Workforce planning in the APS (Part 4) - The role of WP in elevating the status of HR

The APSC defines workforce planning as:

“… a process of identifying the workforce capacity and capability your organisation needs to meet its objectives, now and into the future. It aims to ensure that the right people - those with the skills and capabilities necessary for the work - are available in the right numbers, in the right employment types, in the right place and at the right time to deliver your business outcomes” (APSC, 2012).

The definition provided by the APSC is worthy of close examination because it situates the APSC in HR discourse. Firstly, the language is personable: it is designed to appeal to the individual and encourage participation. Secondly, the definition shows that the APSC views workforce planning as belonging to Scientific Management school: it appears to subscribe to the “old Bismarkian notion” that workforce planning is all about having the right people, at the right place, at the right time (Freyens, 2010, p. 264). Thirdly, the definition shows that the APSC believes workforce planning is more than numbers, it’s also about the capabilities held by the workforce. This aligns workforce planning with the APS Job Family Model, which is all about understanding the types of professions (or job roles) in the APS and moreover, understanding the capabilities (knowledge, skills, and behaviours) required by incumbents in these roles. 

Workforce planning is held to be a strategic HR initiative that can “elevate HR activities into a more strategic domain and ensure its relevance” (Colley & Price, 2010, p. 202). While this may indicate one reason for the prominence of workforce planning in public sector HR departments, Linda Colley and Robin Price have raised reasonable doubt that this recognition will ever be achieved. Their examination of workforce planning in the Queensland state public sector identified several barriers to the implementation of workforce planning, namely:

• lack of reliable HR data;
• changes in Government leading to changes in the central public sector agency (i.e. the APSC equivalent) and concomitant variations in philosophy surrounding workforce data collection; 
• devolution of HR responsibilities to agencies with limited central oversight (Colley & Price, 2010).

Please see the next instalment - which is all about WP in the public health context.