Hurdle 1: You are involved too late
Does this sound familiar? You’re the one putting things into practice
The organisation wants to grow. A department needs to make savings. A process is being automated. The Business sets the direction, Finance calculates the impact, and only then does the question arise for HR:
“Can you ensure you have the right people and skills?”
At that point, you no longer have a say in the decision. You simply implement what others have already decided. That is precisely why many HR teams feel they are constantly reacting to changes, rather than helping to shape them.
The question, therefore, is not how to gain more influence over a decision after the fact, but rather how to be involved in the discussion at an earlier stage.
Why HR often gets involved too late
HR sits at the crossroads of strategy and execution. Senior management focuses on growth, efficiency and results. HR focuses on people, skills and capacity. Finance monitors financial viability.
The problem? These three perspectives often only come together once the direction has already been set.
As a result, HR is often only involved after key decisions have already been made. At that point, the role automatically shifts to implementation: the organisation has decided where it wants to go, and HR must ensure it has the right people in place.
However, strategy is not about today, but about tomorrow. • What if the organisation grows faster than expected? • What if AI changes certain tasks? • What if a new market is tapped into? • What skills will we need within three years?
Those who help answer these questions are involved in the discussion at an earlier stage.
How much influence does HR have on strategic decision-making?
Significant influence
Moderate influence
Little influence
Barely 1 in 3 HR professionals feel they have much influence on decision-making
That is why scenario planning is a key lever for HR. By exploring various possible future scenarios, you can highlight the impact of strategic choices even before those choices are made. This means you are not simply informed after the fact, but are involved in the discussion at an earlier stage.
How do you plan strategically?
Almost 45 per cent of Belgian organisations are not engaged in strategic workforce planning
Reality check: how strategically does HR plan today?
That does not mean HR has no place at the table. Above all, it shows that many organisations are still failing to capitalise on opportunities to look beyond today’s staffing issues.
Those who identify future challenges at an earlier stage and explore different scenarios are better able to assess the impact of strategic choices. And it is precisely for this reason that HR is involved at an earlier stage in discussions about growth, change, capacity and skills.
How to do it: Scenario planning
How do you break the pattern whereby HR is only involved once the direction has already been set? Not by presenting better arguments after the fact, but by contributing ideas in advance about possible future scenarios. Traditional workforce planning often starts from today’s situation. Scenario planning starts from tomorrow.
01/
Gain insight into your current workforce
- Which roles are critical?
- What skills are available?
- Which skills are lacking?
- Where are the capacity bottlenecks?
- Wat is de total cost of employment?
02/
Explore possible future scenarios
- A growth scenario
- An automation scenario
- A scarcity scenario
- A cost-saving scenario
03/
Examine the consequences for each scenario
- Capacity
- Competencies
- Critical roles
- Productivity
- Costs
Why scenario planning works
It helps you to be prepared for various possible futures. This enables you to make decisions more quickly and with greater confidence when circumstances change.
For HR, scenario planning can mean more than just gaining a better understanding of capacity, skills or costs. It gives you a different position in the discussion.
“Instead of reacting to decisions that have already been made, you can highlight in advance what the impact of different choices will be on the workforce. You bring not only people expertise to the table, but also insight into risks, opportunities and feasible scenarios.”
This shifts HR’s role from that of an executor to that of an adviser. Because HR can highlight the consequences of different choices before decisions are made. And it is precisely this that increases the likelihood of HR being involved at an earlier stage in decisions regarding growth, transformation, automation or cost management.
Scenario planning: start small
You don’t need to set up an organisation-wide initiative straight away. Start with the one department where the staffing challenge is greatest at present.
1. MAP OUT YOUR STARTING POINT
Together with the manager of the relevant department, check the following:
- which roles are crucial;
- which skills are available;
- which skills are lacking;
- where capacity bottlenecks lie;
- what the current cost structure is.
2. MAKE THE IMPACT VISIBLE
Start by considering a change that is about to affect the department. For example:
- more automation or AI;
- a growth plan;
- increasing labour market shortages;
- a reorganisation.
Translate that change into its impact on people, skills, capacity and costs.
3. ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE
Don’t wait until HR is asked for input. Use your analysis as a starting point for a discussion with the business: “This is where we stand today. And this is what the choices ahead of us could mean for our workforce.” That way, you’re not merely reacting to decisions; you’re helping to shape them.
4. AND REPEAT ...
Build on this step by step. Repeat the same exercise for a second and third department. In this way, you will gradually build up an organisation-wide picture of the key workforce challenges and opportunities.
“Those who make the impact of strategic choices on people, skills, capacity and costs visible are not simply informed afterwards, but are involved in strategic decisions at an earlier stage.”
Katleen Jacobs Business Unit Manager Advisory, SD Worx