Workforce Risk

Create value tomorrow by understanding the workforce risks you face today.

Understanding your workforce risks

Building trust and solving problems starts with taking the time to understand your workforce risk and opportunity landscape.

In a world where workforce dynamics continue to be turned on their head, flipped by the tectonic forces of disruption, global uncertainty and shifts in societal sentiment, it’s vital that organisations manage their workforce risks—but you can’t manage what you don’t understand.

We can help you to assess your workforce risks and turn them into legitimate market opportunities, enabling you to make intelligence-led decisions on investment priorities to create a competitive advantage.

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How do megatrends impact your organisation?

It’s crucial to consider how disruptive market megatrends impact your organisation now, and how they will in the future.

Social instability

Ongoing societal changes and destabilisation are creating massive pressure, resulting in social and economic polarisation and the erosion of trust in institutions and organisations. Now more than ever, companies need to nurture their workforce to remain competitive and fully embrace growth opportunities..

Climate Change

As society is trying to figure out ways to best manage global climate change, organisations are expected to further rethink their footprint and operations, as well as the role their workforce can (or expect to) play in this movement.

Technological disruption

Transformative technology and innovation rapidly changes how we operate in the world. It creates tremendous opportunities for value creation, but also presents a broader range of risks and disruption for organisations.

Fracturing world

The world is becoming more fractured and multi-nodal as more nation states compete for influence, with the rest of the world aligning around them. Organisations are operating in an unstable context and require an increased level of resilience to best navigate new local and international complexities.

Demographic shifts

As the global population median age is increasing and underemployment is skyrocketing in numerous societies, social systems are facing growing constraints to sustainably develop communities. These issues are significantly shifting consumption patterns, skills availability and social dynamics, which organisations can no longer ignore.

Disruptive megatrends are greatly impacting business leaders’ confidence about the viability and future of their organisations.

79%of CEOs say that the global economy will decline in the next 12 months.

39%of CEOs think their current business model will not be viable in ten years or less.

42% of CEOs are very or extremely confident about their company's prospects for revenue growth over the next year.

Source: PwC's 26th Annual CEO Survey 2023

Our Workforce Risk framework

Risks are more interconnected than ever, with profound global shifts accelerating the need for organisations to not only understand the workforce-related risks impacting their organisations, but to leverage them in driving competitive advantage.

It is not enough for organisations to respond reactively, organisations and their leaders are now judged on how effectively they navigate these challenges.

To address the requirements of this ever-changing business environment and need for organisations to better position their workforce at the heart of their strategy and operations, we have designed a Workforce Risk framework.

D e m o g r a p h i c s h i f t s W O R K F O R C E R I S K S T R A T E G Y T e c h n o l o g i c a l d i s r u p t i o n F r a c t u r i n g w o r l d C l i m a t e c h a n g e S o c i a l i n s t a b i l i t y

Workforce Risk

Bringing the various risks and opportunities into an easy-to-understand, manageable framework is critical. Without this, it will be impossible to navigate these challenges effectively.

Brand and reputation

Your brand and reputation is a commodity, so understanding the impact of your workforce on your internal and external image is critical. Proactively identifying risks, and opportunities to improve, means you are better prepared to avoid any future crises.

Regulatory and compliance

Understanding your workforce-related regulatory and compliance landscape with a forward-looking, proactive approach will create financial and reputational value. As you keep ahead of the curve on emerging regulatory obligations, you will create competitive advantage.

Talent and people

Talent and people are at the heart of any organisation. Understanding their lived experience of your organisation and how your people are managed and rewarded will be key to unlocking their true potential.

Organisation

Your organisation's structure, operating model and functional relationships are the foundation to successfully managing your workforce risk landscape. Unlocking the potential of a best-in-class organisational strategy will drive efficiencies and value, in turn building a resilient business.

How workforce-related risks impact your organisation

Organisations are facing new health, economic and market challenges, plus geopolitical uncertainty that promises to mould and bend in ways that are hard to predict. So, it is important to understand all of the workforce-related risks that affect your business, how they interact and to what extent they impact your organisation.

Hover over any risk or business category to explore

Risk Lever Brand and Reputation Regulatory and Compliance Organisation Talent and People
HR Strategy Effectiveness Workforce Strategy 10 10 40 40
HR Process and Policy Workforce Strategy 10 10 40 40
HR Function Effectiveness Workforce Strategy 10 10 40 40
Employee Value Proposition Workforce Strategy 20 0 0 80
Culture Strategy Workforce Strategy 40 0 20 40
Intergenerational Cultural Perspectives Workforce Strategy 40 0 20 40
Culture and Leadership Alignment Workforce Strategy 40 0 20 40
HR Operating Model Effectiveness Workforce Strategy 0 0 80 20
Organisational Agility Workforce Strategy 0 0 80 20
Effective Integration of Functions Workforce Strategy 0 0 80 20
Performance Management Tools and Technology Workforce Strategy 20 10 10 60
Talent and Succession Tools and Technology Workforce Strategy 20 10 10 60
Learning and Development Tools and Technology Workforce Strategy 20 10 10 60
Society Wide Skills Availability Workforce Strategy 20 0 10 70
Hybrid and Remote Working Strategy Workforce Strategy 20 0 10 70
Talent Upskilling Strategy Workforce Strategy 20 0 10 70
Wellbeing Strategy Workforce Strategy 20 10 0 70
Wellbeing Monitoring Workforce Strategy 20 10 0 70
Executive Pay Tax and Benefits 40 10 0 50
Reward Strategy Effectiveness Tax and Benefits 20 10 10 60
Employment Tax Compliance Tax and Benefits 10 80 0 10
Union and Industrial Action Risk and Regulation 20 60 0 20
Hybrid and Remote Working Compliance Risk and Regulation 20 60 0 20
Employee Relation Management Risk and Regulation 20 60 0 20
Coporate Washing Risk and Regulation 70 10 0 20
Social Value Risk and Regulation 70 10 0 20
Workforce ESG Reporting Obligations Risk and Regulation 30 60 0 10
Complexity and Availability of Policies Risk and Regulation 20 60 0 20
Safety and Security of Employees Risk and Regulation 20 60 0 20
Policy Horizon Scanning Risk and Regulation 20 60 0 20
Expense Fraud Risk and Regulation 10 80 0 10
Geographically Mobile Employees Risk and Regulation 10 80 0 10
Leadership Alignment and Understanding Leadership 20 10 0 70
Top Team Effectiveness Leadership 20 0 40 40
Leadership Succession Planning Leadership 20 0 40 40
Leadership Development Strategy Leadership 20 0 40 40
Demographic and Population Changes ESG 60 10 10 20
Political Commentary ESG 60 10 10 20
Political and Social Neutrality ESG 60 10 10 20
Employee Targeting Digital 20 80 0 0
Insider Risk Digital 20 80 0 0
Cyber Risk Culture Digital 20 80 0 0
Only indicative risks shown for ease of visualisation.

Workforce Risk Diagnostic Tool

Data drives decision-making 

Organisations have relied on human beings to assess their workforce risks, but even when they lean on decades of experience, no one executive or executive team can prepare for a future they can’t fully understand.

We can support you to leverage data to look not just back but forward, weeding through emerging and often interconnected risk factors. Your personalised insight dashboard takes into account your appetite for certain types of risk, limits the guesswork, and leaves you with a precise view of your investment priorities.

Meet the Workforce team

The power of people, reimagined.

Contact us

Louise Shannon

Louise Shannon

Senior Manager, PwC Ireland (Republic of)

Tel: +353 86 043 8309

Natasha Finn

Natasha Finn

Senior Manager, PwC Ireland (Republic of)

David Gethin

David Gethin

Manager, PwC Ireland (Republic of)

Tel: +353 87 436 9312

Ger  McDonough

Ger McDonough

Partner, PwC Ireland (Republic of)

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