• Sometimes staffing needs will be obvious. If an employee announces plans to retire from or leave an integral position, the organization likely knows the type of replacement needed. Other times, however, staffing needs require planning and creativity.

In an attempt to see what staffing needs will exist in the future, it is often beneficial to look into the past. This is known as a needs analysis. Some general questions may be asked to help determine some of this information:

• Where does the organization want to be? (If the organization is to grow, will there be the need for additional positions?)
• Where is the organization now? (How many employees does the organization have now, and are there enough?)
• What costs are involved? (Will any new positions be justified, and is the organization prepared to incur the cost of the positions?)
• How will the organization get where it wants to be? (What will new positions be, and what recruiting methods will be used?)

Included in these questions is the application of the supply vs. demand concept. By answering “Where does the organization want to be,” an employer gets a sense of its demand for labor. If the organization is in a growth mode, there may be a demand for additional staff. A sense of the organization’s “supply” comes from answering the question, “Where is the organization now?” This is where an organization looks at such things as where it looks for potential candidates, and whether existing staff members can meet current and future goals.

Forecasting

One way to help determine what may happen in the future is to look at how the organization has been doing. Have sales continued to increase? Can a correlation be made as to the quantifiable organizational activity and staff levels? For example, for the past 10 years, for every $100,000 worth of sales increases, two more positions have been required. If the company is expected to grow by $500,000 in the next year, there may be the need for ten more positions in that time frame.

Another means of determining future needs is to look at turnover analysis. If the organization has a consistent turnover rate and nothing indicates the pattern will change, the pattern should continue. This can help employers project the number of positions that will likely need to be filled over a particular time period.

Costs

As with anything else that requires resources, staffing involves costs. The organization needs to be aware of how much it may cost to add positions or train existing employees, if that is what needs to be done to meet the goals. The labor costs need to be identified and managed.

Finally, the organization will have to determine what methods will be used to recruit candidates for new or open positions. Will they look internally? Will they look locally? Will they need to expand their search?

Sources for candidates

Where organizations look for potential candidates can require a bit of forethought. If the position requires an uncommon talent, the search may have to go beyond local boundaries, and perhaps beyond the continental boundaries. If the position is one which has many interested and viable candidates, the customary sources may be tapped.

Some sources may fluctuate based on the market and economy, which affects unemployment and other factors that influence how effective customary sources may be.

Not only are the sources important to identify, but also the method used for attracting candidates. Local sources may benefit from an ad in the newspaper or at a local college. National sources may require ads in industry publications or the efforts of a third party.

Many organizations will look internally for candidates, as well as externally. This is an effective cost-conscious method. Organizations that do not have a sufficiently diverse workforce may not wish to rely exclusively on internal sources, since it will hinder their diversity efforts.

If a collective bargaining agreement is involved, it may also need to be considered.