Plan today for the workforce of tomorrow
Workforce planning is not just about solving today’s challenges—it’s about preparing for the future. The rapid pace of change, shifting age demographics, the rise of GenAI, devolution, and evolving career pathways mean that councils must be as proactive as they are reactive.
Our approach embeds #BuildAWindmill thinking, ensuring resilience in the face of uncertainty. Looking ahead, we will work with the sector to explore opportunities to do things differently, using foresight-driven workforce strategies that are agile, sustainable, and responsive to emerging skills demands, technological advancements, and societal shifts. That means our solutions may come from embracing what’s ahead and reshaping what has traditionally served us well.
Why strategic workforce planning is essential for success
Advanced and successful strategic workforce planning (SWP) is not a ‘nice to have’. It is a must-have.We can work with you to embed a comprehensive approach, making sure you are aligning changing workforce capabilities with long-term organisational priorities.
To us SWP is not just a plan, it's a new way of thinking about people, pressure and potential.
What makes us different (and powerful):
We start where the pain is, not the plan While others start with workforce frameworks, we start with what’s happening in real services. We understand that every team has its own rhythm, pressures, and people puzzle — and we work from there.
“I don’t come in with a fixed SWP template. I help you hold up a mirror to the work and the workforce - service by service. That’s where future-fit thinking begins.” Michelle O’Neill, Principal Consultant
We make it tangible with service snapshots
Instead of vague workforce analytics, we help teams build a practical snapshot of current roles, pinch points, emerging needs, and opportunities to flex. It’s not just about FTEs. It’s about purpose, pressure, and potential.
Our snapshots bring your workforce story to life in language your managers own. No jargon. Just insight that prompts real decisions.
We work with services, not around them
Other approaches can feel like HR ‘doing something to’ departments. We embed SWP as a leadership conversation, not a compliance task. We create the space for services to think out loud, spot what’s coming, and build workforce resilience without the burnout.
We are system-savvy, not just strategy-savvy
We know about job evaluation, career pathway gaps, budget pressure, and hidden duplication and we help councils work with those tensions, not pretend they don’t exist. You don’t need another strategy. You need someone who can help you stretch the system you’re in carefully, creatively, and credibly.
Check out our work with Telford and Wrekin Council
Depending on where you are with your journey, we would recommend:
1. Grounding the Fundamentals For councils who want to build shared understanding across HR, OD and leadership teams, we partner with the CIPD to deliver their national SWP framework. Perfect for setting a solid foundation and language for action.
2. Making It Real For councils ready to application, WME work service-by-service to turn insight into action quickly and practically, including your senior leadership team. Ideal if you want to unlock stuck thinking, spark change, and build confidence from the inside out.
Not sure where to start? Let’s design a blend
Many clients begin with the CIPD sessions to align stakeholders, then move into snapshot work to keep momentum going. Others jump straight into doing and weave the theory in as they go. We can help you shape the path that works for your people, your pressures, and your priorities.
WME's guidance and expertise have been invaluable in helping us to develop and implement a strategic approach to workforce planning across the Council.
From our initial conversations, through the planning process and throughout the roll out of this first phase of the pilot, WME’s innovative and insightful advice and expertise has enabled us to develop a robust and forward-thinking approach to workforce planning, as well as equipping our managers with the skills and capability to deliver this.
Acting as a critical friend, WME have encouraged us to develop our thinking further than we would have been able to on our own. We feel confident that through WME’s input and support, we are better placed to plan for and navigate the complex, evolving landscape in which we work.
Hannah Preece, HR & OD Service Delivery Manager and Debbie Brown, HR Policy and OD Manager Telford and Wrekin Council March 2025
How we can help
Get in touch to explore how we can support your resourcing team's growth and development
Chloe Herrmann
Principal Consultant Resourcing