HR Human Resource Planning

Question 1

Human Resource Planning

Answer 1

Forecasts an organization’s future demand for and supply of employees, and matches supply with demand

Question 2

HR department contributes to success:

Answer 2

Proper staffing is critical
–Different strategies require varying HR plans
–HR planning facilitates proactive responses
–Successful tactical plans require HR plans
–HR planning can vary (Levels 1-5)

Question 3

Human Resource Planning

Answer 3

Stage 1: No formal planning
➢Stage 2: Minimal; focus on headcount
➢Stage 3: Long term forecasts
➢Stages 4 & 5: HRP is a core strategic process

Question 4

Forecasting: Identifying the Causes that will Drive Demand

Answer 4

Demographic Impacts
•Turnover
•Legal Changes
•Technological Changes
•Competitors
•Strategic Plan
•Budgets and Revenue Forecasts
•New Ventures
•Organizational and Job Design

Question 5

Forecasting Techniques for Estimating Human Resource Demand

Answer 5

Expert——Informal and instant decisions; Formal expert Trend Trend——Extrapolation

Other—-Budget and planning analysis

Question 6

Expert Forecasts

Answer 6

Informal and instant forecast

–Manager believes workload justifies another employee

Question 7

Trend Projection Forecasts

Answer 7

Extrapolation

➢Extending past rates of change into the future

Question 8

Other Forecasting Methods

Answer 8

Budget & Planning Analysis

–Organizations that need HR planning generally have detailed budgets and long-range plans

Question 9

The Supply of Human Resources: Internal Supply Estimates

Answer 9

Skills Inventories
➢Summary of worker skills and abilities
•Management and Leadership Inventories
➢Reports of management capabilities
•Replacement Charts
➢Lists of likely replacements for each job
•Replacement Summaries
➢Lists of likely replacements for each job and their relative strengths and weaknesses.
•Transition Matrices & Markov Analysis

Question 10

The Supply of Human Resources: External Supply Estimates

Answer 10

Demographic Trends
➢Affects the availability of external supply
➢Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) publishes labour force projections
➢Statistics Canada publishes reports
➢Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS)

Question 11

Summary of HR Tools used to Estimate Internal and External Supply of Labour

Answer 11

Internal Supply Indicators—-

Human Resource Audits
➢Skill inventories
➢Management inventories
➢Replacement charts/summaries
•    Transition matrices & Markov analysis

External Supply Indicators

Labour market analysis
• Community attitudes
• Demographic trends

Question 12

Strategies to Manage an Oversupply of Human Resources

Answer 12

Headcount reduction
•Layoffs
•Leave without pay
•Termination
•Outplacement pr

Attrition
➢Hiring freeze
➢Early and phased retirement offers
➢Incentives for voluntary separation

•Alternative Work Arrangements    
➢Job sharing
➢Using part-time employees
➢Internal transfers
➢Loaning employees

Question 13

Strategies to Manage

a Shortage of Employees

Answer 13

Staffing Option #1:
Hire Employees
•Hire part-time workers
–Popular strategy for meeting human resource needs
•Hire full-time employees
–Where internal transfer or promotion is not feasible, hiring full-time employees may be required
–Results in additional fixed cost

Question 14

Staffing Option #2:

Contract Out the Work

Answer 14

Source service providers - 3rd party e.g. temporary employment agencies
–Temps work for a temporary employment agency
–Independent contractor - freelancer (self-employed)
–Outsource - contracting tasks to outside agencies or persons
–Crowdsource - takes a function once performed by employees and outsources it to an undefined network of people as an open call

Question 15

Staffing Option #3:

Developing Employees Internally

Answer 15

Develop employees internally
–Float and transfer
•Movement of an employee from one job to another that is relatively equal in pay, responsibility, and organizational level
–Promotions
•Movement of an employee from one job to another that is higher in pay, responsibility, and/or organizational level

Question 16

Staffing Option #4:

Creating Flexible Work Arrangements

Answer 16

Overtime
–Employees work beyond the normal hours
•Flexible schedules
•Flexible time and location
–e.g. telecommuting, virtual organization
•Flexible policies
– e.g. flexible retirements

Question 17

Human Resource Information Systems

Answer 17

A Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is used to collect record, store, analyze, and retrieve data concerning an organization’s human resources
•The major stakeholders who use the information from an HRIS are HR professionals, managers, and employees.

Question 18

HRIS Functions - Breadth and Size

Answer 18

Key considerations:
➢Size
➢Information that needs to be captured
➢Volume of information transmitted
➢Firm’s objectives
➢Technical capabilities

Question 19

Access to HRIS Information - Privacy and Security Considerations

Answer 19

Security is an important aspect of an HRIS system
•Access to HRIS Information
–Determining who should have access and who should have the right to change/input data
•Security
–Concerns about unauthorized disclosure of information, viruses, etc.

Question 20

HRIS – An Important Tool

for Strategic HRM

Answer 20

Increased efficiency
–Enhanced service delivery
•Increased effectiveness
–Helping stakeholders make better decisions
•Increased contribution to organizational sustainability
–Talent management
•Increased visibility
–Enhanced HR competencies

Question 21

Human Resource Accounting (HRA)

Answer 21

A process to measure the present cost and value of human resources as well as their future worth to the organization.
–Cost Models
–Value Models