Human Resource Planning Process
Human resource planning is the process by which organizations determine the staff support they will require to meet their business operation needs and the demands of their customers.
The most common factors that impact this planning include among others impending retirements and transitions, the availability of employees with certain sets of skills and organizational changes either due to external influences or internal influences that may require certain training of existing employees to fit such changes.
Environmental Changes
Human resource planning is basically important in taking control of both internal and external changes of environment. Turnovers and retirements affect businesses internally. Within a business there may be addition of products from current creativity leading to more departments.
This affects directly the human resource planning. Technology, changes in economy, changes in the industry and consumer demand affect businesses externally. Some consumers may require certain type of skills that do not currently exist within the organization. In this event the organization is obligated to train or re-hire to meet customer demands. These impacts therefore dictates the number and type of employees needed for any business to be successful.
Phases in Human Resource Planning
Human resource planning is based on four phases. The phases start from gathering and analyzing information concerning expected staff demand of an organization based on future plans and staff supply availability for the business to meet both external and internal changes.
Then secondly, the company has to identify their specific human resource objective by determining which candidates may be promoted from within or hired externally. The company has to determine whether to staff excess employees to take a streamlined approach to staffing. The third phase involves designing and implementing programs intended to meet the company’s objectives. The objectives may be projected towards employee satisfaction and motivation so as to improve their productivity and retain them. Time to time training to ensure staff are always prepared to meet current and future demands is also fundamental.
The final phase of planning constitutes monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the human resource plan and making required changes.
Future Staff Demand Expectations
Forecasting demand or expectation of increased staff requirement or need for certain type of skills is a very important yet challenging element of human resource planning.
Different industries are impacted by different factors. These factors demand proper planning for staff so that an organization may stay on top. Industries, regulatory, governmental and economic changes gives proper projections needed by businesses to forecast and build human resource plan.
Succession Planning
Succession planning is the process whereby human resource professionals and company leaders identify vacancies within the company and develop plans to fill these positions either by internal restructuring of staff or by external recruitment.
Succession planning is closely tied to leadership development whereby training is provided and on-the-job experiences to equip internal staff with skills and experiences that will enable them step into positions that may become vacant.
Expected Changes in Future
During late 20th and early 21st century, major technological, economic and political changes were experienced. These changes directly impacted on the nature of work in most organizations.
Changes in the nature of work include, growing use of contingent workers, use of virtual workers and the growing impact of technology on the need of certain employees.