Is traditional workforce planning becoming obsolete?
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In the age of AI, organisations need to look beyond the technical skills their employees have today and place greater emphasis on their aptitude for change, one CPO has said.
As AI changes the skills businesses need, HR leaders are being asked to plan for capabilities that neither employers nor their clients can yet fully define. Altis Consulting chief people officer Charmaine Loratet told HR Leader that the answer is to look beyond the technical skills employees hold today and give greater weight to how well they can adapt.
Why skills-gap assessments are losing value
Loratet said traditional skills-gap assessments are less effective when future requirements are still emerging, because they focus on the capabilities employees lack today.
“Traditional skills-gap assessments focus on identifying the capabilities employees lack today, but that approach is less effective when future workforce requirements are still emerging,” she said.
Organisations, she said, need to understand how ready and willing employees are to embrace new ways of working, navigate uncertainty, and continuously develop their capabilities. Technical expertise remains important, but she said curiosity, adaptability, and commercial understanding are becoming essential.
At Altis, Loratet went on, the company is taking a two-part approach: it is working to understand how ready and willing its people are to adapt to new ways of working. It is also identifying, “as best we can”, the capabilities its clients are likely to need as AI reshapes their businesses.
Together, these insights will inform workforce planning, helping Altis prepare its people for changing demands rather than focusing solely on a predefined set of technical skills.
The challenge is compounded, Loratet said, because clients are themselves still working out what AI means for their businesses and which capabilities they will need.
What adaptable employees look like
Loratet said employees who are thriving at Altis tend to show a natural curiosity, particularly about how technology and people interact. They are interested in what is happening beyond their immediate roles, actively engage with clients and seek to understand the broader commercial environment.
She said these are the qualities HR teams should look for alongside technical expertise. That means understanding whether employees are open to different perspectives, willing to explore new approaches and comfortable operating in an environment that is constantly changing.
On measurement, Loratet said that Altis is still working out its methods. The company is exploring different assessment approaches, including the possibility of developing something internally, to better understand its people’s aptitude for change.
Rethinking competency models
Asked whether competency frameworks need to be redesigned to put more weight on curiosity, adaptability, and commercial understanding, Loratet’s answer is a direct “Yes”.
“Technical expertise remains important, but we’re seeing a growing need for capabilities that enable people to operate effectively in an unpredictable environment,” she said.
Altis is considering an overhaul of its competency model to place greater emphasis on those three attributes, which she said are becoming more important as AI changes how its people work and what clients expect from them.
Loratet said listing the qualities in a framework is not enough. They need to be reflected in how employees are assessed and recognised. This could mean looking for evidence of curiosity, adaptability, and commercial understanding in how people approach their work, engage with clients, and respond to new challenges. She noted that these qualities should also be considered when assessing performance and opportunities for career progression.
Workforce planning that responds to change
Loratet said workforce planning needs to become more responsive. Rather than focusing solely on the technical capabilities clients require today, Altis is looking at how those requirements are evolving and whether its people have the aptitude to evolve with them.
Her advice to other HR leaders is not to wait until future capability requirements are fully defined.
“Start by understanding your existing workforce’s readiness for change and consider how that should influence recruitment, development and longer-term workforce planning,” she said.
She said the status of the attribute itself has shifted: “Aptitude for change was once a nice-to-have. In today’s rapidly evolving workforce, it’s becoming a must-have.”
RELATED TERMS
The term "workforce" or "labour force" refers to the group of people who are either employed or unemployed.
Assessing the business's present and future demands to ensure there is an adequate supply of competent workers and leadership talent is the definition of workforce planning.
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