industrial relations deals with the rights and responsibilities within the workplace between an
employer and employee. Industrial relations is legislated via the Fair Work Act 2009.
Depending on the industry a person works in, there are various channels that provide workplace
relations support, including government and non-government agencies.
The Fair Work Ombudsman provides advice on employee entitlements and other matters including
pay, dismissal and agreements. Their jurisdiction covers most workplaces in Australia.

Activity: Read

The Fair Work Helpline for Employers provides expert help and advice for navigating
the Australian industrial relations system. Review the information provided on their
website.
Website: https://fairworkhelp.com.au/industrial-relations/
Keep the links for future reference.

There are also state/territory-based bodies such as NSW Industrial Relations (NSW IR), who work
with employers and employees to achieve fair, equitable and productive workplaces. NSW IR
supports the NSW Government as a participant in the national workplace relations system, by
monitoring and advising on workplace relations developments and initiatives.
You will also find that for each industry there are industry-based authorities, such as the Australian
Building and Construction Commission, which seeks to educate building industry participants on
workplace relations laws.
Furthermore, you can obtain private sources of expertise such as IHR Australia, which offers a
wide range of workplace relations/industrial relations services to assist professional organisations
to manage their regulatory requirements and adopt best-practice employment principles.

Activity: Research and discuss

1. First, visit the NSW IR website for more information on current workplace
relations for NSW.
Website: https://www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au/
Now work in small groups for this next part.
2. Think of a job in two different industries. For example, an Accountant, an
Engineer, a Hairdresser. Find a comparative position at www.seek.com. Using
the position description, outline the industrial relations that is relevant to each
job. Include a link to the source of information.

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 Use the table below to guide your responses.

Job position Relevant industrial relations

1.

Link:

2.

Link:

Discuss your findings with the rest of the group in a discussion facilitated by your
trainer.

Legislations and regulations

Fair Work Act 2009

Fair Work Act 2009 provides a safety net of minimum terms and conditions of employment. It
allows for enterprise bargaining underpinned by bargaining obligations and rules governing industry
action. The Act enables flexible working arrangements that best meet the needs of both workers
and employers. Its key aim is to protect against unfair or unlawful termination of employment.

Fair Work Commission

The Fair Work Commission's role is to set award pay rates and conditions, and to help employers
and employees work towards cooperative and productive workplace relations. The Commission
also actively helps workplaces to prevent disputes, as well as helping to resolve them when they do
occur.

Activity: Read

Information and links to industrial relations legislation can be sourced from the Fair
Work Ombudsman website.
Website: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/legislation
Visit the Fair Work Commission website for more information on awards, pay rates
and conditions, as well as other helpful information.
Website: https://www.fwc.gov.au/
Keep the links for future reference.

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 Activity: Discuss

How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected workplace relations?

You can conduct some research before joining in a discussion with the rest of the
group, facilitated by your trainer.

Enterprise Agreements
An enterprise agreement is an agreement between one or more national system employers and
their employees, as specified in the agreement. Enterprise agreements are negotiated by the
parties through collective bargaining in good faith, primarily at the enterprise level. Under the Fair
Work Act 2009, an enterprise can mean any kind of business, activity, project or undertaking.

Modern Awards
Modern awards are industry or occupation-based and apply to employers and employees who
perform work covered by the award. Modern awards are used to identify and apply the minimum
pay rates and conditions of employment.

Activity: Read

Visit the following link for further information on modern awards and agreements.
Website: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/awards-and-agreements
Keep the links for future reference.

National Employment Standards

Maximum weekly hours: An employee can work a maximum of 38 ordinary hours in a week.

Flexible working arrangements: certain employees have the right to request flexible working
arrangements. Employers can only refuse these requests on reasonable business grounds.

Parental leave: Employees can get parental leave when a child is born or adopted. Parental
leave entitlements.

Annual leave: All employees except for casual employees are entitled to paid annual leave.

Compassionate & bereavement leave: All employees (including casual employees) are entitled
to compassionate leave (also known as bereavement leave). Compassionate leave can be taken
when a member of an employee's immediate family or household dies or suffers a life-
threatening illness or injury.

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 National Employment Standards

Community service leave: Employees, including casual employees, can take community service
leave for certain activities such as voluntary emergency management activities and jury duty
(including attendance for jury selection).

Long service leave: An employee gets long service leave after a long period of working for the
same employer. Most employees' entitlement to long service leave comes from long service
leave laws in each state or territory.

Public holidays: all employees are entitled to public holidays, which vary by state.

Notice and final pay: not all employees are required to give or receive notice e.g. casuals. Final
pay can be paid out instead of worked.

Fair work information statement: Employers have to give every new employee a copy of the Fair
Work Information Statement (the Statement) before, or as soon as possible after, they start their
new job.

Activity: Research

Using the following link, find the award for the two positions research earlier.
Website: https://portal.fairwork.gov.au/find-my-award/
Use the table below to guide your responses. Include the link to the source of
information.

Job position Name of award/link

1.

2.

Discuss your findings with the rest of the group in a discussion facilitated by your
trainer.
Keep the links for future reference.

Trade Unions
Trade unions play an important role in Australia's work relations system, acting as employee
representatives during workplace disputes and acting as a bargaining representative during
bargaining negotiations.

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Workforce planning guide
A workforce plan identifies how future staffing and
skill needs will be met, for example, through
recruiting, development, internal deployment,
recruitment and/or succession planning. This
ensures that planning is proactive and talent
surpluses and shortages are avoided where
possible.
There a several examples of how to undertake
workforce planning that you can source from the
internet. Each will be specific to the industry and
state that the workforce is located.
See the activity below for some examples and links
to different types of workforce planning and
information resources.
Image by Bich Tran on Pexels

Activity: Read

Review the following examples of Workforce planning.

Workforce planning toolkit for Victorian public sector organisations:
https://vpsc.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/SSA-WorkforceToolkit-
008738494.pdf
Australian HR Institute:
https://www.ahri.com.au/resources/ahriassist/hr-strategies-and-planning/workforce-
planning/
Northern Territory Government:
https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/204077/your-workforce-guide-for-
employers.pdf

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 Activity: Group work

Divide into small groups. Ensure you divide the work equally.
Think about the RTO or another company of your choice and briefly address each of
the following questions. If the RTO is chosen as the case study, your
trainer/assessor will provide you with the required information.
Before commencing the activity, write a brief background summary of the business –
i.e., number of staff, area of industry, products or services sold, growth rate, a list of
job roles, a hierarchy chart and perhaps a link to the organisation's website.
Assume you are the employer identifying workforce issues – how would you answer
the following questions (answer as many questions as possible depending on the
information available):
Planning and Alignment

 How will technology change the way we work and interact with and deliver
services to our customers?

 Are we reorganising? Are we creating or expanding business lines or services?

Are we eliminating or scaling back business lines or services? Are we
consolidating or centralising programs? Decentralising programs? Will programs
or people be relocated or redistributed?

 Are job functions and competencies changing? Which current job functions and
workforce competencies are critical to our mission and goals? Which will no
longer be required in 3-5 years? What new job functions and competencies will
be needed in 3-5 years?
Hiring

 What factors affect our ability to recruit and retain mission-critical knowledge
and skills?

 How effective are current sourcing, recruitment, and selection strategies?

 What factors are affecting retention of high performers?

 How effective are current retention strategies? What does data from employee
surveys and exit interviews show?

 How are workforce attitudes (e.g., factors affecting job satisfaction, level of
engagement in the workplace, loyalty to employer) expected to change, and
what impact do we expect those changes to have on our agency?
Development

 How well are managers prepared to coach employees for new opportunities and
career growth?

 How well are individuals for leadership positions identified, assessed, and
developed?

 How well is knowledge transferred among employees to retain mission-critical

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 competencies?

 What forms of training and development are needed to teach mission-critical

competencies in the next 3-5 years?
Performance

 How effective are supervisors at dealing with poor performance?

Source: http://www.adcq.qld.gov.au/resources/for-employers/diversity-in-the-workplace

Understanding the Australian labour market

Labour force analysis and forecasting techniques are used to understand and analyse the
Australian labour market. Forecasting models that can assist with identifying future workforce
needs include:

Equilibrium Modelling: this forecasting model uses past data to predict trends and
assumes that no change will occur within the system over time. The model is simple, but
the benefit of this approach is that it provides baseline data from which changes can be
assessed.

Network Flows Mapping: this is a "what if" type of model. It attempts to predict
employment outcomes, such as retirement, lateral movement, promotion and so on, based
upon their links with other employee characteristics such as salary, skill, age, or gender.

Change Forecasting: this forecasting model attempts to forecast employee flows by

looking at past practices. This information is used to project employees' future availability
whilst making allowances for potential organisational change, so it is different from
equilibrium modelling. The statistical methods employed are usually a probability and
regression analysis.

Optimisation Models: this forecasting model attempts to identify an "ideal" position, or set
of future goals, using complex statistical techniques such as linear and goal programming.
They rely heavily on the integration of workforce planning with strategic or corporate
planning.

Data can be collected from:

 A.B.S. for statistics

 university data

 industry research/government reports

 professional associations

 Equal Employment Opportunity statistics.

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 Activity: Group work

Visit the A.B.S. site www.abs.gov.au. Spend some time looking at the data available
- what general labour supply data could be used for workforce planning?
Split the group into pairs – collate the following information:

 Your trainer/assessor will set some data analysis targets for you to research, for
example the breakdown of the workforce for Cairns – age, gender, labour force
for the area, etc.

 Consider your own place of work (or use the College as an example) to identify
the demographics, economic growth, and any other relevant data for that area.

 How could this data be used to recruit new staff?

 In what way can it be used to create a diverse workforce?

Activity: Read

Visit the following websites for information on current labour force information.
The NSW workforce profile provides snapshots from data collected and analysed:
Website: https://www.psc.nsw.gov.au/reports-and-data/workforce-profile
The ABS Labour Force Survey provides timely statistics on the size and
characteristics of the civilian labour force and can be used by an organisation to
assist in workforce planning:
Website:
https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DOSSbyTopic/139689E1A84FE4F0C
A256BD00028B0E5?OpenDocument
The Labour Market Information Portal contains extensive information about labour
market data to help employers and others understand their local labour markets. You
can access the Portal here:
Website: https://lmip.gov.au/
The National Skill Needs List can also be used for workforce planning. It is based on
detailed labour market research and analysis and identifies areas experiencing a
national skills shortage which can be factored into the workforce planning process.
You can access the List here:
Website: https://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-06/
NSNL%20Final.pdf
Take any notes to summarise what you have read and keep the links for future
reference.

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 EXAMPLE 1

The labour force participation rate is the proportion of the workforce-age population (15- to
64-year-olds) employed or actively looking for work. It is a good indicator of the total
supply of labour. However, it does not include those who are marginally attached to the
labour force (people who want to be working but are not actively looking for work), such as
discouraged job seekers.

EXAMPLE 2

The employment-to-population ratio is the proportion of the workforce-age population that

is employed. This ratio is influenced by both labour demand and labour supply factors. It is
also a good summary indicator for measuring Australia's labour market performance
relative to other countries, particularly those in the O.E.C.D.

Source: https://www.employment.gov.au/annual-report-2016/analysis-trends-australian-labour-market

Activity: Group work

Work in small groups.

Part 1
Discuss each of the following tools used to assist with the workforce planning
process:

 Job analysis

 Job design

 Workforce profiling

 Developing skills inventories

 Competency profiling.

Part 2
Each member of the group is to think about how they generally contribute to the
course – that is in class discussions, activities and how they conduct themselves
within the classroom environment. Each person is to complete a profile based on the
following:
1. Contributions to class discussion/group work/activities
2. Knowledge of subject
3. Skill level
You are to do the same but complete a profile of your team member. The profile
should be honest and constructive.

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 Part 3

 Discuss each other's profile.

 Answer the following questions:

1. Were the profiles similar, completely different, spot on?

2. Do you agree with the other member's profile of you? If not list the reasons
why.
3. Did any conflict arise during discussion? How did you both manage/resolve
it?
Note down your responses.
Your trainer/assessor will facilitate a discussion where each group can share their
outcomes from each activity.
Present your work in a professionally structured and formatted document to your
trainer/assessor for further feedback.

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 Topic 2: Coordinate workforce objectives and
strategies

The coordination of a workforce plan requires relevant stakeholders to work together on

organisational strategy and establish aligned objectives for modifying or retaining the workforce.
The key stakeholders in strategic workforce planning include personnel who work closely on
strategic business planning, strategic human resource management, organisational learning and
development.
Consulting with stakeholders helps address many underlaying concerns regarding meeting the
fast-changing industry needs. Industry needs include technology, customer demands, globalisation,
benchmarking, compliance with regulations, standards and legislation, etc.
A thorough consultation with stakeholders to meet the industry needs enables the stakeholders to
set priorities and identify and address workforce gaps to meet company goals and objectives.

Determining workforce planning strategies and objectives

When workforce planning, businesses
need to be mindful of external labour
supply. External labour simply means
the number of people who have the
skills and capabilities to perform a
particular role if required. It is a
relevant factor in workforce planning. It
can help businesses decide whether to
redeploy and train a person internally
or whether it makes more sense to hire
an external person to fill a particular
job.
Depending on how niche the job area
is, it will depend on how likely it is that
external labour supply will be available Image by Pixabay on Pexels
at short notice. Where a job is considered incredibly niche, external labour supply is expected to be
lower.

In workforce planning, managing key man risk is a critical factor. Therefore, having access to a
pool of people who have the necessary skills required to perform a job is vital.

Factors to consider in confirming and assisting with the determination of workforce plan
objectives and strategies

 recruitment costs

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 Factors to consider in confirming and assisting with the determination of workforce plan
objectives and strategies

 training costs and budgets

 remuneration/benefits

 third party costs

 redeployment costs

 compensation costs

 retrenchment

Activity: Brainstorm

Provide examples of famous banking mergers; what are the costs would have been
involved concerning workforce planning?

Objectives to retain required skilled labour

It is important to retain skilled staff, having clear objectives to maintain the required labour can
support retention.
Objectives should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely).

EXAMPLE 1

Increase employee retention rates by 25% in one year.

EXAMPLE 2

Implement a work/life balance policy by the end of September 2021.

EXAMPLE 3

Create a mentorship program for new staff, commencing in two months.

Staff retention strategies

 Training and development

 Coaching and mentoring

 Instilling a positive culture

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 Staff retention strategies

 Effective communication for positive staff feedback

 Providing growth opportunities

 Creating a healthy work/life balance

 Fostering and promoting trust and leadership

 Rewards and recognition

Staff retention strategies must be aligned with workforce planning objective to address factors that
cause employee dissatisfaction, grievance, complaints, resignations and litigations.

Some common factors that cause staff to leave

 Different expectations of the job role

 Lack of training and development

 Low advancement opportunities

 Lack of trust and confidence in the leadership

 Stress from overwork

 Workplace bullying, discrimination and harassment

 Poor work conditions including health and safety matters

 Poor workplace culture

Sourcing skilled labour

To source, attract, and recruit skilled labour, a company may use its inhouse recruitment strategy
or agency. Finding skilled labour can be time-consuming and costly. Following are some websites
that provide tips on finding top talent.

Activity: Read

Read the following article on Australia’s workforce shortage.

Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/24/australias-
workforce-shortage-never-a-better-time-to-be-applying-for-a-job-experts-say

 How do you think the Covid-19 pandemic has affected workforce shortages?

Read the following article on how to recruit employees for small businesses.
Article: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/top-ways-to-attract-quality-employees-
2948197

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 The National Skills Commission publishes a priority skills list.
Website: https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/skills-priority-list

 List four top priorities for skills in Australia today.

Your trainer/assessor will facilitate discussions.

Recruitment
When workforce planning, a business incorporates its
objectives and the resources required to fit, within its
plan. When considering resources, the company will
decipher its responsibilities and how those
responsibilities complement the business objectives.
During this process, the business may decide that a
recruitment process is required.
Image by Mentatdgt on Pexels

The information that the business has gathered through its workforce planning process
(including relevant information relating to the business objectives and resource requirements)
help write a job description for a job advertisement.

When placing a job advertisement, the aim is to attract a diverse range of applicants. The benefits
of diversity and inclusion in the workplace are evident and should be encouraged. A diverse
workforce provides increased depth and breadth of experience and therefore increased
opportunities for business outcomes.
When recruiting, businesses should consider:

 recruiting people from a diverse pool of high-quality candidates

 representation of stakeholder diversity or community

 drawing on the diverse offering of employees and their different skill sets, experiences,
approaches and perspectives

 providing equal opportunity

 recruitment and management based on performance and competency regardless of ethnicity

or cultural background.

Diversity in demographics
When workforce planning, it is best practice for businesses to consider a range of demographic
factors. Having a diverse workplace demographic means creating an inclusive environment that
accepts each individual's differences. A diverse workplace embraces their strengths and provides
opportunities for all staff to achieve their full potential.

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Diversity in demographics may include a mix of employees from different:

 LGBTQI+ (including sexual orientations  religious beliefs

and gender/s)
 marital status'
 ages
 political preferences
 abilities and disabilities
 any other point of difference between
 ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds people.
Valuing differences allows each person to contribute their unique experiences to the workplace and
positively impact internal activities and relationships with customers and other stakeholders'
experiences.

Having an organisational culture that supports diversity not only meets legislative requirements
and is ethically appropriate; it also supports positive organisational outcomes.

The benefits of a diverse workforce are evident in many situations, as evidenced by the increasing
number of workplaces opting for a diverse workforce.
To manage diversity, many workplaces are implementing diversity targets in their workforce plans.
This allows them to build a diverse workforce over time through their recruitment process.
When considering diversity targets in workforce planning, it is essential to collect and analyse
quantitative and qualitative data to inform your decision making. The Cambridge Dictionary defines
'quantitative' as "relating to numbers or amount", and 'qualitative' as "relating to how good or bad
something is".
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has data standards that cover many diverse elements. It may
be useful to reference in workforce planning.

Tips for creating a diverse workplace

 Discuss diversity with your employees, highlighting the benefits of having a diverse and
inclusive workplace.
 Identify and address any unconscious bias in recruitment, retention and promotion that may
be preventing particular groups of people from joining or staying at your workplace.
 Value individual skills that employees bring, including language skills and international
experience, may broaden your market and business connections.
 Ensure flexible work options are available to all staff, including comprehensive parental
leave policies for both men and women.
 Be aware of different cultural practices and the unique needs of employees and make
workplace adjustments where appropriate.
 Take steps to prevent discrimination and harassment in your workplace.

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 Activity: Reflect

Think about the current government initiatives for diversity and inclusiveness in the
workplace.
Task:

 List some of the initiatives for your state with a brief overview of each.

 What federal and state legislation covers workplace diversity?

Strategies for building an ethnic and culturally diverse workforce

Workplace policies that have clear objectives for workforce diversity and cross-cultural
management can help build a deviser workforce.

Strategies to consider for workplace diversity policy

 Recruit people from a diverse pool of high-quality candidates.

 Representation of stakeholder diversity or community.

 Drawing on the diverse offering of employees and their different skill sets, experiences,
approaches and perspectives.

 Providing equal opportunity.

 Recruitment and management based on performance and competency regardless of

ethnicity or cultural background.

Activity: Watch

Watch these YouTube clips and discuss the issues that arise with each:
The Importance of diversity in the workplace.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzqNgyqUYso (02:15)
Diversity in the Workplace: Take One.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY5XmSyIJa8 (01:09)
Workplace Diversity.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-irAhCa28fU (04:29)
Cultural competence and diversity in the workplace.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-irAhCa28fU (03:16)

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Training
For instance, a workforce plan identifies a gap. The business may assess its current workforce to
determine if anyone has the skills required to fill the gap. If an appropriately skilled person is
available, they can be consulted to transfer their skills to other employees. In this case, the
consultation will take place with the employee and employer.
If there is no one with the relevant skills, the business may choose to train or upskill an employee
who has the potential to fill the gap. Training may be a more cost-effective process than recruiting a
new employee and is an excellent way to increase internal staff opportunities.
An excellent way to ensure there are staff available for any gaps is to incorporate training into a
development plan for all staff. Training may be in terms of upskilling into the jobs directly above
them or branching out into other business areas, depending on the business's requirements and
the employee's interests and aspirations.

Redundancy
A redundancy may come about if a position is excess and is no longer required in the business.
Before redundancy occurs, opportunities for redeployment should be considered. Where a job is
available for redeployment, a company may be obligated to take this option. If redundancy must be
considered, it must be under legitimate circumstances only when the job does not need to be
performed by any person. Redundancy is a stringent process and must comply with relevant
legislation as per the Fair Work Act 2009, and workplace agreements.

Activity: Read

The Fair Work Ombudsman provides advice to employees and employers on

redundancy matters. Further information may be accessed at the Fair Work
Ombudsman website.
Website: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/ending-employment/redundancy
Further information on redeployment can be found at the following website.
Website: https://www.fwc.gov.au/unfair-dismissals-benchbook/what-dismissal/what-
genuine-redundancy/redeployment
Take any notes to summarise what you have read and keep for future reference.

Activity: Research and discuss

Use the RTO or a company you are familiar with to address the following:

 How many staff are employed in the business?

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  Considering the breakdown of staffing roles and responsibilities, approximate
the basic wage for the entire staff. (If the organisation is global, then concentrate
on just the office currently employed).

 What training does the staff undertake? What would you estimate the cost for
one year to equate to?

 Consider if 4 staff left a year – what would be the organisation's cost – thinking
in terms of just recruitment.

Reviewing the organisational strategy and establishing aligned

objectives
To ensure that an organisation anticipates current and future workforce needs, a review of the
organisational strategy can be undertaken to ensure that objectives are aligned to meet business
goals. For example, suppose a business direction changes and the workforce needs change. In
that case, this should be reflected in objectives that meet this change.
When reviewing an organisation's direction, the aim is to develop a good understanding of the
goals, vision, mission and future business plans and how this may affect the workforce.

Activity: Read

Following are examples of strategic objectives.

Website: https://www.clearpointstrategy.com/56-strategic-objective-examples-for-
your-company-to-copy/
Following are examples of effective employee retention strategies.
Website: https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/management-tips/effective-employee-
retention-strategies
Following are examples of how to align objectives.
Website: https://tallyfy.com/organizational-strategy/
Take any notes to summarise what you have read and keep for future reference.

Strategies to address unacceptable staff turnover

One in four Australian resign from their jobs within one year. When this happens, business bear the
costs of onboarding, training and renumerating the existing staff; they have to pay similar or more
monies to recruit replacement staff.

The acceptable turnover rate per annum for any business is 15%. Suppose a company employs
ten staff. A ballpark figure for the company's employee turnover rate per annum should not
exceed 1.5 staff.

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Communicate to relevant stakeholders
Communicating the objectives for workforce planning and rationale to all the relevant stakeholders
can help to support the successful management of strategies to address staff turnover, retention
and sourcing of skilled labour and the promotion of ethnic and cultural diversity.
This can be communicated through:

 policies and procedures  mentoring and coaching

 holding presentations, meetings,  training and development

workshops
 leadership and management strategies.

Obtain agreement and endorsement for objectives and establish targets

Obtaining agreement and endorsement may be required through business channels such as
human resources or via a working group committee. It would require discussion and feedback
before going ahead with agreed and established targets aligned with the organisational functions, if
necessary. This will include obtaining agreement and endorsement for workforce planning in
contingency situations.

Contingency planning
Businesses should have contingency plans set in place for any unforeseen disruption, which could,
in turn, cause huge financial loss. A contingency plan provides an alternative action that can be
taken to overcome issues that can cause major disruption. It is used if the original function
becomes unfeasible – it prepares the business for an alternative course of action. Examples of
incidents which may have a major effect on a company, where a contingency plan would be
required include:

 natural disasters  electricity failure

 terrorist attacks  economic crisis

 health pandemics (such as the COVID-  terrorist attack

19 pandemic of 2020)
 data corruption/cyber terrorism/data loss
 labour disputes
 theft
 disruption of product/service supply
 workplace accidents.

Activity: Read

Read the article on Contingency Planning: Developing a Good "Plan B":

Website: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_51.htm
Consider the following issues that could affect an organisation:

 Data files for payroll accounts are corrupted and cannot be restored.

 Fire in the warehouse has damaged the whole building

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  One of your suppliers has gone bankrupt

1. What would be the impact of these issues on the organisation?

2. What actions could be taken within the organisations if these issues did occur?
3. List the advantages of contingency planning. Are there any disadvantages?
4. Source an example contingency plan for a type of disaster that could occur in
your current workplace.
5. Using sources from the Internet and any other text resources creates a basic
contingency plan for the loss of data caused by either a cyber-attack or data theft
at your organisation.

Activity: Group work

Work in small groups.

Consider a company has the objective of becoming an employer of choice. However,
staff turnover and retention are low. Reflect on organisational strategy and alignment
of objectives for the retention of staff.
Complete the table below by identifying strategies that could be put in place to
address unacceptable staff turnover.

Retention strategies Write down one S.M.A.R.T objective for each strategy

Culture

Communication

Rewards

Recognition

Developmental opportunities

Flexible hours

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 Remote working

Technology

Transparency

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 Topic 3: Coordinate implementation of initiatives

There are four vital elements in coordinating the implementing of workforce planning initiatives.
These include supporting implementations of agreed objectives for recruiting, training,
redeployment and redundancy, identifying strategies to meet the organisation changes and
diversity goals, and coordinating succession planning implementation. There are several methods
to achieve these and will differ from one business to another.
For example, it could be:

 a training and development plan to support staff in upskilling

 a communication plan to promote the Importance of cultural and ethnic diversity in the
workplace

 promoting teamwork and actioning team building activities

 implementation of workplace practices that promote diversity through education and policy

 appointing change agents to manage organisational change. This practice is common in

medium to large business settings.

Support implementation of workplace plan objectives

Implementation of workforce planning objectives will require management of processes,
procedures, organisational standards and policies. A rigorous process will be followed, mainly if the
company objectives include redundancy/redeployment/retrenchment to meet objectives.
One of the most common tools used for implementing objectives and strategies is an action plan.
The plan will outline goals, strategies, personnel responsible for implementing the objectives,
times, key performance indicators where applicable and resources. The action plan must be written
clearly and concisely and logically address the workforce plan's requirements.

Key considerations for developing an action plan

 What priority strategies and initiatives as per risk analysis?

 Who will be responsible for implementing the overall workforce plan and objectives?

 What costs and budgets are to be achieved?

 How will the success of objectives, strategies and initiatives implementation be measured?

 What are the key performance indicators for people responsible for the implementation of
the objectives?

 What data can be used to determine work progress and success?

 What are the timelines and milestones?

 What communication strategy will be used to keep key stakeholders and staff informed of

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 Key considerations for developing an action plan

the implementation needs and progress?

 How will staff expectations and any resistance to change be managed?

 Who will be responsible for monitoring, evaluating and reviewing implementation progress?

 What are the red flags, and how will they be addressed if a contingency eventuates?

Activity: Read

Voluntary Severance, Redundancy and Redeployment Procedure.

Website: https://policy.usq.edu.au/documents/13430PL

Activity: Brainstorm

Initiatives should be implemented to ensure that workforce objectives are achieved.

Actions to support these could be the development of policies and procedures;
advertising; training, etc.
Look at the following objectives and think of some initiatives that could support these:
Training objective: All staff to complete online W.H.S. training
Initiative 1:

Initiative 2:

Recruitment objective: Diverse workforce including Aboriginal or Torres Strait

Islanders.
Initiative 1:

Initiative 2:

Identify strategies to implement change

Organisations should develop and implement strategies that will support employees dealing with
any organisational changes.
Any changes to an organisation will affect employees. This can be either through staff redundancy,
changes in business processes, the introduction of new technology or redeployment of skills across
an organisation. It can lead to:

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 staff resisting to change

 employees leaving

 industrial relation issues.

Leadership and management can support the successful change within an organisation. As well as
effective communication and the involvement of stakeholders early on in the change process.

Activity: Read

The Queensland Government's Change Management Best Practices Guide.

Website: https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/manage-workplace-change
Business Victoria – How to deal with redundancy and retrenchment.
Website: http://www.business.vic.gov.au/hiring-and-managing-staff/ending-
employment/genuine-redundancy-pay-redundancy

 How can training and development support organisational change?

Identify strategies to meet workforce diversity goals

A workforce strategy can include objectives to support meeting the organisation's workforce
diversity goals.
Implementing a workforce diversity plan can provide a framework for implementing strategies. For
example, a strategy could be to attract and recruit a diverse workforce. A diversity plan could give
the goal to ensure accessible and inclusive recruitment and selection processes.
The success of implementation will depend upon how well it is communicated, promoted and
supported by management and workers.

Activity: Read

Department of Human Services: Workplace Diversity and inclusion strategy.

Website: https://www.humanservices.gov.au/sites/default/files/8378-1609en.pdf
Workplace diversity through recruitment: A step by step guide.
Article: https://ideal.com/workplace-diversity/
Top 10 benefits of diversity in the workplace (infographic).
Article: https://www.talentlyft.com/en/blog/article/244/top-10-benefits-of-diversity-in-
the-workplace-infographic-included

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 Activity: Group work

Work in small groups.

 Brainstorm what workforce diversity encapsulates (i.e., age, gender, etc.).

 Research all legislation that relates to workplace diversity in Australia.

 Consider the following workforce diversity goals and develop three strategies for
each which can support in reaching the goals:
o Develop and retain a diverse workforce.

o Workforce diversity is part of everyday business.

 How would you implement these strategies? Select one and clearly outline how
it could be developed and implemented. Provide one example of this in practice.

Coordinate implementation of the succession planning system

A well planned and implemented succession planning system is key to ensuring workers are
developed and retained. Success designing systems encompasses: the evaluation of the business
situation, creating a talent pool and assessing and training staff. Many companies choose to
implement initiatives such as the employer of choice to attract, develop and retain employees.

Activity: Watch

Watch the following video on Succession Planning and the Future of Work.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPx5SLte7mQ (08:40)

Employer of choice
An employer of choice is one that offers a workplace environment and culture that attract and retain
employees. This can also include a superior remuneration package, salary equal to or above
market rates, comprehensive compensation; and employee benefit packages (for example, private
health insurance, holidays/time off work). Further key factors to consider in formulating strategies to
become the employer of choice include:

 job security

 employee empowerment

 respected by managers and colleagues

 personal development/professional development/training/up-skilling

 shared information (such as financial results)

 commitment to retain employees

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 engagement strategies and perks such as free lunches or company events

 employees are given opportunities to input on work processes

 positive relationships within the workplace

 fairness

 good work/life balance.

Activity: Group work

Divide the group into pairs.

1. Have a look at the list of winners for the Employer of Choice Business Awards
2014.
Select an organisation from the list of winners and give to each group.
a. Provide a summary of the organisation's background
b. Provide an overview of some of the initiatives used by the organisation
Each group to share their findings with the rest of the class.
2. Thinking of another organisation list down any initiatives currently used for
retaining employees
3. List any further initiatives or strategies that you think the organisation can
implement to be more proactive in retaining staff. Ensure these are realistic.
Each group to share their findings with the rest of the class.

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 Topic 4: Monitor and evaluate workforce trends

Monitoring and evaluating or reviewing workforce trends require a review of the workforce plan
against patterns within the organisation and external environment. The process also requires using
the outcomes (information) from monitoring and reviewing and making necessary adjustments to
workforce plans.

Review workforce plan

One of the key reasons for monitoring and reviewing the workforce plan against patterns in the
existing employee and workforce changes is to ensure that agreed objectives, and strategies are
still relevant and meet the company's needs.
Key considerations in monitoring and reviewing existing employees and workforce changes
include:

 Does the workforce plan link to its strategic plan, mission, core values, vision and objectives?

 Has it the support of senior management?

 What workforce analysis has taken place?

 Was the data collected include indicators such as the distribution of employees by occupation,
age, gender, attrition and retirement rates, etc.?

 Have employees been included in the strategic workforce planning process?

 What are future resources required?

 What competency and skill levels have been determined for employee occupational group
types/levels?
Another is to ensure that the action plan is to track the progress of the action plan implementation.
Suppose the objectives on the actions are not being achieved. In that case, the managers and
responsible personnel can work together to resolve bottlenecks or issues.

Examples of elements used for monitoring and reviewing existing employees and
workforce changes

 Staff absenteeism

 Staff and team KPI's

 General atmosphere of the workplace environment in terms of employee engagement and

commitment.

 Staff attrition rate

 Customer complaints register

 Employee grievances and complaints

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 Examples of elements used for monitoring and reviewing existing employees and
workforce changes

 Management, staff and customer feedback

 Management reports, etc.

Monitor labour supply trends

As the concept suggests, monitoring and evaluating workforce trends encompass monitoring
labour supply trends for over and undersupplies in the external environment. The labour trends are
directly linked to the cost of workforce planning, budget and the operation of a business's day-to-
day function.
An oversupply of workers with specific expertise means that the company has the advantage of
recruiting the best-fit personnel at reasonable remuneration. On the contrary, if there is a shortage
of workers with specific expertise, it will be difficult for businesses to recruit the right candidate. In
this situation, the company will also need to review their strategies to attract candidates. Examples
include making the remuneration package attractive. Businesses should be mindful that as highly it
is likely for staff to look for better employment opportunities, it is equally expected that companies
are at risk of losing good staff to competition and even through pouching. Therefore, it is highly
recommended that employee satisfaction levels gauge some level of internal labour trend
prediction. The information of the trend analysis help develops contingency plans for addressing
labour shortages and economic downtime.

Activity: Research

Search for the terms Geographic mobility and Job mobility - provide an example of
each.
What is the "substitution effect"?
Discuss your findings with your trainer/assessor.

Employee satisfaction
One of the best methods to monitor and review the workforce plan's success is to conduct an
employee satisfaction survey. Employees are the best source of information to determine the
effectiveness of the success of workforce plan implementation. Employees can be given
Feedback/Satisfaction surveys to assess if initiatives are relevant and effective. Staff feedback will
indicate whether workforce development strategies have been effectively implemented in
addressing workforce issues.
It is recommended that the survey results be converted into useful information and used to consult
with relevant stakeholders. The key stakeholders will be allowed to review the information and work
together to refine objectives and strategies in response to internal and external changes.

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 Activity: Group work

Divide into pairs for these activities.

1. Many companies provide a service for creating customer satisfaction surveys
such as: http://www.sogosurvey.com/sample-surveys/employee-satisfaction-
surveys/ have a look at some of the suggested formats and questions.
2. Use the following free template for employee satisfaction surveys by survey
monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/employee-satisfaction-surveys/
3. Create your survey using survey monkey or one of your own choice.

 As the survey cannot be given to employees to gain feedback, undertake

this activity as a class-based task.

 Assume you are the manager of the college you are attending. Compose a
survey with at least ten questions to gauge whether or not students are
happy with initiatives set in place by the college. This could be social
activities, incentives for women with children, cheap canteen food, early
marks for completion of activities on a Friday afternoon, etc.

 Send the survey out to all members of the class (these alternatively could
be photocopied for each group).

 Each group should discuss the questions posed, agree and answer the
questions.

 Collate the responses given by other class members

 Analyse the data and write a brief conclusion of the results.

Government Policy
Coordination of the workforce plan also requires regular monitoring of government policy on labour
demand and supply. Any government policy changes on labour supply and demand can impact
business compliance requirements, including the employee and industrial relations.

Key government tools that regulate the labour supply and demand

 The nature and extent of state welfare provisions - provides individuals with varying
measures of independence from employers;

 Immigration policy – determines the number of people entering the country and the skills
and training they bring with them;

 Industrial relations legislation - regulate management privilege, or the right of management

to make independent decisions concerning employee dismissal, management of
grievances, pay and conditions.

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 Activity: Read

Read the following:

 Natalie Cooper from the A.N.U. looks at the history of the Australian government
labour market policies since 1945.
Website:
https://crawford.anu.edu.au/public_policy_community/content/doc/2011_
Cooper_review.pdf

 The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry looks at addressing

Australia's labour shortages.
Website: http://www.acci.asn.au/getattachment/f29dbaf8-e9db-4e2a-b786-
93ad435c9ec0/Addressing-Australia-s-Labour-Shortages.aspx

Activity: Brainstorm

Many toolkits can help in evaluating workforce planning. Take a look at a few and
compare what is included for each. Which toolkit would you use? What would you
add?

Evaluate the effectiveness of change processes

Change processes are evaluated to ensure no significant disruptions to business operations and
save money where possible. The evaluation of change processes includes financial and non-
financial measures and involve the key stakeholders to gain support to make changes to workforce
plan.

Change process evaluation

Evaluate company performance – did the change initiative deliver what was expected?

 Measure the business's financial performance

 Adherence to the workforce implementation plan

 Measure business KPI's

 Measure Return on investment, etc.

Measure employee performance – are the impacted employees progress through the change?

 Employee feedback

 Employee participation and engagement reports

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 Change process evaluation

 Compliance reports

 Observation and reports form the management of staff behaviour changes

 Individual KPI's

 Employee absenteeism reports

 Management of employee issues, grievances, complaints

 Customer complaints, etc.

Measure the change process – did the key stakeholders perform in the change process?

 Sticking to the plan

 Training outcomes

 Effectiveness of communication delivery and information shared

 Measure KPI's

 Business readiness for change

 Employee engagement management

 Management report to compare before and after change process implementation, etc

Source: https://www.prosci.com/resources/articles/measuring-change-management-effectiveness-with-metrics

Activity: Group work

In this activity, you will be developing a workplace plan.

Consider the following simulation business, D.I.Y. Holmes which provides hardware,
garden supplies and building materials. It has 50 stores located across Australia.
Assume that D.I.Y. Holmes Strategic Plan states that they will ensure that they will
attract a highly skilled workforce and seek to increase diversity within the
organisation.
D.I.Y. Holmes would like to start recruiting staff for a new store in your area. After
analysing past workforce information, they have found the following:

 Majority of sales staff are only semi-skilled, with the average age of 20.

 A high number of managerial positions.

 80% of employees are males.

 None of the workers are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders.

 Average age of managerial positions is 61.

 60 of the employees are part-timers and students. Their retention is averaging

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 18 months.
The store opens in 6 months and will require 1 store manager, 2 assistant 10 sales
staff, 3 warehouse staff and 2 admin staff (1 of the staff must have experiences in
human resource administration duties).
One of your directors has suggested redeploying a store manager and two staff from
existing stores.
Task:
In small groups, develop a workforce plan that could be used to ensure that D.I.Y.
Holmes are accessing a skilled and diverse workforce for the new store as per the
information provided.
Use the Workforce Plan template provided and also assume that you need to
communicate your plan. This means completing the communication and consultation
strategy section in the workforce plan.
Refer to the following workforce plan for the State Library of Queensland to assist
you with developing your plan.
Website:
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/355687/20161102SLQ-
StrategicWorkforcePlan.pdf
Your workforce plan must include the following:

 Research workforce requirements:

o Assess factors impacting workforce supply.

o Establish D.Y.I. Holmes requirements for a skilled and diverse workforce.

 Coordinate workforce objectives and strategies:

o Identify potential relevant key stakeholders will be consulted on D.Y.I.

Holmes strategy and objectives for modification or retention of the
workforce.
o Confirm objectives for workforce diversity and cross-cultural management.

o Determine strategies to address high staff turnover.

o Determine objectives to retain relevant skilled labour.

o Determine strategies to source skilled labour.

o Develop communicate plan objectives for relevant stakeholders.

o Prepare a brief case for endorsement of objectives and establish targets

(250 words).

 Briefly outline how the following initiatives will be implemented:

o recruitment, training, redeployment and redundancy

o strategies for employee engagement

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 o strategies for managing employee commitment

o strategies to assist in meeting D.I.Y Holmes diversity goals

o strategies for coordinating the implementation

o strategies for succession planning system to ensure workers are developed

and retained.

 Briefly outline what strategies will be used to monitor and evaluate the workforce
trends, including:
o workforce plan against patterns in existing employee and workforce
changes
o labour supply trends for areas of over and under supply in the external
environment
o effects of labour trends on demand for labour on D.I. Y Holmes

o survey of organisational climate and collect worker satisfaction results

o government policy on labour demand and supply

o effectiveness of change processes against agreed objectives

 Who will be responsible for measuring the outcomes of change

processes?

 How will they measure the effectiveness of the process? Provide three
examples of financial reports, including three formulae, and three
examples of non-financial reports that will be used to work out the
change process's effectiveness.
The presentation should be visually appealing.
During the presentation, you must demonstrate effective communication skills,
including:

 speaking clearly and concisely

 using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding

 asking questions to identify the required information

 responding to questions as required

 using active listening techniques to confirm understanding.

If you are undertaking this activity with a team, each person in the group must
contribute equally to the design, development of the presentation and also each
member must take part in the delivery.
The trainer/assessor will observe you conducting the presentation, ask questions at
the end and provide feedback on the presentation style's information.

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