HR strategy and workforce planning for Telecom Infrastructure Companies: growing and shrinking with the order book
Rollout orders do not arrive evenly. Planning people against the order book avoids both idle crews and missed starts, and gives circle heads something firm to work from.
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Share your requirementsWhy HR strategy and workforce planning matters in telecom infrastructure companies
A new order from an operator may need hundreds of people in weeks: erection crews, civil teams, electricians and site coordinators. The company scrambles, hires through contacts and accepts what it gets. When the wave ends, many are released with little thought, and some of the best go to a rival.
A workforce plan lays headcount by phase, circle and skill against the expected order book. It identifies a core to keep, a bench to call back and a flexible layer for peaks. It also shows when to train, and what the pay and progression picture looks like.
How to set it up
1. Build a view of demand
Combine orders, pipeline and typical project length by circle. Ask sales for a range, not a single figure.
2. Split roles into core, bench and flexible
Core roles stay between projects. Bench roles are people you can call back. Flexible roles are planned as project-based.
3. Cost the gaps
For each phase, note the difference between needed and available people, and the lead time to fill it.
4. Plan training in the quiet periods
Use gaps between waves for climbing assessments and supervisor training, so skills are ready for the next order.
5. Review monthly with sales and operations
Update the plan as orders change and share the numbers with circle heads. HR reporting and analytics can help.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Draw headcount by month for the past year and mark when orders landed.
- List the roles you could not fill within a month last time.
- Ask circle heads which people they would want back first after a project.
- Check whether any training was planned for a quiet period.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach HR strategy and workforce planning in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Not exact, because orders move. A plan with ranges and triggers, reviewed monthly, is useful. A fixed figure for the year is usually wrong.
A senior person in operations, with HR as partner. Sales should supply the order view so the plan stays connected to the business.
Offer another project, a short training stint or a retainer-like arrangement where suitable. Confirm any arrangement with a qualified professional.