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Workforce planning: The fundamentals and getting started

This guide introduces the fundamentals of workforce planning, including what it involves, common misconceptions and the business benefits it can deliver. It helps employers understand how to apply workforce planning in practice and build an effective approach tailored to their organisation.

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By Wendy Hirsh, Researcher and Consultant Specialising in the Future-Oriented Aspects of People Management

This series of Leading practice guides provides an introduction to and framework for workforce planning.

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  • What is workforce planning?
    • Misconceptions about workforce planning
  • The business benefits of workforce planning
    • Practical examples of issues that workforce planning can address
  • Workforce planning in practice
    • A framework of building blocks
    • Making workforce planning relevant to your organisation

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Enhanced by creating five separate guides on workforce planning, to help you find the guidance you need. This initial guide explores the nature of workforce planning and its business benefits.

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About the author

Wendy Hirsh

Dr Wendy Hirsh, FCIPD, is a researcher and consultant specialising in the future-oriented aspects of people management: workforce planning; succession planning and talent management; and workforce development and careers. Wendy is a principal associate of the Institute for Employment Studies and visiting professor at Derby and Kingston Universities. Wendy has featured regularly in HR Magazine’s awards for the most influential UK thinkers.

Wendy did her PhD on mathematical modelling in workforce planning, and now sees its core concepts are part of an evidence-based approach to HR that should be understood and used by all HR professionals and line managers. Recently Wendy has been examining how workforce planning in organisations is responding to complexity and uncertainty, and co-authoring CIPD’s updated research and guidance on workforce planning.

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