Workforce planning

A workforce plan doesn’t need to be complicated. You can start with a simple spreadsheet or use our template.

At a minimum, it should include:

• your business goals
• the main roles and skills your business needs
• gaps between what you have and what you need
• actions to address those gaps
• who is responsible for each action and when it should happen.

Make your workforce plan flexible and easy to update. It should be a working tool, not a static document.

Clear business goals give your workforce plan purpose. They make it easier to work out the type of people, skills and support your business needs now and in the future.

Think about your goals for the next 6 to 12 months:

• What changes or improvements do you want to make in your business?
• Are you planning to launch new products, open new locations or enter new markets?
• Will you invest in new equipment, technology or systems?
• Do you want to grow your customer base or fix a problem like high staff turnover?

Check your business plan to remind you of your goals. If you don’t have a business plan, it’s a good idea to create one before you start your workforce planning.

Map out your team’s current roles, skills and capacity (how much work they can realistically take on). This will give you a clear picture of your current workforce and help you spot strengths to build on and gaps to fill.

Pay close attention to roles or skills that would be hard to replace. These are workforce risks that could disrupt your business if someone leaves unexpectedly.

Consider:

• Roles and tasks: What does each person spend most of their time doing?
• Skills and qualifications: What skills, experience or certifications does each person have?
• Hard-to-replace roles: Which roles may be difficult to fill if the person left?
• Staff turnover: How often do people leave, and why?

Planning your future workforce is about deciding what you need to support your business goals. The decisions you make here will guide your next actions.

Assess your future needs

Think about the roles and skills you need to reach your business goals, focusing first on what’s essential. You don’t need to address everything at once.

Consider:

• How many people will you need to get the work done?
• What new skills or specialisations will you need?
• Will you need extra staff for any upcoming projects or busy periods?

For example, if you want to promote your new online store on social media you’ll need someone with digital marketing skills.

Identify the gaps

Compare your future needs with the people and skills you have now. This helps you see where you’ll need to add or strengthen capability.

Consider:

• Do you need more or fewer people than you have now?
• Are there skills you need that your current staff don’t have?
• Are there roles with no backup if the person leaves?

For example, you don’t have any current staff with the skills or experience to help you promote your new online business on social media.

Choose how to fill the gaps

Once you know where your workforce gaps are, decide what you’ll do to manage them.

When choosing how to fill each gap, think about what your business can afford now and in the future. For example, training an existing employee may cost less than hiring someone new, while contractors can help you manage short‑term or uncertain needs.

Your options might include:

• hiring new staff
• training or upskilling existing staff
• changing roles or hours
• using contractors or temporary staff
• planning for someone to take over if a vital person leaves the business, including roles currently done by you (the business owner).

For example, you decide to hire a freelance social media specialist to do your digital marketing until you train current employees to do this work.

Start adding achievable tasks to your workforce plan. For example, if your plan includes hiring new staff, you might:

• write a job description
• advertise the role
• schedule interviews.

For each action, decide who will do it and by when. Clear responsibility and deadlines make it more likely your workforce plan will happen.

You may want to stagger actions over time. Start with short‑term fixes for immediate gaps, then plan longer‑term actions as your business grows or changes.

Keep a record of the actions you have completed and what you still need to do.

Workforce planning is not a one-off task. Review your plan every 6 to 12 months to:

• stay on top of staffing needs
• respond quickly to change
• keep your workforce aligned with your business goals.

Regular reviews help you reduce risk by spotting issues early, such as relying too heavily on one person or skill.

Use each review to check:

• which actions worked
• what actions are still outstanding
• if your planned actions are still the right ones.

You’ll also need to review your workforce plan when your business changes. For example, when you win a new contract, someone leaves or your goals change.

Remember to update your plan with any new gaps or actions.