Assessment of Human Resource Planning - Essay Example

Assessment of HR Name Professor Institution Course Date Introduction and Concept Human Resource Planning is a practice that involves the assessment of an organization to understand the future needs that it might have with regard to human resources. This assessment ensures that there is realization of the goals set by the organization at a particular time for both individual and corporate development. For the ultimate result regarding Human Resource Planning, there are several factors to consider. The person taking the assessment should understand that there are various steps involved in the implementation of the plan. It is also important to go through the various factors that affect Human Resource Planning with the aim of gaining a deeper comprehension of the concept. One implementation strategy involves setting up a reference that will act as the basis of the planning process. This reference shows the various rubrics that the team members ought to follow in their working towards achieving the set goals. Human Resource Planning also involves the profiling of the various employees in an organization aiming at understanding the career qualifications they bear and identifying the human resource needs present. It is also vital to understand the incorporation of competencies into the existing Human Resource Planning system of an organization. Engaging further in the Human Resource Planning concept it is important to recognize that planning tools are very essential in the facilitating of the entire process. Personnel should also receive training for them to work effectively in ensuring that there is the realization of the set goals. Monitoring the working of the Human Resource Planning strategy is an important aspect to consider as it assists in resolution of problems that may otherwise arise later on (Bandt, 2008). Technology As a principle responsibility of Human Resource Management, many factors affect Human Resource Planning. One of the issues is with regard to technology in the 21st century. The contemporary age has received many changes owing to the advent of technology and improvements made to existing systems over time. Technology affects Human Resource Planning in different ways. One of the sectors that technology affects is regarding the use of machines in an institution. Many companies have come up that have generated contemporary age machines that are faster and consequently more efficient than the initial ones. Many of the modern learning institutions have had the ability to instil young ones with ideas of how these machines and gadgets work and by the time these young minds clear college, they have the required skills. For an organization to work effectively in this age it is important to incorporate these new machines with the aim of having a larger customer base and consequently gaining huge margins in profit that is the aim of most institutions (Pynes, 2008). Human Resource Planning thus comes in where people working in an organization when there is the introduction of new machines might not have the required skills to operate them. This factor of technology majorly affects the Human Resource Planning process because many are times that the administration is confused on actions to take regarding the skills presented in the institution. Some institutions may opt to engage in the changes brought about by technology by training the current employees in the organization and instilling in them the required skills to run the institution (Pynes, 2008). This process is important as some companies are loyal to their oldest workers and do not find it appropriate to send them off just because changes have taken place in the Information Technology sector. The training process is very hectic and may require division of labour where the Human Resource Management team may have to come up with a group solely responsible for the training of these people. The process is worth it nonetheless. Some institutions might react to these changes in technology by getting a complete overhaul of the human resource team. This strategy is complicated and consumes a lot of time because by the time the group gets to conduct interviews and hire new employees with the required skills, it will have set the company back in terms of gains. An example is a manufacturing car firm that may opt to lay off all its employees due to the advent of new technology in car manufacturing. When the company fires all the employees, it has to prepare a task force that has the responsibility of tackling interviews with potential employees. While this takes place, rival companies continue making the most out of their present technology and in turn make more profit than the initial company makes. This shows that technology as a factor changes the thoughts of an institution’s administration and consequently the entire human resource. Organizational changes Restructuring within an organization may result to change in the HR planning process. Organizational changes may come in the form of adopting new products, shutting down some branches, changing the target market and increasing or reducing the prices of the products (Caruth et al, 2009). The organization changes affect the HR planning based on the situation of the company. The occurrence of any one of these processes may trigger an organization into changing its strategies of appointing and removing workers. The need for an organization to adopt new products will affect its line of operation and the subsequent criteria required of the intake of the new employees. This implies that the business would have to adopt new procedures for appointing and removing the workers. For instance, a company initially dealing in beverage processing and would like to diversify to manufacture of electrical appliances will experience a change in its HR planning. This is because beverage processing and manufacturing of electrical appliances are two non-related operations, which require different criteria for the appointment of new employees. The criteria meant for accessing the Beverage Processing appointee will revolve around the knowledge about various flavours; while that required for an Electrical Appliance Manufacturing will involve accessing the knowledge about electricity. The company would have to incorporate a new criterion for appointing the new employees. Adopting a new criterion ensures that the firm does not witness the occurrence structural shortage of skills. Employment The rate of employment in a given country affects both the quality and quantity of labour force required by a company. The major factors contributing to the influence of employment include government interventions and nature of skilled labour (Randhawa, 2007). An instance of natural shortage of skills required for a given field of work affects the human resource planning of a given company. The success of a company depends on the quality of production process resulting from the employees’ efforts. It is always necessary for the HR planning to choose workers with adequate skills to meet the requirements of a given project; otherwise, the company would witness the failure in its operation. This means that the shortage of skilled workers in a given country may force the company to look for other strategies of obtaining skilled workers. This may involve the company seeking for appointees from other countries known to have a large number of skilled workers. Another instance is the government deciding to force a certain company into increasing the number of individuals in their labour force when there is unemployment. This is the only way a government can help in reducing the rate of unemployment since it helps in increasing the number of job opportunities present in the country (Bhattacharyya, 2006). The government decision will affect the HRP adversely because the subject organization would have to accept an additional number of appointees in its operation. The affected companies would have to manipulate their appointment criteria to meet the need for accommodating additional workers. This may involve the company cutting down on the salary of the workers to meet the rising expenditures on the employees. The company may also have to reduce on the number of incentives they present to their employees. Cutting down on the salary will, in turn, affect the quality of the appointees joining the business. The high quality workers will always seek for the companies offering favourable salaries. This means that a company cutting down on the salary of the workers, as the result of a government decision, affects the quality of the appointees within a company. The decision by the government to increase intake of employees in the companies may also result to less choice for quality. The government forces a company to employ certain individuals regardless of their technical skills in relation to the field of work (Bhattacharyya, 2006). Conclusion Human resource planning acts as a critical activity in the management of any business. It forms the basis of all the HRM practices since it helps in identifying the quality and quantity of appointees that the business would need to meet its production goals. Some of the factors affecting HRP include organizational changes, technical changes and employment. In the process of recruiting workers, any business aspiring for success, must always lay down suitable criteria for appointing and removing the workers. This helps in reducing the influence of technical and organizational changes on the planning. The study of the factors affecting the HRP implies that the organizations should always be flexible in changing their strategies meant for appointing the workers. This would help in accommodating any changes in the technological and organizational structure. References Bhattacharyya, D. K. (2006). Human resource planning. New Delhi: Excel Books. Randhawa, G. (2007). Human resource management. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. Caruth, D. L., Caruth, G. D., & Pane, S. S. (2009). Staffing the contemporary organization: A guide to planning, recruiting, and selecting for human resource professionals. Westport, Conn: Praeger Publishers. Pynes, J. (2008). Human Resource Management for Public and Non-profit Organizations. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Bandt, A. (2008). Successful Strategic Human Resource Planning. New York: Systems Thinking Press. Read More