Right People, Right Roles

It is important to put the right people for the right roles. Many small business owners and managers, make people decisions (new hires, promotions, structural changes) when there is already a problem to solve. When Impact HR shares our tips and tools for effective people planning, there is that beautiful lightbulb moment of “that makes so much sense” or “why didn’t I think of that.” 

After 15 years working with small and medium sized business, I believe that people planning is even more important in a smaller business than it is for a big business! In large organisations, you always have someone to cover a role and more than one person with the skills but in a SME life isn’t like that. We all have to wear multiple hats and often there is only one person with the qualifications for a given role. In a SME it’s critical to have the right people with the right skills, in the right role. 

You need a Plan 

Hopefully, you have a business plan in place (if not go to our earlier blogs for help). It doesn’t need to be 100 pages long and full of complex diagrams and words that only you can decipher. It does need to create a clear picture of what your dream business looks like and what you need to deliver to your clients.  While some of our readers will still be hands on, other readers don’t deliver the service themselves and rely on others. When we employ a team to make the impossible, possible, your people plan helps you understand the risks, rewards and costs associated.  

Getting Clear on Who and What You Need 

Just like creating a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) for your business we create a SWOT for your people. We work with clients as they consider the following things: 

Current and future workloads 

• An honest picture of what is really happening in your business. 

• Too much work for the existing team or too little projected work can change everything. 

• Be honest with your workload projections, otherwise you will end up with a team of stressed out and unhappy people. Or a team of people mastering “Among Us” on your time because they have nothing better to do. 

Market and Technology Changes 

• Consider how new technology/AI might affect how your business operates. 

• Are there new products or competitors in the marketplace? 

• How will you adjust your business to external factors that are beyond your control? E.g. automatic bank feeds have changed the role of accounts receivable officers who now have additional hours (not minutes) in the day to call debtors etc. How can you use the additional time wisely? 

Team Performance and Skills 

• Consider your teams’ skill profile. 

• As a team what skills, qualifications, experience and length of service do they have and how can you use it to help your business? 

• Do their skills match what you need in your business? 

• Can you be successful with their current knowledge and skills? 

• How many employees leave your business in a year? 

• If your business has a high rate of change, you’ll need to plan and budget for additional recruitment and onboarding time.  

Client Expectations 

• Are your clients or their expectations changing? E.g. at restaurants it is common to order using QR codes now, that reduces the number of people in your wait team.  

• What do you need to do to ensure the clients are satisfied with your work? 

Knowledge = A Plan 

Once you have the answers to these questions, you can start to plan to: 

• Ensure your business is always ahead of the competition. 

• Employ the right number of skilled people to have your clients singing your praises. 

• Focus in the right area of the people plan. Is that recruitment, training, a change to how you pay people? This will save you time in advance, instead of playing catch-up after something has gone wrong. 

Regardless of timing and what it is like for your business, people planning is a great opportunity to look with fresh eyes at what positions and skills are needed in your business for it to thrive. 

If you would like help with your people plan, call us now on 1300 474 672, or https://impacthr.com.au/contact-us/ book a People Planning Session today. We have the expertise to help have your Dream Business through your Dream Team. You can also book a FREE Consultation by clicking the button below.