It's been a crazy couple of years for hiring personnel. Between the pandemic and the resulting Turnover Tsunami, human resources departments have been hard-pressed to keep their companies fully staffed. Whatever is in store for 2022, it's time to develop a staffing plan to meet those challenges.

What is a staffing plan? It's a roadmap for your hiring strategy over the next 12 months that aligns staffing objectives with the goals of the company.

Identify Your Needs

The first step in developing a staffing plan is to determine your needs for the year. To do that, SHRM suggests evaluating the goals you need to achieve. "By recognizing the targets employees will be working toward, human resource professionals can identify the amount and type of support needed to meet those expectations."

SHRM recommends that HR managers "reach out to other leaders to understand their expectations of the department in the upcoming year, including support for major projects, new strategic initiatives or other changes that will require adjusting staff."

What Will Influence Hiring?

Your ability to hire qualified candidates could be affected by several factors outside of your control.

The pandemic continues to influence worker decisions, says Forbes. People are still worried about getting sick and many workers with children still need to be home -- or can't find care. Back-to-work incentives and flexible or work-from-home scheduling could keep some of your workers from resigning.

Experts predict the pandemic-inspired work flight coined "The Great Resignation" will continue to affect hiring in 2022.

"Higher wages for new hires are a must in the current job market, but many more existing workers will need to see pay raises as the starting point for sticking around, and many are expecting a pay bump in 2022," according to a recent CNBC|Momentive workforce survey.

Conduct a Gap Analysis

"A solid staffing plan requires identifying gaps between needs and existing resources," says ADP.

How many staff do you have now and how many will you need in the coming year? Are you still working to fill vacancies from last year? Will you need additional staff for a new location or growth spurt?

ADP notes that "some of your organization's talent needs can be groomed internally. Others may possibly be met by outsourcing to consultants, freelancers or independent contractors."

Develop Solutions

You're staffing plan likely will encompass more than one hiring strategy.

"The companies to find success in the new year will be the ones who 'embrace the opportunities to rethink old ways of hiring, employee engagement, and how business is done," says Fortune.

As hiring managers struggle to keep up with staffing needs, they've turned more readily to technology and outside assistance to help ease the strain. In an article for SHRM, Jobvite Vice President of Marketing Kerry Gilliam says "investing in automation, in order to improve efficiency and allow recruiters more time to build relationships with candidates, is also related to the current labor market, where recruiters are swamped with open roles to fill."

Forbes notes that getting help with recruiting can be "game-changing" for employers since "recruiters' robust networks and tested hiring strategies can find qualified matches for your roles faster than filling the role yourself."

TPD's Total Workforce Solution addresses all of your talent acquisition needs – including direct hire and contingent workers – and employment relationship management, reducing your costs and freeing you up to focus on business. Contact us today for your workforce solution!