HUMAN RESOURCES PLAN
Moving into a different environment means many things, but for us it means mainly taking care of our community. We decided to develop a new Human Resources plan; adapting to the new geographical and social needs that we will now encounter in our new global sites. We forecatsed the future staffing needs and skills required in the new Tantum's locations.
As we expand our company, we will need new employees, and to calculate the future staffing needs of the business we have to forecast the number of new workers and the skill required.
In order to forecast the number of employees required, we first have to forecast the demand for our services in the new markets, this will be influenced by market conditions, seasonal factors, competitors’ actions and trends in consumer taste. Also we need to know the future objectives of the business, this will influence future workforce numbers in two main ways. First, if the business plans to expand further over the coming years then staffing numbers will have to rise to accommodate this growth. Secondly, if the firm intends to increase customer service levels, possibly at the expense of short-term profits, then more workers might need to be recruited. Therefore, a workforce plan cannot be devised without consideration of business objectives.
Tantum also needs to forecast the skills required to be part of our community. These factors depend upon the pace of technological change in the industry (e.g. the application of IT in offices has meant that traditional typists are rarely required) and also upon the need for flexible or multi-skilled staff.
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Internal and external factors that influence HR planning
The most carefully laid human resource plans can be affected by internal and external change anytime, so forecasting and flexibility are essential for effective planning and adapting as required. In order to do this, HR managers must be aware of what’s going on within the company, the industry and the wider market in relation to the factors that influence change.
Political
Politics influence how much funding is available, how much tax must be paid, minimum wage rates, how markets are controlled and the quality and quantity of staff available for hire. When planning ahead, we need to consider likely changes to markets, budgets and availability of suitable applicants as a result of recent or anticipated political influences.
Legal
Employment law is the most significant sector of the legal system that affects human resource planning, and it changes all the time. In most cases, there is plenty to time to implement changes to policy, as the law can take awhile to take effect.
Economic
How much money is available for salaries, training and equipment is the most immediate concern in human resource planning. However, external economics plays an equally critical role. For example, people don’t have as much money to spend in an economic downturn and tend to be much more selective in what they buy or services they use. Building economic factors into the human resources plan helps to predict how many employees you will need and you can pay.
Technological
New technology brings new skills requirements, so companies always need to be aware of proficiencies and training needs when planning human resources. New products and services also may require recruiting highly skilled employees or training existing employees to meet the need.
Environmental
Environmental factors might include where your business is located in relation to finding sufficient appropriate staff or changes to the environment that mean a need for more or fewer employees. A simple example of environmental factors affecting human resource planning is the consideration of how employees get to work safely during extreme weather
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Recruitment
Tantum is seeking for the best workforce available if we are to meet our objectives and be competitive. Workers need to be chosen so that they meet exactly the needs of the company I order to reduce the risk of conflict between their personal objectives and those of the business. The recruitment and selection process involves different steps:
1. Draw up a job description
The job description provides a complete picture of the job, a detailed list of the key points about the job to be filled, stating all the key tasks and responsibilities of it. The advantage of the job description is that it should attract the right type of people to apply for the job, as potential recruits will have an idea of weather they are suited to the position or not.
2. Draw up a personal specification
This analyses the qualities and skills being looked for in suitable applicants. It’s clearly based on the job description because these skills can only be assessed once the nature and complexity of the job have been identified. The person specification is a detailed list of the qualities, skills, and qualifications that a successful applicant will need to have.
3. Prepare a job advertisement
The job advertisement can be displayed within the business premises (if an internal appointment is looked for) on the firm’s website, or in government job centers, requirement agencies, and/or newspaper. Care must be taken to ensure that there is no element of discrimination implied by the advertisement as nearly all countries out law unfair selection on the basis of race, gender or religion.
4. Draw up a short list of applicants
A few applicants are chosen based on their application forms and personal details, often contained a CV (curriculum vitae). References may have been obtained in order to check on the character and previous work performance of the applicants.
5. Conduct interviews
Interviews are designed to question the applicant on their skills, experience, and character to see if they are likely to perform well and fit into the organization. Candidates are assessed according to the achievements, intelligence, skills, interests, personal manner, physical appearance and personal circumstances.
(Business Management textbook, page 125-126)
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Training
Tantum wants to ensure that the new employees are well equipped to perform the duties and undertake the responsibilities expected of them. For this reason the company offers work-related education to increase workforce, skills and efficiency and to develop the full abilities of the worker.
On-the-job training
Off-the-job training
On-the-job training involves instruction at the place of work. This is often conducted by either the HR managers or departmental training officers. Watching or working closely with existing experienced members of staff is a frequent component of this form of training. it is cheaper than sending recruits on external training courses and the content is controlled by the business itself.
Off-the-job training entails any course of instruction away from the place of work. This could be a specialist-training center belonging to the firm itself or a course organized by an outside body, such as a university or a computer manufacturer. These courses can be expensive, yet they may be indispensable if the firm lacks anyone with this degree of technical knowledge.
Cognitive training
Cognitive training focuses on helping to improve the “core” abilities and self-control necessary before an employee can function successfully. Usually cognitive training consist of a variety of exercises designed to help improve performance in areas such as sustaining attention, thinking before acting, listening and reading.
Behavioral skills training
Behavioral skills training aims to provide employees with the ability to communicate effectively with others and to interact with them in a contructive way. It can include communication skills, change in management skills, interview skills and presentation skills.
(Business Management textbook, page 127)
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Appraisal of employees
Employee appraisal is the process of assessing the effectiveness of an employee judged against preset objectives. Tantum undertake these appraisals annually and we believe it’s essential for an employee development programme. An appraisal form is often used which will comment on the worker’s ability to meet certain criteria and may suggest areas for action and improvement or recommendations for training or promotion.
There are multiple types of appraisal forms:
1. Formative appraisal
Formative appraisal is based on a range of formal and informal assessment methods employed by supervisors not only to monitor on employee’s progress but also to support and provide guidance for improvement. It involves qualitative feedback that focuses on the details of the performance and ways of improving it. The goal of formative assessment is to gather feedback that ca be used by the instructor/supervisor and the employees to guide improvements in the ongoing work.
2. Summative appraisal
The goal of summative assessment is to measure the level of an employee’s success or proficiency in meeting predetermined benchmarks. The outcome of a summative assessment could be used to influence an employee’s pay grade, annual bonus or chances of internal promotion.
3. 360-degree feedback
Another common performance appraisal method is the 360-degree feedback. In this scenario, whoever conducts the appraisal, interviews an employee’s supervisor, peers and any direct reports. This technique allows an appraiser to gain a complete profile of the employee. In addition to gauging the worker’s job performance and technical skill set, an appraiser receives in-depth feedback on the employee’s behavior. Measuring areas of subjectivity, such as character and leadership skills, allows an employer to manage an employee’s development
4. Self-appraisal
This type of appraisal involves asking the employee to self-evaluate his or her job performance. Usually, prior to meeting with an emplyee, the supervisor will ask the employee to complete an evaluation form, this will be used as a basis for discussion during the annual performance review meeting. At the meeting the manager and the employee discuss the self-appraisal results and negotiate final evaluations based on both the manager’s perceptions and those of the employee.
(Business Management textbook, page 129-130; http://smallbusiness.chron.com/factors-affecting-human-resource-plans-61165.html)