You work hard to meet your business goals, and investing time into planning and developing your workforce can be a challenge. Having the right information, tools and resources to support the process is the first step to success.
Here you will find useful information, templates, links and resources to assist you to better plan, attract, develop and retain a skilled workforce that can help you reach those business goals now and into the future.
Your local Jobs and Skills Centre can also provide advice and assistance with maximising the potential of your workforce.
"The staff at the Jobs and Skills Centre really understand our requirements as an Indigenous owned business.
They have not only introduced us to other Indigenous businesses but have also matched us with suitable trainees and employees."
Gavin with Kieran from the Jobs and Skills Centre
Workforce planning
Workforce planning involves identifying the skills, capabilities and capacity of your current workforce and forecasting your future workforce needs, identifying any 'gaps' and developing strategies and actions you can take to fill those gaps.
Workplace health check
This quick self-check looks at the challenges and opportunities facing your industry area, your business and your workforce, to help identify key areas of focus for your planning.
Five easy steps to workforce planning
Breaking the planning process down into five steps helps to focus on your current and future needs, and to get your ideas into an action plan.
Maximising your workforce
Targeted strategies and processes around key areas such as recruitment, training, retention and motivation of staff, and leadership and communication are important elements of your workforce planning.
Workplace regulations
Here you can find information and resources to help keep you up to date with your employment obligations such as employment conditions, industrial relations both in WA and nationally, and health and safety.
Useful resources
These resources comprise a collection of information, how-tos and tips, designed to assist you to build your knowledge on a range of workforce development topics. The resources are grouped into the five workforce development focus areas. Feel free to download and make use of any of these resources in your own business.
The Workforce planning and development brochures are collations of information on important topics relevant to many businesses.
Workforce planning and development brochures
Brochure 1–Getting the right people, in the right place, at the right time
Brochure 2–Understanding your employment obligations
Brochure 3–Building a culturally diverse workforce
Brochure 4–Attracting and recruiting the people you need
Brochure 5–Run an effective recruitment process
Brochure 6–Building a positive workplace culture
Brochure 9–Investing in the experience of mature-age workers
Brochure 10–Improve your bottom line with workforce planning
Brochure 11–Creating a flexible workplace
Brochure 12–Employing people with disability makes good business sense
Brochure 13–Fostering workplace innovation in your business
DIY templates
This range of customisable templates is designed to give you a head start with some of the documents you may need, such as forms, letters, plans and checklists. Feel free to download any of these resources, adapt them to suit your requirements, and add your own logo, style or branding for use in your own business. Or perhaps they may just provide a helpful starting point for you to develop your own resources.
Case studies – Workforce planning and development in action
The following links to websites, videos and documents demonstrate how employers have put workplace planning and workforce development into action in their workplaces.
City of Melville—Workforce plan case study
Find the right staff with this quick overview from the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia Employ Outside the Box guides.
Training needs analysis case study examples from Flinders University, South Australia.
My Skills - The Australian VET Alumni Program
Employee performance management evaluation review appraisals are explained in this short YouTube video.
A guide to managing the first 100 days of an apprenticeship from the Australian Industry Group.
The article All fired up, interviewing Nicholas Wilson, Fair Work Ombudsman, highlights several points to keep in mind before sacking an employee. Published in the Sydney Morning Herald's My Small Business section on June 10, 2011.
An article on self awareness and leadership in business by Chris Musselwhite, published on Inc. magazine's website in October 2007.
The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety WorkSafe library is extensive and open to the public. It stocks books, articles and videos on subjects including leadership, mental health, and managing bullying in the workplace.
Useful links and contacts
The following extensive list of links lead to websites that provide a wide range of further information, quizzes, templates and contacts that may be relevant to your business.
Australian apprenticeships–employers
Australian Taxation Office–business
Australian Taxation Office–superannuation
Better workplace guide for small business
Business.gov.au contact page including web chat
Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA
Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA–workforce development services
Construction industry long service leave scheme — MyLeave
Department of Industry, Innovation and Science
Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety—Flexible workplaces
Employer resources to help employers who have staff who get a payment or service from the Department of Human Services.
Fair Work Ombudsman — help for small business
Government community grants, assistance and other support
Information for Australian employers—skilled migration
Office of State Revenue, Department of Finance
Recruitment–jobsearch
Recruitment–seek
Recruitment–Small Business Development Corporation
Registered training organisations
Restart program — help to employ mature workers
Skills development and training
Government information about growing and managing your small business
Small Business Superannuation Clearing House
Taxation and superannuation obligations
Visa and immigration information for employers
Acknowledgements
The information presented in this section of the website was developed by the Department of Training and Workforce Development in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Western Australia (Inc), the Small Business Development Corporation, the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, and representatives from the Western Australian industry training councils.