Create a Recruiting Plan to Tackle Changing Staffing Needs

Marcianne Kuethen

February 20, 2017

Change in the workplace is a given, which is why we all need to create a recruiting plan to tackle changing staffing needs. This past Christmas, we offered a $5 gift card for the most festively dressed employee. The results were inspiring–and hilarious. While the gift card may not retain our gorgeous winner, hopefully the fun memory it created will!

Some employees don’t stay long enough, while others never want to leave! Winston Churchill was one such example. Did you know that Churchill once put his beloved country of England in a dangerous position? In 1953, at age 78, the prime minister had a series of damaging strokes that paralyzed his left side. Refusing to step down, insisting he still had more to achieve in politics, Churchill kept his strokes a secret from Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the world, with the help of his immediate family and top political allies. (He actually lied to the queen, with whom he was supposed to have daily meetings, telling her he simply had a cold.) This pretense was carried out over the objections of his wife, Clementine, who attempted to persuade him to leave politics for good.

What is worse, his deputy, Anthony Eden, had just had a gall bladder attack and was incapacitated for a period of time, leaving the country without its top two leaders. (This is why we recommend having a recruiting plan for keeping your hiring pipeline filled!) While Churchill’s stubborn nature did help him regain his ability to walk and speak, some would say that he took his “Never surrender” attitude too far in his last few years. In spite of his cabinet members’ objections accusing him of sacrificing urgent issues for paltry concerns, Churchill would not acknowledge that he was past his prime as the country’s key leader.

It wasn’t until his eightieth birthday, when the cabinet commissioned his portrait to be painted, that he was forced to see himself as others saw him–an increasingly frail man who had lost his followers’ respect and his ability to run the country he’d served for so long.

As a leader, you might consider what you can learn from this once-great leader’s refusal to let go of the status quo and change with the times. Whether you’re a Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, or Millennial, change in your workplace is inevitable. It could be a positive change, such as company growth, a promotion, the sale of your business, or the opportunity to retire. It could be an unwelcome change, such as loss of a key employee, a forced downsizing, a change in market needs, a decline in health, a new tax, or rising competition. Some changes are unexpected, but others you might see coming. Either way, wouldn’t it be better to anticipate change and create a plan to face it rather than to be hit from behind as the door of change swings shut?

3 Reasons You Might Need a Recruiting Plan

We can’t advise you in every area mentioned above, but in the hiring space, we can encourage you to create a recruiting plan to tackle changing staffing needs. Here are 3 ways your staff could change this year that may require you to create a recruiting plan:

Your company could grow. As the economy continues to stabilize and improve, you could need to hire more A players, either as contingent professionals or as permanent members of your team.

You might lose an employee. In this competitive candidate’s market, it will probably be difficult to hang on to every worker you have. In spite of your best efforts to retain them all, you may need to replace one soon.

You could promote an employee. As your talented workers perform well,  you might find yourself in the cycle of promoting an employee and needing to fill his or her vacated spot with another professional.

Create a Recruiting Plan to Tackle Changing Staffing Needs

Lee Colan of Inc.com gives some very detailed, step-by-step suggestions for how to build and maintain your talent pipeline. Here’s a quick summary of his 5 ways to draw in and retain workers who are a good fit for your company’s needs:

1. Plan. Analyze the future needs of your company. Which positions are key to achieving your business goals? What leadership competencies are necessary to drive company growth?
2. Attract. Create an employer brand that attracts the kind of people who want the specific type of employment experience you offer. (Amtec tip: If you haven’t yet defined your company culture, start here.)
3. Assess. Identify future leaders by assessing talent needs in light of the job challenges they may face, organizational knowledge they may need, competencies they may require, and personality traits that will help them succeed. Periodically review your talent to ensure you are growing leaders to fill spots as existing leaders move up or away.
4. Develop. Grow your leaders by internal and external training, cross-functional and/or rotation of assignments, executive coaching, and regional/global assignments.
5. Reward. Compensate your top performers well, and give them rewards and recognition to keep them on board.

Refusing to plan for change will leave you without the high performers you need to succeed, so start building your talent pipeline today. As you create a recruiting plan to tackle changing staffing needs, you’ll be prepared to welcome changes as they come–and go!