{"id":68830,"date":"2020-11-06T13:18:02","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T11:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/?p=68830"},"modified":"2026-01-29T15:50:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:50:02","slug":"workforce-planning-manage-shift-patterns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/workforce-planning-manage-shift-patterns\/","title":{"rendered":"How to effectively manage employee shift patterns"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to effectively manage employee shift patterns\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2020-11-06T13:18:02+02:00\">November 6, 2020<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How to effectively manage employee shift patterns\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/workforce-planning-manage-shift-patterns\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/author\/marvinopperman\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/10\/Marvin-Opperman-Sage-1-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Marvin Opperman<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The holy grail for any business would be the ability to predict the future. This, of course, is impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fortunately, today are available that give businesses insight into how busy they are likely to be in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-workforce-planning-matters\"><strong>Why workforce planning matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Accurate workforce planning is beneficial to small and medium-sized businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scheduling the exact number of employees, at the right time, in the right place to meet your demands will get you around two major problems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The cost of overstaffing, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Service issues that are more likely to happen when there aren&#8217;t enough people on shift.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Planning also helps you to effectively scale up or down quickly for busy events and periods to maximise profitability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research has shown that effective workforce planning can increase sales and employee productivity. <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2018\/03\/research-when-retail-workers-have-stable-schedules-sales-and-productivity-go-up\">One study<\/a> revealed that when a retailer gave their staff stable schedules that met the demand, sales and productivity rose by 7% and 5%, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, most business owners plan their workforce by gut feel, or complicated spreadsheets and workarounds. As expected, this doesn&#8217;t always work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These days, businesses need accurate answers to questions like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How many customers will we service throughout the day?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Based on this, who should be scheduled according to skill level, experience, and availability?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What&#8217;s the ideal number of people required to match demand?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How do we ensure that we always schedule people in the most efficient way?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#gate-07c78a4a-dd5a-47af-9fb9-6397776a8f40\">Download your free Remote Working guide<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-smart-workforce-planning\"><strong>Smart workforce planning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s a more scientific way of getting these answers. First, efficient workforce planning needs to know these two observations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><br><h3><strong>Demand signals: What drives volume?<\/strong><\/h3><br><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the secret to forecasting demand and, therefore, staffing needs. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Past data on customer flow:<\/strong> How many customers did you have at the same time in the past? Accurate customer trends are a vital metric on which to base your forecast.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Product popularity and sales trends:<\/strong> What are your best sellers? What&#8217;s sitting on the shelves, not selling at all? Historical metrics can ensure that you place staff where they are most needed in the business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Labour percentage:<\/strong> For some businesses, the cost of labour compared to sales is a critical driver.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Seasonal and weather trends:<\/strong> Sunny days, public holidays, or important sporting events can impact how busy you&#8217;ll be, depending on your line of business.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><br><h3><strong>Employee availability: Who have you got?<\/strong><\/h3><br><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understanding which employees you have available is the next essential data input for efficient workforce planning. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How many staff do you have in total?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When you consider shift preferences, working days per week and holidays, what is their availability like? How are they contracted? Full-time, part-time, variable hours, etc?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What is their cost?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What are each of their skills, capabilities, and qualifications?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sources-for-data\"><strong>Sources for data<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where you find these two data inputs will depend on how you&#8217;ve set up your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Electronic point of sale (EPOS) systems will save historical sales data for many businesses. Booking systems or practice management systems can also show you trends in customer flow over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Data on labour costs and availability can be found within HR software, payroll systems, or workforce management software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-making-it-smart\"><strong>Making it smart<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To get the most value from these data inputs, you need to ensure they feed directly into a system that can use them to answer important questions about scheduling and demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cloud-based apps make this a breeze. You can gather all relevant data in a business insights app, or you can use the data from one app to improve the performance of another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An example could be inputting sales forecasts into a workforce management app to advise employee requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Starting with only past sales and employee availability can already drive major savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s what smart workforce planning looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Optimum scheduling:<\/strong> Using your own business logic, you can automatically schedule the employees you require to meet the predicted demand, effectively turning guesswork into an accurate and scalable scheduling model. A restaurant, for example, may need more servers on a Friday than on a Monday.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Clear insights:<\/strong> For example, tracking the variance in workforce percentage and tweaking schedules accordingly, or setting custom metrics against demand signals that are unique to your business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tighter budgeting:<\/strong> Especially important when cost control is a factor, managers can clearly see where they can save, as hours and wage budgets are clearly available at all times.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Constant visibility:<\/strong> Real-time performance stats ensure you keep abreast of performance throughout the week.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-final-thoughts-on-workforce-planning\"><strong>Final thoughts on workforce planning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many companies attempt to keep costs to a minimum by sticking to extremely tight budgets as they place their focus on survival and recovery. Because scalability is necessary, you must be confident you have the right amount of people at the right time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smart workforce planning is perfectly suited to today&#8217;s requirements. Tight scheduling and accurate data help reduce waste and keep costs low. And with planning based on actual metrics, it&#8217;s simpler to scale without additional admin and to plan for future peaks and troughs.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice enewsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-84fe79b5-668d-41f8-a0cc-6229018c4ac9\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/compliance\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCompliance\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/employee-benefits\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\temployee benefits\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/employing-people-for-the-first-time\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\temploying people for the first time\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-73705 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership tag-business-management tag-employee-benefits tag-hr-payroll tag-news-insights tag-trending-topics business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1064\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/07\/resize-1675x1275-44-1064x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Woman in audience raising her hand\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/07\/resize-1675x1275-44-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/07\/resize-1675x1275-44-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/07\/resize-1675x1275-44-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-03T09:00:00+02:00\">September 3, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">6 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/what-is-employee-self-service\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmpower your team with employee self-service\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tEmployee self-service gives your team direct access to routine HR tasks. Learn how ESS works, what to look for, and why POPIA matters.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-69417 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-compliance category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-compliance tag-hr-payroll tag-regulation tag-tax business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/checklist-preparing-for-and-processing-tax-year-end\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1400801126-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1400801126-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1400801126-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1400801126-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-27T13:00:00+02:00\">August 27, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">6 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tChecklist: Preparing for and processing Tax Year-End\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-70051 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership tag-compliance tag-employing-people-for-the-first-time business_type-medium-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/4-recruitment-strategies-to-up-your-hiring-game\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1314039604-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1314039604-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1314039604-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1314039604-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-19T17:08:43+02:00\">August 19, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\t4 Recruitment Strategies to Improve Your Hiring Game\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-76509 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership category-trends-insights tag-employee-benefits tag-employing-people-for-the-first-time tag-hr-payroll tag-trending-topics business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/what-is-the-organisational-skills-gap\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-684x384.jpeg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"A woman looks to camera with the Sage glow line in the background.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-684x384.jpeg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-768x518.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-1200x810.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-07-29T10:39:40+02:00\">July 29, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">11 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is the organisational skills gap and how can businesses close it?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-73627 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership tag-business-management tag-employing-people-for-the-first-time tag-hr-payroll tag-trending-topics business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/employee-onboarding-process\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944060494-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944060494-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944060494-768x478.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944060494-1300x810.jpg 1300w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-14T12:28:58+02:00\">May 14, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">15 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tThe ultimate employee onboarding guide\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The holy grail for any business would be the ability to predict the future. This, of course, is impossible. Fortunately, today are available that give businesses insight into how busy they are likely to be in the future. Why workforce planning matters Accurate workforce planning is beneficial to small and medium-sized businesses. Scheduling the exact [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1122,"featured_media":68324,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_page_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_article_type":"","_sage_video":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"26","post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[321,185,332],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[14],"imagine_tag":[99,352],"coauthors":[434],"class_list":["post-68830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-compliance","tag-employee-benefits","tag-employing-people-for-the-first-time","business_type-medium-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-za","author_name":"Marvin Opperman","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/07\/resize-1675x1275-40.jpg","imagine_tags":{"99":"HR software","352":"Working remotely"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice South Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68830\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/68324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68830"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=68830"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=68830"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=68830"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=68830"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=68830"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=68830"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=68830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}