Strategic
Workforce Planning at
Evonik Industries
XBHR Conference, Frankfurt
March 1 / 2, 2012
Ulrich Bormann
Head of Corporate HR
SWP defines HR risks and provides detailed
support for HR decision making
Current HR challenges
Age structure
Kommunikation
HR capacity
Blick über den
Transparency
Tellerrand
Skills
Impact of options for the future
C-HR | Strategic Workforce Planning at Evonik
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Challenges of
strategic workforce planning
Qualitative criteria
Dynamics over time
Job families
Stages of
professional
development
Time delay
Planning
period
Experiences
Quantitative
development
Ageing
Gap analysis: comparing the
workforce supply projection to the
workforce demand forecast leads
to the net staff demand
Forecast of workforce demand (reference to business strategy)
Projection of workforce supply
C-HR | Strategic Workforce Planning at Evonik
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Key element of the application
is a 4 layer job family concept
Position 1
The job family concept defines the basis…
… for SWP applications
Position 2
Job Category 1
Job Class 1
Job Group 1
Position 4
Job Category 2
Job Class 2
…
Position 5
Job Category 3
…
Position 6
…
Position 7
Positon n
Job Category n
n = 70
Job Class
n = 46
Job Group n
n = 14
• Job families are the pre-condition for the consolidation of
results on business unit or on corporate level, and for the
connection with the administrative SAP HR systems.
• The concept fulfills the requirements of different HR
instruments such as strategic workforce planning, talent and
succession management and job evaluation process.
C-HR | Strategic Workforce Planning at Evonik
Development Level
Positon 3
Job family
At Evonik the job family
concept is implemented as
binding backbone for several
HR processes.
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Simulation of scenarios as core
functionality of the system
Analysis of the results of
the simulation
Workforce
simulation model
Non-influenceable
challenges are
described in the system
as “base scenario”
2
t
First actions derived
from the analysis will
be defined and included 3
1
Actions will be analyzed
and further improved
The process will be concluded
by incorporating the best
suited actions into the “plan
scenario”
5
4
Feedback
C-HR | Strategic Workforce Planning at Evonik
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SMIA Software as technical basis:
Performance and transparency
Visualisation for transparency
and easy access
Dynamic functions for
modeling of time delays
and loops
Object orientation for
modular structures and
smooth maintenance
S tructured
M odelling
I nteractive
A nalysis
Rolling forecast
function supports smart
adaptions for changed
environment
Documentation of
assumptions and results of
simulations for a better
transparency
Scenario management for
easy comparison of different
scenario outputs
Powered by
C-HR | Strategic Workforce Planning at Evonik
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Exemplary output charts (capacity; ramp-up
staff; inflow/outflow; base scenario)
C-HR | Strategic Workforce Planning at Evonik
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From analysis to fields of action - case
study (example)
Qualification
Category
 Qualification risk:
Training and recruiting
The absence of high quality
entry level training programs
in high growth emerging
markets such as China
represents a challenge to
companies that want to staff
newly built production
facilities with local
employees holding the
required qualifications.
C-HR | Strategic Workforce Planning at Evonik
Actions
 A personnel simulation
model was used to analyze
how the turnover at the
various development levels,
which will have different
effects over time, will
generate personnel
replacement needs in the
production job family.
Implementation
 To sustainably meet these
replacement needs, the
company sponsors a local
vocational school, which in
part uses concepts of the
German training system to
secure the staffing needs of
the company with entry level
job training. We also
established a dedicated
recruiting channel for future
specialized workers.
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From analysis to fields of action - case
study (example)
Age structure
Category
 Age risk:
Designing general works
agreements
C-HR | Strategic Workforce Planning at Evonik
Actions
 Cornerstones to be
addressed in negotiations
are easier to analyze in
advance for their potential
effects on the employee pool
and potentially associated
risks.
Implementation
 One specific evaluation
involved opening a senior
part-time program for certain
age groups in certain
employee functions to
achieve cost savings and to
manage age-related
turnover effects.
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C-HR | Strategic Workforce Planning at Evonik
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