Understanding Manpower Planning and Its Importance in F&B

StaffAny Team
February 4, 2023

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Manpower planning is not just for companies, but also crucial for F&B businesses to operate efficiently. As a business owner, manager, or decision maker, understanding the basics of manpower planning can help you effectively plan and manage your workforce. This article will provide a comprehensive overview of the concept and steps for its practical application in the F&B industry.

What Is Manpower Planning?

Manpower planning is an essential process that helps organisations plan and schedule their human resource requirements. It is focused on determining the number of employees needed to carry out a specific project or task.

With manpower planning, businesses can organise their staffing levels, ensuring they have the right number of employees ready to start work at the right time. For example, during a holiday period such as Hari Raya Eid al-Fitr, when there may be fewer employees available, manpower planning can help businesses prepare for this and avoid understaffing. Overall, Manpower Planning is a critical aspect of effective workforce management that allows organisations to align their human resources with their overall business goals and objectives.

The Importance of Manpower Planning in F&B Businesses

Manpower planning is a crucial aspect of workforce management for F&B businesses. It helps organisations to determine the number and type of employees needed, as well as when they will be required throughout the year. By having a well-planned workforce, businesses can meet their goals without overworking their employees or facing understaffing issues.

Manpower planning also helps to ensure that the workforce runs smoothly. When there are fewer workers on staff at once, their productivity may suffer due to the increased workload. Conversely, if there aren’t enough workers on staff, production slows down and customers may be dissatisfied with service delays or product shortages. Overall, proper Manpower Planning is essential for F&B businesses to remain competitive and efficient in the market.

Manpower Planning Objectives

Here are the objectives of manpower management that will contribute to future industry developments, and to the productivity of existing human resources:

1. Ensure that There’ll be Correct Staffing Levels

The first objective of manpower planning is to forecast the need of staffing levels, and to work with managers to make sure that each department is staffed properly. The human resource department must make plans in company’s employment needs to make sure that they won’t be understaffed whenever they need new employees.

2. Good Succession Planning

It is proven that utilising the existing workforce is cheaper than hiring new employees to fulfill the role within the company. Companies must compensate for the recruiting costs, training programmes, and the cost of low productivity because the new employee is settling into the new job.

In practice, manpower planning is making sure that the current manpower inventory is able to be circulated within the company to prevent looking for new recruits. In this process, companies must track the skill set of each employee to be able to move them.

3. Assessing the Future Demand

Future manpower planning involve the process of anticipating the future skills required for hiring qualified candidates. Those candidates are meant to fulfill upcoming future projects. The HR Department must participate in every aspect of business planning in recruiting for new job duties that the company hasn’t experienced with in the past.

4. Optimisation of Efficiency and Productivity

A company must utilise its employees efficiently to increase productivity and to maintain employee morale. Workforce efficiency can be maximised by creating different work shifts, opening part-time shifts, offering overtime to fulfill the increased production needs, and training current employees with a good training program.

Offering shift options and giving employees the tools that will help them with their job are ways in maintaining employee morale.

Steps in Manpower Planning

Below are manpower planning steps that every F&B Businesses should know:

Manpower planning is a vital process for ensuring an efficient workforce. Here are five steps to follow to ensure effective manpower planning:

1. Identify Your Business Goals and Objectives

Clearly define your business goals and objectives, as they will help you determine the right staff for each position and align the work that needs to be done with these goals so they can succeed.

2. Analyse Current Workforce Data

Collect data on the current workforce, including employee turnover rates, absenteeism, and skill levels. This information can help identify any existing or potential issues that need to be addressed.

3. Assess Future Supply and Demand

Also known as forecasting, this step is crucial in identifying your market and potential changes on the horizon. Forecasting helps organisations prepare for increases or decreases in workforce needs, such as onboarding many employees after securing a major catering event, or even adjusting staffing levels due to market contraction.

4. Develop and Implement Strategy

Based on the analysis of current and future workforce needs, develop and implement strategies such as recruiting and training new employees, offering incentives for current employees to stay, or outsourcing specific tasks. Make sure that the necessary resources are in place to execute these strategies.

5. Monitor and Evaluate The Result

Manpower planning is an ongoing process and regular monitoring and evaluation are necessary to ensure that strategies are working as intended. Track key performance indicators such as employee turnover rates to see if strategies have had an impact. Continuously evaluate and improve the process for better future results.

Examples of Manpower Planning in F&B

Here are examples of how manpower planning can be applied in the F&B industry:

1. Staffing Levels: An F&B business may use manpower planning to determine the number of employees needed to staff the restaurant during peak hours, based on historical sales data. This can help ensure that customers receive prompt service and minimise wait times.

1. Seasonal Planning: Many F&B businesses experience changes in demand during different seasons. Manpower planning can help businesses prepare for these changes by determining the number of employees needed during peak seasons and adjusting staffing levels during slower seasons.

1. Special Events: F&B businesses that host special events, such as weddings or corporate events, may use manpower planning to determine the number of employees needed to staff the event and ensure that all aspects of the event run smoothly.

1. Skill-based planning: Manpower planning in the F&B industry can also be used to identify the specific skills and qualifications required for different roles within the business, such as chefs, servers, and bartenders. This can help ensure that the right employees are in place to meet the needs of the business and provide high-quality service to customers.

1. Preparing for the future: F&B businesses can use forecasting and trend analysis to predict potential changes in the market, such as the rise of online delivery platforms or the trend towards plant-based diets. Manpower planning can help businesses prepare for these changes by making adjustments to staffing levels, skills, and other factors to ensure they are well-positioned to adapt to these changes.

Manpower planning is a vital aspect of workforce management for F&B businesses. It helps organisations determine the number and type of employees needed and when they will be required throughout the year. By having a well-planned workforce, businesses can meet their goals without overworking their employees or facing understaffing issues. It also helps to ensure that the crew runs smoothly and that customers are satisfied with the service and products offered. With well-executed manpower planning, F&B businesses can remain competitive and efficient in the market.

StaffAny’s workforce management software dedicated to F&B and the shift work industry can help you plan and manage your manpower effectively. With smart timesheets designed to embrace changes on the ground, and an automated scheduling system to help you plan schedules across multiple outlets with better cost control & faster speed, our all-in-one software helps you save cost, spend less time and get smarter as you grow.

There’s more! Interested to learn what else StaffAny can do for your manpower planning in F&B? Reach out to us now!

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