Workforce Planning

As a manager, your role is to:

  • Set the Strategy and Vision: Setting the strategy and vision lays the foundation for sustainable growth ensuring that resources and effort are aligned toward a common end goal.
  • Delegate and Direct Work: Delegating and directing work involves effectively leveraging the skills, talents, and resources of individuals or teams to achieve organizational goals.
  • Coach and Develop Individuals: Coaching and developing employees fosters talent retention, employee satisfaction, and organizational success.
  • Oversee Policy, Process, and Compliance: Effective management of policy, process, and compliance helps to mitigate risks, promote efficiency, and uphold organizational values and reputation.
  • Manage Budgets and Resources: A manager's responsibility for budgets and resources involves effectively planning, allocating, monitoring, and optimizing financial resources and other assets to support the achievement of organizational goals.

Workforce Planning and Budgeting

A Workforce Plan informs budget needs for costs associated with professional development, career progressions, new salary/positions, and recruiting costs associated with hiring activities (both replacement and new hiring).

Penn State budgeting is based on a 2-year forecast so taking time to establish a Workforce Plan and review it annually will improve your ability to account for talent development costs within your budget. To learn more about the responsibilities of manager in the budgeting process you have access to the following courses:

  • Need eModule title from Grace
  • Need eModule title from Grace
  • Management the Work: Financial Stewardship (This is a virtual, instructor-led session – part of the Management Concepts program)

The Workforce Planning Toolkit for Managers

The Workforce Planning Toolkit for Managers is a resource available in the Learning Resource Network (LRN) that connects you to tools and explains how to go about establishing a plan to help you meet your organizational goals. There are six foundational activities discussed in the toolkit that support planning:

Performance Reviews

The annual Performance Review Cycle is an opportunity for employees and managers to set goals that align with and support organizational objectives for the coming year. Throughout the year, managers should provide ongoing performance feedback specific to the employee's current goals and job responsibilities, as well as how they represent the Penn State Values and the university's Statement on Belonging in their day-to-day activities.

The end of year performance rating is the final step in the yearlong performance review cycle. There should be no surprises during the end of year review conversations, because you - the manager - have provided ongoing coaching and feedback throughout the year.

Career Conversations

Penn State believes that supporting career development for our employees is critical to the success of our organization A career conversation is an opportunity to learn about an individual's strengths, interests, and career aspirations and identify the skills they need to develop to take on future roles. While the end of year performance review conversation looks back at performance over the prior year, a career conversation is focused on the future. To learn more about tools and resources…{hyperlink to the website – needs to be added under Your Careers}.

Talent Reviews {this content is not yet available}

Talent Reviews are the process that enables managers to review and assess their team members’ talent and readiness to take on new responsibilities. Performance ratings and career conversations will inform this activity.

Succession Planning {this content is not yet available}

The process of Succession Planning helps managers to identify critical positions and identify possible successors (both internal and external). Managers review and confirm development needed to prepare each successor for the identified critical position.

Career Progressions

Career Progression is defined as an increase in level within the same job string. Job strings are listed for each job profile in the Penn State Job Catalog. Managers are responsible for making career progression recommendations to unit leadership and human resources; documentation is required to substantiate recommendations and demonstrate that an employee meets the eligibility criteria and demonstrates readiness to move to the next job string.

Recruiting and Hiring

As part of Workforce Planning, a manager will identify the skills needed for the team to meet their objectives and determine if there are any skill gaps they need to address. When this skill gap analysis results in a recommendation to hire someone, there are three key activities a manager must take:

  1. Obtain Budget Approval: -
  2. Establish a Recruiting Strategy: The hiring manager should work with their recruiter to establish a recruiting strategy. The objective of the strategy is to increase the quality of the hire, decrease the time to fill, and ensure a diverse applicant pool. {insert information on how to find your recruiter} -
  3. Complete the Hiring Process: While your recruiter will provide support during the hiring process, as a manager you have access to resources to guide you through all of the steps in this process. Visit {we need to link them to the training resources we create for RHEI}