Staffing Plan in the Business

Staffing Plan

In the business world today, hiring employees is no longer a simple process. There are far more components to consider than whether candidates are academically qualified to perform the work in question. Indeed, so many skills are specific to the type of job to perform that these are generally acquired only after being hired for the job. Today's employer must therefore consider not only a person's graduate qualifications, but also his or her ability to function well within the specific work environment, his or her trainability, and also whether the company's hiring practices are legally compliant (Biech). Furthermore, employers also need to consider elements like employee retention strategies and post-hiring training. These are considerations when devising a staffing strategy for a sporting goods store that is projected to have four branches. The specific sectors of the store that need staffing include manufacturing, operations, customer service, distribution, marketing, and accounting.

The first important step in creating a staffing strategy, according to Mochal (2003), is to determine how many employees are needed in each component of the store, as well as what specific qualifications are needed to be able to enter each position. When this has been determined, additional characteristics can be determined. Once these are in place, advertisements can be created for each position.

Manufacturing and distribution will occur from a central store, away from the premises of the four stores. These divisions will each consist of a team of ten employees, with one manager to lead each team. Because the work involved in these divisions are very specific to the job performed, employees hired for these positions will be recruited on the basis of their ability to be trained and to function well in a team environment. Leaders will be chosen according to seniority and experience in their fields.

Each store will have a team of two people in each of the divisions of operations and accounting. Accountants must necessarily have the relevant tertiary qualifications to perform their financial work. Additionally, it is expected that these people, working with the funding aspect of the business, will have a strict code of ethics in working with the finances allocated to each store and the application of these to optimize the store's functions. Operations teams will work together with the financial divisions to ensure that the business functions optimally. Employees recruited for these jobs will therefore also need team work and critical thinking skills to perform well in their jobs.

The marketing division will also be represented in each store, with each marketing team consisting of five people. Leadership for the marketing teams will occur on a rotational basis, with each marketing campaign to be headed by a different team member. To recruit suitable marketers, then, qualifications will include a marketing degree and preferably some experience. However, experience is not necessarily a requirement.

Finally, customer service is one of the most important components of the business, as customers are the lifeblood of any business. Customer service personnel will then be recruited primarily on the basis of their communication skills and their ability to work well with others. A team of ten customer service personnel for each of the four stores will be recruited on this basis. Here also, experience will be an asset, although not necessarily a requirement. Qualifications for this position can range from marketing to communication technologies. In other words, a wide variety of tertiary qualifications will be accepted for successful applicants.

Once these issues have been determined, a staffing strategy can be drawn up. According to Mochal (2003), such a strategy consists of various components. The first is an overview. When constructing the overview of this particular staffing strategy, all the above-mentioned components will be included: the number of employees to be recruited for each division; the qualifications required for each position; and the additional components required to succeed in the specific work to be performed.

Mochal's second component is the alignment of each position and employee's responsibilities to the organizational goals and strategy of the company. In the case of the sporting goods store, the main goal is to provide a top range of products for a discerning public and to achieve competitive differentiation by means of innovative and excellent products. This is a philosophy that should be promoted by the staff recruited for the four proposed stores, as well as the manufacturing and distribution plant.

The third component is filling openings. Because four new stores are being opened, a large amount of openings will have to be filled. To do this effectively, attention should remain upon the requirements for each position, rather than being driven by deadlines, which could lead to hasty decisions. The focus should always be on the optimal operations of the company.

Another very important component of staffing is staff balance; this is where legal compliance becomes an issue. Companies are legally required to provide an equal opportunity for employment to prospective employees. In recruiting employees, the company will therefore not discriminate on any other basis than qualification and suitability for the job. Employment opportunities will therefore be open to all races, both genders, persons of disability, and any other differentiating factor. Full legal compliance will therefore be ensured throughout the recruiting process.

The diversity goals of the company are related to the above-mentioned legal compliance goal. To promote appropriate diversity in the company, especially in the customer service division, job recruitment advertisements will be offered in all community newspapers. Each community will also be investigated to determine the ethnic and social composition. Because they are working directly with the community, customer service personnel must be representative of this composition. This will optimize the communication of staff with customers and ultimately help the company reach its sales goals. The diversity goal should not, however, influence the focus on hiring the best recruits for the job they are to perform. In other words, the company's diversity goals should not be allowed to override its discernment of the best personnel to fill each position.