Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management

1.  BRIEFLY describe the Human Resource planning process and then critically discuss its importance to other Human Resource Management functions.

b.   Evaluate the relationship between HR planning and resourcing in an organization.

Human resource planning is a process that identifies current and future human resource needs for an organization to achieve its goals whilst Human resource management is the function performed in organizations that facilitates the most effective use of people to achieve organizational and individual goals.  Human Resource Management and Human resource planning are indeed correlated and offer extreme advantages to an organization when used with Human resource management functions.

The major functions of human resource management are planning, staffing, employee development and employee maintenance. These functions are somewhat similar to the steps used in HR planning which consists of four broad phases. The first phase comprises of a situational analysis or environmental scanning element. This involves an internal and external assessment of the HR inventory level. After detailed analysis, it will be easier for an HR manager to ascertain the strengths as well as weakness of the organization on one hand and opportunities and threats on the other. Secondly, HR planning undergoes a process of forecasting demand for employees. This step estimates the demand for and supply of HR in an organization. It predicts future needs for HR in terms of quantity and quality with the aim of achieving the desired level of input. Thirdly, analysis of the supply of human resources is done. This is concerned with the estimation of the supply of manpower given the analysis of current resource and future availability of human resource in the organisation. It estimates the future sources of HR that are likely to be available from within and outside the organization.  Lastly, development of plans for action is undertaken in the HR planning process. This last step brings to the fore surplus and shortages of human resource. The HR plan is executed under this phase through the designation of different HR activities. These major activities are recruitment, selection, placement and training et al.

There exist various points of intersection between HR planning and staffing or resourcing which involves getting the right fit for the job.  An employer may identify the current and future needs of the public service level for instance and deputy heads may then take these into account in their staffing or resourcing activities.  The needs identified by the employer will likely be at a relatively high level since they will be based on general business directions and goals of the public service  and the broad HR needs and priorities related to these goals. Departments could then take these needs into account in their overall resourcing programs by, for example, developing certain programs to recruit specific members or postsecondary graduates. They could also take these into account at the transactional level by completion of certain leadership training courses as an essential or asset qualification in a particular staffing action.