Without suitable employees, an organization cannot grow. As logical as that sounds, it is often difficult for HR managers to convey that urgency to management. Data can help you do this. How? Paul Oldenburg and Ton Sluiter of HR tech service provider HeadFirst Group told us during Webinar Week.

Methodology from Gartner Group

"You can use data to discover talent risks to business strategy execution and then take action," Oldenburg says. "Based on your strategic goals, you can assess what talent you need to grow your business. Then you map out what your employee base and job market look like, now and in the long term. In this way, you will discover whether you will soon be short of people, what problems that poses, and how to solve them."

HeadFirst Group, for example, uses a methodology from consultant Gartner Group to use data to define, identify and mitigate key risks around strategic workforce planning. "Make it measurable," Oldenburg says. "That helps you speak the language of the board: risk management. That is how you become more relevant as an HR manager, because then it becomes clear that you are talking about concrete steps to secure the future of the company."

Talent risks for organizations

A talent risk is a shortage of suitable personnel to meet your organization's goals, Oldenburg explains. In the webinar, he shows a so-called "risk catalog" of the biggest talent risks for organizations.

Some of the most common risks are:

• Lack of supply of talent
• Labor market competition
• Talent Development
• Pipeline risk (a lack of competencies for the future)

Your organization probably faces several risks. Once you've mapped out the opportunities and impact for each risk, you'll be able to set priorities. Next, you will work to mitigate the most important risks for your organization.

Analysis from HeadFirst Group

Data manager Sluiter then shows in a few slides what data HeadFirst Group analyzes itself. For example, he has an interactive overview of rates for professionals (self-employed or employed by suppliers) in various professional groups. "We have a database containing the rates agreed upon for all assignments," he says. "As a result, we know what a java developer costs on average. We use this kind of insight to inform recruiters. We can also show clients whether they are paying a market-based rate."

HeadFirst Group can also make predictions, as deals are already being signed for future quarters. "For example, we see that the rate for certain professional groups will increase soon," says Sluiter. "In addition, we look at recruitment feasibility. When we put out an assignment, how many people are interested? For example, we know that a full-stack developer is currently less scarce than a java developer."

Meanwhile, HeadFirst continues to expand its database and analyses. "Permanent positions are becoming less relevant, for example, which is why we are developing a method to analyze skills supply and demand," Oldenburg says. "That way we can search and train people even more specifically to be ready for the future."

Want to know more?

Watch the video below. After this webinar, you will know:

• How to convince your organization to invest in workforce planning.
• How to use data to make risk measurable.
• How to compare your organization's workforce planning with others in your industry.

Furthermore, HeadFirst Group invites you to an interactive working lunch at the head office in Hoofddorp. There you will exchange ideas and learn from experts and peers in the field of talent management and risk management. Components of the workshop:

• Set up sample risk catalog
• Establish indicators to make likelihood and impact of these risks measurable
• Identify data sources to report to Business leaders in own organization

Would you like to participate? Share your interest at marketing@headfirst.nl

Source: ZipConomy