Human Resource Planning

Topic- Human Resource Planning


What is the process of HRP?
Ans. “The process of getting the right number of qualified people into the right job at the right
time so that an organization can meet its objectives”
• It is a forward looking function.
• It tries to assess human resource requirements in advance keeping production schedules,
market fluctuations, demand forecasts, in the background.
It is the HRP process which helps the management of the organization in meeting the future
demand of human resource in the organization with the supply of the appropriate people in
appropriate numbers at the appropriate time and place. Further, it is only after proper analysis of
the HR requirements can the process of recruitment and selection be initiated by the
management. Also, HRP is essential in successfully achieving the strategies and objectives of
organization. In fact, with the element of strategies and long term objectives of the organization
being widely associated with human resource planning these days, HR Planning has now became
Strategic HR Planning.
WHY Human Resource Planning??
 Forecast personnel requirements- essential to determine the future manpower needs in an
organization
 Cope with changes- to cope with changes in market conditions, technology, products and
government regulations
 Use existing manpower productively
 Promote employees in a systematic manner
Though, HR Planning may sound quite simple a process of managing the numbers in
terms of human resource requirement of the organization, yet, the actual activity may
involve the HR manager to face many roadblocks owing to the effect of the current
workforce in the organization, pressure to meet the business objectives and prevailing
workforce market condition. HR Planning, thus, help the organization in many ways as
follows:
 HR managers are in a stage of anticipating the workforce requirements rather than getting
surprised by the change of events
 Prevent the business from falling into the trap of shifting workforce market, a common
concern among all industries and sectors
 Work proactively as the expansion in the workforce market is not always in conjunction
with the workforce requirement of the organization in terms of professional experience,
talent needs, skills, etc. 
 Organizations in growth phase may face the challenge of meeting the need for critical set
of skills, competencies and talent to meet their strategic objectives so they can stand wellprepared to meet the HR needs
 Considering the organizational goals, HR Planning allows the identification, selection
and development of required talent or competency within the organization.
It is, therefore, suitable on the part of the organization to opt for HR Planning to prevent any
unnecessary hurdles in its workforce needs. An HR Consulting Firm can provide the
organization with a comprehensive HR assessment and planning to meet its future requirements
in the most cost-effective and timely manner.
An HR Planning process simply involves the following four broad steps:
 Current HR Supply: Assessment of the current human resource availability in the
organization is the foremost step in HR Planning. It includes a comprehensive study of
the human resource strength of the organization in terms of numbers, skills, talents,
competencies, qualifications, experience, age, tenures, performance ratings, designations,
grades, compensations, benefits, etc. At this stage, the consultants may conduct extensive
interviews with the managers to understand the critical HR issues they face and
workforce capabilities they consider basic or crucial for various business processes.
 Future HR Demand: Analysis of the future workforce requirements of the business is
the second step in HR Planning. All the known HR variables like attrition, lay-offs,
foreseeable vacancies, retirements, promotions, pre-set transfers, etc. are taken into
consideration while determining future HR demand. Further, certain unknown workforce
variables like competitive factors, resignations, abrupt transfers or dismissals are also
included in the scope of analysis.
 Demand Forecast: Next step is to match the current supply with the future demand of
HR, and create a demand forecast. Here, it is also essential to understand the business
strategy and objectives in the long run so that the workforce demand forecast is such that
it is aligned to the organizational goals.
 HR Sourcing Strategy and Implementation: After reviewing the gaps in the HR supply
and demand, the HR Consulting Firm develops plans to meet these gaps as per the
demand forecast created by them. This may include conducting communication programs
with employees, relocation, talent acquisition, recruitment and outsourcing, talent
management, training and coaching, and revision of policies. The plans are, then,
implemented taking into confidence the mangers so as to make the process of execution
smooth and efficient. Here, it is important to note that all the regulatory and legal
compliances are being followed by the consultants to prevent any untoward situation
coming from the employees.
Hence, a properly conducted process of HR Planning by an HR Consulting Firm helps the
organization in meeting its goals and objectives in timely manner with the right HR strength in
action.