Human resource planning is important for helping both organisations and employees to prepare for the future but you might be thinking “Are not things always changing?” for example, a few years ago, the legal profession seemed to be a good field. But it is now very crowded. So what is the value of planning? The answer is that even an imperfect forecast of the future can be quite helpful. Consider weather forecasts. You can probably think of occasions when it snowed, even though the television weather forecaster predicted there would be no snow. Conversely, you can probably think of times when it did not snow, even though the weather forecaster predicted a foot of snow by the next morning.
You may be surprised to learn that as inaccurate as weather forecasts sometimes seem to be many organisations pay a forecasting service for regular weather updates. The reason for this is quite simple. Even a production that is sometimes wrong is better than no forecast or production at all. Perhaps the best example is the stock market. If someone had even a fairly accurate way to predict which stocks would go up and which stocks would go down, that person could make a great deal of money investing in the stock market, even though there would be some mistakes.
The key is whether ones production tool improves the chances of making the right decisions. Even though the predictive tool may not be always accurate, as long as it is more accurate than random guessing it will result in better decisions. The same point applies to human resource planning. Even though neither organisations nor employees can look into the future, making predictions can be quite helpful, even if they are not always accurate. The basic goal of human resource planning, then, is to predict the future and, based on these predictions, implement programs to avoid anticipated problems.
Very briefly humans resource planning is the process of examining an organisations or individuals future human resource needs (for instance, what types of skills will be needed for jobs of the future) compared to future human resource capabilities (such as the types of skills employees or you already have) and developing human resource policies and practices to address potential problems, for example, implementing training programs to avoid skill deficiencies.
Important aspects of Human Resource Planning (HRP)
Human Resource Planning is an important aspect of any organization’s overall strategic planning. Here are some key reasons why Human Resource Planning is important:
- Forecasting future staffing needs: Human Resource Planning allows organizations to anticipate their future staffing needs, and take steps to ensure they have the necessary staff with the right skills and qualifications to meet those needs.
- Recruitment and retention: Human Resource Planning enables organizations to recruit and retain the best talent available. It helps organizations to identify key skill sets required for future business objectives and accordingly hire the right candidates.
- Training and development: Human Resource Planning helps identify skill gaps in the workforce and provides opportunities for employee training and development, which can lead to increased productivity, job satisfaction, and retention.
- Succession planning: Succession planning is a key aspect of Human Resource Planning. It involves identifying and developing employees with the potential to fill key leadership positions within the organization, ensuring the continuity of the business in the long term.
- Cost control: Human Resource Planning can help organizations to control their costs by ensuring that they have the right number of employees with the right skills and qualifications, avoiding overstaffing or understaffing and thereby optimizing productivity and minimizing labor costs.
In summary, Human Resource Planning is essential for organizations to achieve their long-term strategic objectives by ensuring that they have the right people with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time, and at the right cost.
Practice Questions
Q1. What is the primary objective of Human Resource Planning?
a. To forecast future staffing needs
b. To develop a company’s marketing strategy
c. To implement an employee performance management system
d. To reduce labor costs
Correct Answer: a. To forecast future staffing needs
Q2. Which of the following is a benefit of Human Resource Planning?
a. Increase in employee turnover
b. Decrease in employee satisfaction
c. Reduction in labor costs
d. Recruitment and retention of the best talent
Correct Answer: d. Recruitment and retention of the best talent
Q3. What is the role of Human Resource Planning in employee training and development?
a. To identify and develop employees with potential for key leadership positions
b. To provide employees with opportunities for training and development
c. To forecast future staffing needs
d. To reduce labor costs
Correct Answer: b. To provide employees with opportunities for training and development
Q4. What is the importance of succession planning in Human Resource Planning?
a. To reduce labor costs
b. To forecast future staffing needs
c. To identify and develop employees with potential for key leadership positions
d. To recruit and retain the best talent
Correct Answer: c. To identify and develop employees with potential for key leadership positions
Q5. How can Human Resource Planning help control costs?
a. By overstaffing the organization
b. By understaffing the organization
c. By ensuring that the organization has the right number of employees with the right skills and qualifications
d. By reducing employee turnover
Correct Answer: c. By ensuring that the organization has the right number of employees with the right skills and qualifications
