The Staffing Plan - Research Proposal Example

STAFFING PLAN Putting the right people in the organization determines the success of the business; tailor-fitting the skills of its employees to the position further strengthen the business and ensure profitability. The thing that “defines the required human resources needed to deliver the desired project deliverables” is a Staffing Plan. It provides the appropriate skill groups suited to the specific tasks to expect maximum output, and sometimes involves appropriation of office equipments, tools, even the course of action on how tasks should be accomplished. It is said that “a popular business philosophy is that, in an age of commodities, the differentiating factor between competitive companies is the augmentative support provided after the sale of a product or service.” (Cusack, M. p1) Therefore we can note that in providing the quality of service and the initiation of the best selling skills rely on the staffs that are tasked for the job. Certain elements are crucial components of a successful staffing plan to allow a business to operate under the rules of the governing department that issues business permits. First is to provide the company’s organizational chart. Indicated here all positions assigned to the company including the specific job classification of each position. It is important to show the support personnel assigned as utility, medical providers, food services, and other similar positions. Second is the inclusion of the job description of each class or type of personnel to be filling the positions of the organization. This would show the job title, duties, and functions of each categorization and whether these employees are part-time or full-time since the status signify difference in benefits and wage classifications. Third element is the post or shift assignments. This component contains a description of all the shift positions and schedules that will be filled; number of working days, number of hours, and the post orders for each position. Again, there is remuneration significance in terms of shift assignments since those with graveyard shifts are entitled to a night differential pay. Another element in consideration is the relief factor. This is a multiplier used in determining the number of staff needed to fill one position. Take for instance inbound call center wherein one seat would require 3 agents to operate on a 24-hour basis consequently the calculation is based on actual available working hours per agent. It requires an evaluation of all time off or “away time” from work for each employee classification. Further integrated here is the type of leave such as vacation, sick leave, compensatory time off, administrative leave, training, family leave, and even bereavement leave. Selection and hiring process is another element that provides a brief description of the procedure on how an organization attains its personnel. To most companies, even call centers, there are different criteria that are required for various positions. This also gives the company the leverage to choose the best manpower for the job since if a company will not be able to get the right people in the right jobs, then its organizational goals and objectives will not be met. Concurrent to the hiring process is the training plan that details the types of training that will be required for the different levels in the organization, as well as any on-the-job-training. Call center agents often go through trainings upon the commencement of their work; they need to be coached on accent training, customer service, campaign details, and telemarketing skills. It is also inevitable that employees should undergo periodical skills training to upgrade their competencies and ensure maximum output. Lastly, the implementation timeline should clearly illustrate when the employee selection, hiring and training will be done. These elements are crucial in the accomplishment of a staffing plan and the acquisition of necessary permits for smooth business operation. Every call center today is taking a hard look at its worse case scenarios. Finances and operating expenses are being critically scrutinized and management often puts pressure to its personnel of doing more for less. In a call center it sometimes means handling more calls with the same number or even fewer staff. Staff expenses is the single largest call center expense, and while it is true that cutting staff may seemingly have a positive impact but in the long run it may actually result to lesser savings. Traditional methods of knowing the number of staff involved is done with the use of engineering techniques and is also used to find the required number of telephone staff to meet a desired service goal. Figuring out the most favorable number of staff in an income-generating call center involves a moderately simple cost computation that focuses on the overall costs of providing different levels of service to identify the collaboration that maximizes company revenues. The economic components to be considered in the computations are potential revenue, staffing cost, telephone cost, and abandoned call cost. Implementing a good staffing plan requires accurate forecast of workload so that the business can acquire the accurate number of staffs to handle it. In the absence of a precise forecasting of the work to be expected, the most updated effort to calculate staff numbers and create elaborate schedule arrangements is wasted. In the call center industry there are various ways on how forecast can be done. The most typical setting is simply with reference to the everyday operations. But there are certain situations that are taken into consideration when making a forecast such as mergers or acquisition, opening a new site or center, or change of operating schedules. Also, they may put into service a new technology that would affect the call volume and how this would affect the personnel workload. Whatever the purpose, it is vital to understand the basic principles behind workload forecasting and how to relate them to precisely plan call center resources. Collection of data and information is also a vital tool to implement a business’ staffing plan. Examine the business plan for human resources implications; conduct internal and external examination to determine restraining factors such as internal policies and procedures, and also labor market conditions. In a call center setting, data can be sourced from past operational reports mostly. There is an assumption that past history is the best interpreter of the future in most centers. Then thirdly there is a need for reconciliation. This act refers to the identification of gaps between staffing necessities and available talents. Normally organizations practice promotions from within or that it first utilizes its available manpower to fill all the possible positions before doing recruitment activities. There should also be a creation of strategies to tackle gaps and build up specific programs and resources to handle these needs. Action planning is therefore a necessity to come up with a strategic staffing plan. Lastly, feedback and evaluation must be established to assess programs and policies to be able to build up and apply strict measures to evaluate the impact of action planning on desired results. An effective staffing system includes a forward-looking staffing services plan that permits a company to hire in a practical manner and maximize the organization’s resources. This covers concerns such as how many employees will be needed during the next year, why these employees will be hired, when they will be hired, the cost to hire these employees, and what value they will bring to the internal and external customers of the company. The key to hiring successfully is to have a staffing system that provides a model, a pattern and a process for those who recruit, screen, interview and hire new employees. When accurately designed and executed, a staffing system takes much of the risk and improbability out of the process by providing a standard approach that ensures that everyone in the company hires in a dependable manner. Although having a staffing plan does not always guarantee success never the less it will considerably increase the chances of getting the right person in the profession with each new hire. Resources: (1) Retrieved January 25, 2009, from Information Services Board Web site: (1) http://isb.wa.gov/tools/pmframework/planning/staffing.aspx (2) Retrieved January 25, 2009, from CCG Web site: (2) http://www.ccng.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3352 (3) Cusack, Michael (1998). Online Customer Care: Applying Todays Technology to Achieve World-Class Customer Interaction. Wisconsin: ASQ Quality Press. (4) Cleveland, Brad. Hash, Susan (2000). Call Center Forecasting and Scheduling: The Best of Call Center Management Review. Maryland. (5) Read, Brendan (2000). Designing the Best Call Center for Your Business: A Complete Guide for Location, Services, Staffing, and Outsourcing. New York: CMP Books. Read More