How do you set up a GPEC approach in the civil service?

The strategy of forward-looking management of jobs and skills (GPEC) has emerged in a rapidly changing economic, social and technological context, which is disrupting the labour market and leading to great instability in terms of jobs. Initially applied to the private sector, it is increasingly being adopted by public administrations. This trend reflects the desire to adjust skills to the needs of organisations, with the aim of securing long-term employment.

What are the specific features of GPEC? What method should be followed and what tools should be applied to implement a GPEC in the civil service? appvizer gives you the keys to a better understanding of this concept and the main principles of successful implementation.

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Definition: what is GPEC?

Definition: the GPEC approach

Forward-looking employment and skills management (GPEC) is also known as forward-looking workforce, employment and skills management (GPEEC). A proactive, forward-looking approach, it aims to forecast an organisation's staffing needs using a range of human resources management tools.

It simulates the company's future, taking into account the constraints of its environment and its strategic choices. The objective: to envisage the company's possible futures, with a view to anticipating, studying and informing HR decisions.

It bridges the gap between job requirements and resources, while taking account of the socio-economic context, technological developments and regulatory changes.

Practical applications of GPEC

One application of this approach is the development of forward-looking action plans: This involves highlighting the gaps between the foreseeable development of staff (resources) over a given period and their allocation to existing jobs (organisational needs) over the same period.

In short, it's about having the right skills, at the right time, in the right place.

To achieve this, measures, analyses and action plans are implemented to reduce the gaps between forecast and actual in order to prevent crises.

From a quantitative to a qualitative management approach

GPEC is not a new concept: companies have long sought to forecast the resources they will need in the short, medium and long term. Here are a few chronological references on the evolution of this concept:

• 1960s: focus on quantitative workforce management, i.e. the number of people needed according to their level of qualification, based on strategic planning models.
• 1970s: focus on career management, with a new emphasis on training, which became compulsory.
• 1980s: the notion of forward-looking management took hold against a backdrop of economic and technological change, which led to the obsolescence of skills, but also to the emergence of human-centred management.
• 1990s: D. Thierry and C. Sauret forge the most widespread definition (1993), according to which GPEC is the design, implementation and monitoring of coherent policies and action plans:
  • aiming to reduce in advance the gaps between the company's needs and its human resources, in line with its strategic plan ;
  • involving the employee in a professional development project.
• 2000s: renewed interest in GPEC within companies following :
  • the Social Cohesion Programming Act of 18 January 2005, aimed at regulating the labour market ;
  • awareness of the ageing of the working population ("papy boom"), leading to mass retirements.

The main objectives of forward planning

Today, forward-looking management of employment and skills focuses on quality, which translates into the continuous improvement of skills. This is in response to the need for companies to anticipate the development of their jobs in order to avoid qualitative and quantitative mismatches, with a view to constantly adapting to new work situations.

The aims of GPEC :

• to manage skills in order to prevent the risk of unsuitability ;
• avoid redundancies by dealing with problems upstream ;
• ensure the employability of employees;
• enable better career management;
• guarantee more effective training;
• limit the loss of knowledge within the organisation.

GPEC policy in the civil service

What do we mean by "public service"?

First introduced in companies, the GPEC model has been transposed to human resources management in the various civil services:

• State civil service: This includes central government departments such as ministries, decentralised departments such as prefectures and rectorates, and public institutions such as universities and the CNRS.
• Hospital civil service: this includes public hospitals, public retirement homes, etc.
• the local civil service : this includes local authorities (communes, départements, regions) and public establishments.

The objectives and challenges of GPEC in the civil service

Applying the GPEC strategy in the public sector means adopting a new mode of human resources management (HRM). It is no longer a tool for controlling the wage bill, but for building and ensuring the coherence of career paths, in the same way as in business.

This new management method makes it possible to :

• meet legal requirements, particularly in terms of training ;
• manage changes in the workforce to better determine future recruitment needs and anticipate the transfer of knowledge;
• improve the public service, in particular by deploying skills and "employability" to keep pace with changes in professions;
• developing a quality approach: ensuring that the service meets the needs of the public and the community.

To achieve this, a number of levers need to be activated, including :

• mobility management
• identifying available skills
• checking that the job matches the employee,
• offering targeted training to enhance skills, etc.

How can GPEC be implemented in the public sector?

Method and practical implementation

Preparing and deploying a GPEC policy is a complex project, to be carried out over the medium to long term. To ensure its success, a number of steps need to be taken:

• Drawing up an inventory of jobs and qualifications;
• Projection of current jobs and skills;
• Implement HRM tools (detailed below) to :
  • Reduce gaps between needs and resources,
  • draw up an action plan to anticipate changes in jobs and skills;
  • Use HR data to analyse all the problems to be solved;
• Strengthen the involvement of all players;
• Carry out the project over the long term, generally over a period of 3 to 5 years.

An organisation needs to equip itself with the appropriate skills management and development tools, including :

• the business or skills repository, to identify existing skills within the organisation ;
• the job directory;
• job descriptions detailing the tasks, activities and skills associated with a job;
• A recruiter's guide listing guidelines to facilitate and professionalise recruitment;
• the mobility system, which enables a suitable training programme to be devised;
• the annual interview to take stock of the tasks of each function, initiate a discussion on possible changes and identify skills requirements;
• the training plan to promote the employability and professional development of employees;
• financial forecasting, as a steering and decision-making tool to take action on costs, in particular to better control the wage bill.

Selection: 3 tools for an optimal GPEC strategy

The civil service is characterised by its specific status and HR policy: job protection and career management. Many of the digitisation and talent management tools and HRM tools used in companies can also be applied to public administrations and their specific characteristics.

However, it may be a good idea to go one step further and equip your organisation with an automated HR information processing system, and why not with a 100% online software solution. appvizer has put together a selection of 3 software solutions to help you make your HRM more agile.

Chapitre 012: the strategic tool for local authorities and public bodies

Chapitre 012 is a SaaS software package that can help you put in place a strategy for managing and steering the wage bill in the local public sector. It is particularly aimed at decision-makers in local authorities, town halls and health establishments.

It offers the following advantages

• prospective and retrospective,
• development of dashboards, reports and indicators,
• organisation chart design,
• a system to combat absenteeism,
• control of overtime,
• limiting the number of replacements,
• reducing the use of temporary staff and freelancers, etc.

This innovative, customisable solution is designed for forward-looking workforce management. In this way, it meets the financial management and HR cost-containment needs of local authorities and public bodies. It complements HRIS and other payroll software, adding a dimension of strategic intelligence to the administrative management of human resources.

BL.enfance: focus on HRM in childcare facilities

BL.enfance, formerly known as E.enfance, is a user-friendly software package designed to manage childcare and early childhood services. Its new ergonomic design makes it easy to use and enables comprehensive management of school and extra-curricular activities. The application is 100% online, requiring only a simple internet connection and no dedicated hardware.

The interface provides access to all information concerning children, and offers the following modules:

• Early childhood: handling of PSU contracts and automatic transfer of accepted files;
• School map and enrolment: set the parameters for the zone linked to the school and manage possible exemptions;
• School meals: register children and automatically send the order to the catering service provider;
• After-school care: management of bookings, children's enrolment for services and a planning system for each session or in real time;
• Transport: ability to manage different bus routes and stops, and to create a children's call list for each stop;
• Leisure activities: customised creation of the different activities in your centre, adapted to your internal regulations;
• Culture and sport: for managers of cultural and sports workshops, the full range of activities on offer can be configured, along with their pricing.

TalentSoft: a versatile solution for implementing GPEC

TalentSoft 's talent and training management software enables you to effectively manage the recruitment, performance, skills, careers, training and remuneration of your employees. TalentSoft's integrated talent management solution enables you to deploy a GPEC policy that can be fully tailored to your needs, making it applicable to all public functions.

TalentSoft provides the following functionalities:

• management of the complete GPEC cycle: identification, assessment, development and planning ;
• work organisation management ;
• development of employees' individual and collective skills and potential;
• on-demand service with: integration of employee data, appraisal campaigns, recruitment, remuneration, training and employment and skills strategy planning;
• specific to the local civil service: personnel administration, career management, appraisal, remuneration, training and social cohesion;
• specific to the hospital civil service: tailor-made service integrating the reference frameworks of each establishment.

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The challenges of GPEC applied to the public sector

Initially presented as a tool for optimising the wage bill, GPEC can now be used to go further and improve the quality of working life for employees. However, there are a number of obstacles to its implementation.

Increasingly stringent budget restrictions are one of the challenges facing public services. This challenge is driving the modernisation of public administrations to make them more agile, in addition to the need to control the wage bill.

What's more, implementing a successful GPEC policy in the civil service implies a change of 'culture' in the way the State's missions and HR policy are approached within the administration. This change concerns the very perception of jobs: we will have to think more in terms of professions and skills rather than positions, status and categories. In order to adopt this new vision, internal and inter-public service mobility will need to be encouraged.

As a bonus, consolidating, recognising and deploying the skills of public servants will help to boost their motivation and create a favourable social climate. Last but not least, we are adopting an approach that promotes talent and opens up prospects for development and improvement.