What is human resources planning (or HR planning)?

There are many ways to define HR planning, or explain what it is, but the following definitions, taken from the Government of Canada human resources site, is a good, useful working definition: Rigorous HR planning links people management to the organization's mission, vision, goals and objectives, as well as its strategic plan and budgetary resources. A key goal of HR planning is to get the right number of people with the right skills, experience and competencies in the right jobs at the right time at the right cost. Note the emphasis on linkage to strategic planning and business planning in the first sentence, and the emphasis on the arrangement and alignment of staff and employees in the last sentence. Here's another definition, perhaps a bit simpler: The process by which management ensures that it has the right personnel, who are capable of completing those tasks that help the organization reach its objectives.

Can you suggest a process to use for human resource planning?

As with strategic planning, there is no one way to undertake human resource planning. However, here's a model which relies on gap analysis, and attempts to link human resource planning to overall business planning or strategic planning. Workforce Analysis: A key component of HR planning is understanding your workforce and planning for projected shortages and surpluses in specific occupations and skill sets. Internal Scan: Identify factors internal to the organization that may affect HR capacity to meet organizational goals. External Scan: Determine the most important environmental factors expected to affect workforce capacity, given known operational and HR priorities and emerging issues. Gap Analysis: Based on an analysis of the environmental scan and operational business goals, what are the organizations current and future HR needs? Priority Setting and Work Plan: Based on the organizations priorities, environmental scan, and HR performance related data: 1) what are the major human resources priorities; and 2) what strategies will achieve the desired outcome? Monitoring, Evaluating, Reporting: Monitoring, evaluating, and reporting (internally and pubicly) performance results advances our capacity to measure performance, set targets, and, most importantly, to integrate results information into decision making processes and determine future priorities.

What human resource functions need to be planned?

Human resource planning refers to the planning of human resource functions, or in other words, planning how human resource management will be executed. The Government of Canada suggests that HR management includes the following: recruiting selecting hiring orienting training and retraining motivating coaching mentoring counselling recognizing achievements empowering communicating evaluating promoting laying off dismissing So, in effect HR planning refers to the development of plans in these areas or in similar areas. You may want to develop your own list specific to your organization -- a list that reflects the functions that HR does in your company.

How is human resource planning linked to overall strategic planning?

Particularly for those working in HR departments, it's easy to forget that HR planning (and HR functions) do not exist as ends in themselves, but exist to serve the rest of the organization in achieving the business goals of the organization. Often HR functions and human resource planning get accidentally de-linked from business goals.

Since human resources functions and strategies are a means to achieve corporate ends, they need to be tied to, and driven by the corporate role, mission, vision and strategic goals, or else they simply end up as processes that add overhead, but down increase return. The solution is obvious. Human resource planning needs to reference the details of the overall strategic plan of the organization. In effect, it serves the strategic plan.

Is human resource planning only relevant to large companies or should small businesses do HR planning too?
Many people associate human resource planning with what very large companies do -- IBM, or Ford. That's because, almost by necessity, large companies need to have a much more formal and comprehensive approach to HR planning because of their size and the complexity of their businesses. That said, even a business owner with a very few employees need to think (that is, plan) about various personnel and human resources issues. Many small business owners do this without really thinking about it. For example, a small business owner needs to think and plan about what benefits to offer, how to manage growth of staff, how to plan how many staff are needed, how to evaluate employee performance, and so on. So, even if you have one or two employees, it's useful to "plan like the big boys" regarding human resource and personnel issues. The methods you use may be simpler but you still need to do it, so you are prepared.

Can you suggest a process to use for human resource planning?

As with strategic planning, there is no one way to undertake human resource planning. However, here's a model which relies on gap analysis, and attempts to link human resource planning to overall business planning or strategic planning. Workforce Analysis: A key component of HR planning is understanding your workforce and planning for projected shortages and surpluses in specific occupations and skill sets. Internal Scan: Identify factors internal to the organization that may affect HR capacity to meet organizational goals. External Scan: Determine the most important environmental factors expected to affect workforce capacity, given known operational and HR priorities and emerging issues. Gap Analysis: Based on an analysis of the environmental scan and operational business goals, what are the organizations current and future HR needs? Priority Setting and Work Plan: Based on the organizations priorities, environmental scan, and HR performance related data: 1) what are the major human resources priorities; and 2) what strategies will achieve the desired outcome? Monitoring, Evaluating, Reporting: Monitoring, evaluating, and reporting (internally and pubicly) performance results advances our capacity to measure performance, set targets, and, most importantly, to integrate results information into decision making processes and determine future priorities.

What Is HRMS (Human Resource Management System) and what is its relationship to HR planning?
Human resource planning involves the collection and use of personnel data, so that it can be used as input into the strategic HR function. Poor data coming in means poor conclusions. The problem is that there are huge amounts of data one can use in the process. An HRMS, or Human Resources Management System is a computerized system that accomplishes two very important purposes. First, it allows the keeping of personnel data in a form that can be easily accessed and analysed. In that respect it functions as a means of collecting and organizing data about one's staff that can be used as input into the HR planning function. Second, it allows to the use of that data to fulfil the various functions usually associated with a human resources department. The human resources management software typically will help administer and record personnel functions through the use of various software modules. A major strength of HRMS is that it is comprehensive and can handle information and HR processes for almost every possible organizational function, and that it's integrated and accessible through a common computer interface. Integration allows exceedingly sophisticated data management and reporting. For example, a typical HRMS will include many or all of the following modules: Payroll module Recruitment, selection and applicant database module Benefits administration module Training and staff development module

Performance Management, appraisal and performance planning

Where Does Training and Staff Development Fit With Human Resources Planning?
When companies have well thought out and useful human resource plans, it allows them to move training and staff development from a hit or miss process to one that is also strategic, organized, and designed to contribute to the company's bottom line. Much that passes for training in corporations yields no value at all to the company because training and staff development dangle unconnected to business needs, present and future. Employees go to training because the seminar "sounds good", or "might be useful", and while it's sound to develop and train employees as an ends in itself, it also makes sense to choose the kinds of training that will result in employees being better contributors now, and also better contributors in the future. A sound human resources plan will anticipate the skills that will be needed in the future, identify gaps in skills that are present, and will be needed, and then plan for the development of staff in advance, so that the skills will be available when required. When training and staff development are linked to identified present and future needs via HR planning, it also allows for the use of multiple kinds of developmental activities, and not just reliance on training for skill development. This is because when skill needs are anticipated earlier enough, longer term learning and development activities can be used. For example, job sharing and rotation will fit when there is enough time.

Human resource development

Human Resources Development(HRD) as a theory is a framework for the expansion of human capitalwithin an organization through the development of both the organization and the individual to achieve performance improvement.[1] Adam Smith states, The capacities of individuals depended on their access to education.[2] The same statement applies to organizations themselves, but it requires a much broader field to cover both areas. Human Resource Development is the integrated use of training, organization, and career development efforts to improve individual, group and organizational effectiveness. HRD develops the key competencies that enable individuals in organizations to perform current and future jobs through planned learning activities. Groups within organizations use HRD to initiate and manage change. Also, HRD ensures a match between individual and organizational needs.
Human Resource Development (HRD) is the framework for helping employees develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, and abilities. Human Resource Development includes such opportunities as employee training, employee career development, performance managementand development, coaching, mentoring, succession planning, key employee identification, tuition assistance, and organization development.

Global Human Resources Management and Organizational Development

Often one of a company's most expensive assets is its human capital, the human resources of the organization. The management of your human resources focuses on: Recruitment and selection of employees who can succeed at their jobs and who will stay with your organization, and Making sure that employees' abilities are optimally nurtured and developed so that the company can receive an optimal return on the investment made in these employees.

Recruitment and Selection

This is particularly challenging in a global organization where one of your biggest challenges will be finding, retaining and developing a superior global workforce. ITAP knows how to identify the "success factors" of a positionwhich is a key to identification of superior candidates. Successful companies know what the jobs entail and seek to hire those candidates who can be more successful/effective with the lowest amount of support. Well written job descriptions, and competency models that clearly delineate success behaviors make for effective selection and hiring. Understanding cultural differences in the recruitment process, the selection of candidates and what motivates employees in various cultures is crucial to the success of global organizations.

Targeted Interview Techniques

In addition ITAP can support your selection process using and teaching you to use Behavior Event Interviewing (BEI) or Targeted Interview (TI) techniques. While not difficult to learn, they are far more effective at identifying exactly what capabilities particular candidates could bring to your organization. This is particularly important when recruiting and selecting across cultures.

Assimilating New Employees

In this competitive environment for attracting good global talent, companies need to pay particular attention to the perception of the company on the part of candidates and new hires. A well thought out and extensive assimilation process often makes new employees more likely to stay. This process should start before the offer is made, and many companies have assimilation plans for at least the initial six months on the job. This is especially important in group and relationship cultures as it helps the new

employees feel welcomed into the group and gives them time and structure to establish relationships that will be important to the employee as well as anchor their loyalty to the company. ITAP can support your development of an effective onboarding or assimilation process.

Developing Your Employees - Global Workforce Development

Helping your employees recognize that they work in a multi-cultural environment or a global environment is an official reminder that there is an expectation that they will attend to cultural differences. ITAP's extensive experience in workforce development can focus on this need. General awareness programs are a good start. In addition, ITAP can provide specific programs targeted to functional needs (global marketing, or global e-learning development, and/or on culture-specific needs, such as Understanding you Chinese Employees or Presenting to Japanese Audiences.

Localizing Your Employee Handbook and Job Descriptions

The meaning of job titles and job responsibilities vary across cultures. ITAP can help you localize these - make them appropriate for various geographies in which these positions are located. ITAP has depth and breadth of experience in developing global employees.

Performance Management
Cultures with a preference for Certainty (prefer to know the structure/rules rather than handle ambiguity) prefer competency based performance systems. Communicating exactly what is expected and defining the levels of behaviors and assessing employees all against the same criteria feels more fair to many employees. Performance systems that depend on manager discretion can be viewed as "favoritism" and "unfair."

Global Leadership Selection and Retention

If you know what it is that differentiates successful employees (their competency / behaviors) recruiting (external) and selecting (internal) against these competencies reduces the need for development (as you hire those who already have the needed skills) and benefits employees by recognizing those who already have the skills necessary to succeed. The global leadership competencies required for success include: The flexibility to work and manage across cultures The ability to be the voice of the local culture to home office while being the voice of home office to the local employees Understanding of and ability to adapt to cultural differences as they impact business practices If you want your global leaders to succeed and stay, ITAP can help you: Define the behaviors associated with the actual success factors in YOUR company Identify internal and external candidates who already have those success factors Provide accurate, reliable and detailed selection/recruitment data Provide detailed developmental reports Accurately assess and match role (job-demand) and individual (capability supply)

Global Succession Management and Development

Companies demand talent development / succession management to retain top talent and stay competitive. Linking both to a leadership competency model leverages investments, communicates expectations, and rewards (and retains) deserving talent. ITAP helps clients: Define Leadership and Management competencies Develop Succession processes Assess talent Identify areas for individual development

Strategic HR
Unless your HR professionals have a thorough knowledge of global business, what it takes to establish companies in new geographies and the needs of the local workers in country, you need the help that ITAP can give. We can be your local arm by temporarily outsourcing your start-up HR in new geographies. Since a company's strategy will impact its employees, you need HR support that understands the global landscape, everything from the recruitment and hiring techniques used in other countries, to the establishment of contracts, and compensation and benefits packages. ITAP's strategic partners can support global companies in 200 countries around the world.

Globalizing the HR Function: HR Staff Development

As companies globalize, their HR departments need to understand the challenges of working in and serving a global organization. ITAP can provide: Consulting behind the scenes for HR professionals to support them as they serve the needs of their global organizations Web content HR professionals can use to sell to, train or explain about and be a better global business partner Certification for HR professionals in the administration and use of ITAP tools and services Act as temporary staff to supplement the capabilities of the existing professionals

Change Management
The development of your organization and, particularly, how you manage change impacts the success of your business. Managing change and growth across cultures and geographies requires specific knowledge of the impact of change and growth needs in particular cultures. ITAP understands the cultural nuances of change in many cultures and can support your organization in collecting and analyzing data on work culture and employee climate surveys to assure responses are culturally appropriate. Our understanding of crossborder change initiatives can greatly reduce the usual issues created by change initiatives and address culturally specific issues relating to such cultural dimensions as Need for Certainty. Companies that institute either small or large scale change need to attend to the needs of the employees before, during and after this process. ITAP can support the Change process throughout its life cycle. We can: Facilitate the charter of change implementation teams