Should You Hire a Consultant for Workforce Planning Initiatives?

This is the sixth blog post in a series of blog posts and podcasts talking through the recent GovLoop Guide to Workforce Planning. Be sure to take a listen to the podcase below and view the guide. You can find more HR resources by visiting the GovLoop Guide to Workforce Planning Homepage.

A workforce and recruitment strategy will require a commitment to the plan from all levels of the agency. It is up to senior level officials to align the plan to the organizations objectives and lead the implementation phase. A recent report from the Department of the Interior states, “Workforce planning offers a means of systematically aligning organizational and program priorities with budgetary and human resources needs. By beginning the planning process with identified strategic objectives, managers and their organizations can develop workforce plans that will help them accomplish those objectives. At the same time, workforce plans provide a sound basis for justifying budget and staffing requests, since there is a clear connection between objectives, the budget, and the human resources needed to accomplish them.”

One option is to consider hiring a consultant to help with the workforce planning initiative. In some instances, a contractor will work well since they are not as ingrained in the organizational culture, and may provide insights and experience that are not available within the agency. Likewise, there are significant costs to hiring a consultant, and the consultant may not fully understand limitations within the agency and how the agency operates internally. By working with other agencies and collaborating, agencies may learn new insights and lessons from similar agencies.

Have you considered hiring a consultant to assist with workforce planning? What are some of the positives and benefits of doing so?

Oracle offers an optimized and fully integrated stack of business hardware and software systems that helps organizations overcome complexity and unleash innovation.. Check out their Optimize with Oracle group on GovLoop as well as the Technology Sub-Community of which they are a council member.