June HRForecast workshop recap

The end of June 2023 was quite productive for the HRForecast team. During the last week of June, we hosted three customized workshops (from June 27 to June 29) on empowering individuals and organizations to build a future-ready workforce.

These workshops were designed to provide attendees with invaluable knowledge and practical tools to navigate the evolving talent management landscape. Participants could delve into three key areas and gain insight that will undoubtedly shape their strategic decision-making:

• Assessing corporate skills risks. This workshop was designed to equip participants with the ability to identify critical skills gaps and develop targeted strategies to address them, ultimately ensuring the achievement of long-term business goals.
• Leveraging global labor market insights. This workshop provided attendees with valuable insights into global labor market trends, enabling them to develop data-driven talent acquisition and retention strategies.
• The importance of a skills-based strategic workforce planning (SWP). This workshop provided attendees with the tools and frameworks to assess the importance of skills-based strategic workforce planning and its impact on business success. Participants learned how to align workforce planning initiatives with business goals to ensure the right talent is in place to drive innovation, growth, and resilience.

Read a more detailed summary of the events below.

The June 27 workshop featured presentations from:

• Angus Turpin, Director International Business Development and Partnerships, HRForecast
• Lasse Hamre, Co-Founder and Business Development Director, TASK
• Sam Seehra, Talent Solutions Director, BDO UK LLP
• Zsolt Zeleski, Head of People Advisory Services, BDO UK LLP.

The speakers provided attendees with practical knowledge and insights to effectively address talent management challenges in a time of economic pressure. Participants had the opportunity to explore the concept of skills readiness assessment and understand its importance in strategic workforce planning.

Angus Turpin of HRForecast explained the importance of skills readiness assessment and how it contributes to strategic workforce planning. Participants were able to see what skills readiness assessments entail and their relevance to talent management.

Lasse Hamre focused on practical examples of overcoming hurdles in strategic workforce planning. Using real-world examples and case studies, the presenter shared strategies and solutions to effectively address the challenges of aligning competencies with strategic goals. Attendees gained practical insights into implementing strategic workforce planning in their organizations.

Sam Seehra and Zsolt Zeleski discussed smarter talent decisions under economic pressure. They explored how organizations can make informed talent decisions by leveraging data, insights, and best practices. Attendees learned strategies to optimize their talent management practices and ensure they are making the right decisions even in challenging economic conditions.

Participants had the opportunity to apply the ideas presented during the workshop and discuss how to justify continued investment in talent management. They explored the arguments and rationale needed to make the case for continued investment in skills development and management in the face of economic pressures.

The June 28 workshop featured presentations from:

• Julius Bähr, Head of Solution Consulting, HRForecast
• Florian Fleischmann, CEO and co-founder, HRForecast.

The June 29 workshop featured presentations from:

• Julius Bähr, Head of Solution Consulting, HRForecast
• Christian Vetter, CEO and founder, HRForecast.

During the workshop, participants learned how to build a strategic workforce planning framework that directly aligns with their organization’s business strategy. Julius Bähr and Christian Vetter emphasized connecting talent management efforts with strategic objectives, ensuring that workforce planning initiatives are targeted and impactful.

The workshop focused on four main topics:

• Why is skills-based SWP relevant? Participants discussed the impact of black swan events on the loss of critical skills within organizations. They highlighted the importance of assessing future skill requirements and the challenges of not having a common approach and relying on multiple systems and skills data sources. Julius Bähr and Christian Vetter provided insights on breaking down strategic skill requirements, leveraging a common skill taxonomy across the company, and utilizing external data insights to reduce maintenance efforts.
• How to assess your future skills requirements? The discussion focused on addressing the challenges associated with assessing future skill requirements. The feedback provided insights into the need for better alignment between strategic skill requirements and the individual employee’s skills gap, streamlining systems and skill data sources, and the development of a common approach or framework for evaluating skill needs.
• How to assess the skills available in your current workforce? Participants shared feedback on the current lack of structured approaches for assessing skills at the employee level. The benefits for employees sharing their skills information were discussed, along with the issue of skills data being scattered across different systems. Julius Bähr showcased how a common skill taxonomy can help to connect future skill requirements and the workforce’s current skillset to enable key use cases (such as skill-based career or training recommendations).
• Where to get started based on your company’s SWP maturity? Attendees received insights on leveraging existing tools and data sources within their organizations. Additionally, Julius Bähr recommended leveraging external data to reduce maintenance efforts and stay informed about market trends.