Reference:Adapted from Human Resource Forecasting Assignment, pp 108 -110 in Nkomo, S. M., Fottler, M. D., McAfee, R. B. (2008) Human Resource Management Applications: Cases, Exercises, Incidents, and Skill Builders, 6thEdition

Aim: To forecast the human resource needs of Northwest Regional Hospital (the Company) that currently employs approximately 700 people

Practice in forecasting an organisation's people needs

To familiarise you with some of the factors that affect an organisation's future people needs To familiarise you with the complexities involved in making human resource forecasts

To point out that all human resource forecasting is based on assumptions and that these assumptions are critical to the accuracy of the forecast

1.you have been given the assignment of forecasting the human resource needs of Northwest Regional Hospital (the Company) that currently employs approximately 700 people. The Company presently has 15 outreach sites located throughout tropical Northern Australia, each of which employs approximately 17 individuals.

2.The Company is planning an expansion into additional regional areas and expects to add 22 new outreach sites over the next three years. Each outreach site within the Company varies in size according to the needs of the community, so the figures represent averages.

3.During the past month, the Company has placed an order for 3 new dialysis machines to increase its renal support services. These machines are scheduled to be in operation December 31, one year from now in existing outreach sites. The Company has found that for each new machine purchased, 4 additional nurses are needed, on average.

4.A breakdown of the Company's current staffing is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Present staffing

Total Employees	700
Number of Outreach Sites	15
Number of Doctors (15 sites x 5 per site)	75
Number of Nurses (15 sites x 12 per site)	180
Outreach Facility Employees (15 sites x 17 per site)	255
Inpatient Facility Employees	445

5.The Company has asked you to perform four human resource forecasting tasks:

Task One: Role of Forecasting and Workforce Planning

Provide a summary of the role of forecasting and workforce planning. Locate two human resource management articles that discuss forecasting and incorporate these into your summary.

Task Two: Human Resource Forecasting, fill in Table 2

Based on the assumptions given below, you are required to determine employee turnover for the inpatient facility office, the old outreach sites and the new outreach sites. The CEO would like to know this information for each of the next three years and for each of the major personnel categories (i.e., doctors, nurses, and inpatient facility administrative staff). Your job is to complete Table 2

Employee Category	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Old Outreach Site Doctors
Old Outreach Site Nurses
Inpatient Facility
New Outreach Site Doctors
New Outreach Site Nurses

Task Three: Human Resource Forecasting, fill in Table 3

Your CEO would like to know the number of new employees the Company will need to hire for each major personnel category for each of the next three years. Your job is to complete Table 3

Table 3: Number of Employees to be Hired

Employee Category	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Old Outreach Site Doctors
Old Outreach Site Nurses
Inpatient Facility
New Outreach Site Doctors
New Outreach Site Nurses

Task Four: Human Resource Forecasting, fill in Table 4

Your CEO would like to know the total number of employees who will be working for the Company as of the end of each of the next three years. Your job is to complete Table 4

Table 4: Year-End Employment

Employee Category	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Old Outreach Site Doctors
Old Outreach Site Nurses
Inpatient Facility
New Outreach Site Doctors
New Outreach Site Nurses

6. A few assumptions as follows:

A. You are making all projections in December for subsequent years ending December 31.

B. With regard to the existing outreach sites, assume:

a. The 15 existing outreach sites employ 5 doctors and 12 nurses each.

b. On December 31 (one year hence), 3 new dialysis machines are placed in operation and require an additional 12 nurses (4 per machine).

c. Turnover is 40 percent for nursing personnel, and 20 percent for doctors.

C. With regard to new outreach sites, assume:

a. New outreach sites are added as follows: 6 in Year 1, 10 in Year 2, and 6 in Year 3

b. Each new outreach site employs 17 individuals (5 doctors and 12 nurses).

c. New outreach sites are added evenly throughout the year. Thus, for the purpose of calculating turnover, on average, there are 3 new outreach sites in Year 1(50% x 6); 11 in year 2[6 in Year 1 plus 5 (50% x 10)]; and 19 in Year 3(16 in year 2 plus 3 (50% x 6)].

d. Turnover is 30 percent for nurses, and 20 percent for doctors.

D.With regard to the inpatient facility, assume that turnover will be 15 percent per year