Difficulties in HR Planning- Planners face significant barriers while formulating HR Planning. The major ones are the following:
- HRP practitioners are perceived as experts in handling personnel matters but are not experts in managing a business.
- People question the importance or making HRP practices future-oriented and the role assigned to HRP practitioners in the formulation of organisational strategies. There are people when needed offer handsome packages of benefits to them to quit when you find them in surplus. When the task is so simple, where is the need for elaborate and time-consuming planning for human resources?
- HR information often is incompatible with other information used in strategy formulation. Strategic planning efforts have long been oriented towards financial forecasting, often to the exclusion of other types of information. Financial forecasting takes precedence over HRP.
- Conflict may exist between short term and long term HR needs. For example, there arises a conflict between the pressure to get the work done on time and long term needs, such as preparing people for assuming greater responsibilities. Many managers are of the belief that HR needs can be met immediately because skills are available on the market as long as wages and salaries are competitive. Therefore, long time plays are not required, short planning are only needed.
- There is a conflict between quantitative and qualitative approaches to HRP. Some people view HRP as a number game designed to track the flow of people across the department.
- The non-involvement of operating managers renders HRP ineffective. HRP is not strictly an HR department function. Successful planning needs a co-ordinated effort on the part of operating managers and HR personnel.
Practice Questions
Which of the following is not a common difficulty in HR planning?
A. Budget constraints
B. Lack of accurate data
C. Too much talent
D. Resistance to change
Answer: C
HR planning involves:
A. Determining necessary skills and qualifications
B. Creating a plan to recruit, develop, and retain the right employees
C. Identifying workforce needs
D. All of the above
Answer: D
Which of the following can impact HR planning?
A. Economic conditions
B. Technological changes
C. Legal regulations
D. All of the above
Answer: D
What can happen if there is a lack of alignment between HR planning and business objectives?
A. The HR plan may not address critical workforce needs
B. The HR plan may not support the organization’s growth and success
C. Both A and B
D. None of the above
Answer: C
What is the primary goal of HR planning?
A. To recruit as many employees as possible
B. To identify the workforce needs of an organization
C. To develop the skills of existing employees
D. To increase employee turnover
Answer: B
