Since the beginning of the pandemic, organizations have had to think on their feet to quickly adapt to changes. The focus on immediate, short-term goals was necessary to keep operations running in response to changing public health measures, but the pandemic made it difficult to predict what the future would look like. For some, that may have meant pushing any sort of long-term strategic planning aside, but a plan for the organization’s future goals is now more important than ever.
What is a strategic HR plan?
A strategic HR plan helps align the organization’s overall goals with its HR capabilities. Having your business strategy closely aligned with your HR helps assess and identify shortcomings ahead of time, thus giving the organization a competitive advantage.
Some businesses have been successful by taking a reactive approach when forced to make quick decisions during the pandemic. However, to be proactive and better prepared to handle changes when unexpected challenges arise, organizations need to have a strategic HR plan in place. With strategic HR planning, organizations can align their human resources management with the organization’s short- and long-term goals, which helps in efficiently managing the HR procedures of the company.
Why your organization needs a strategic HR plan
For a business’s continual growth, strategic planning is more of a necessity. It provides a sense of direction for where the future of the organization should be heading. Its purpose is to define mid- to long-term organizational goals and outline the framework and steps to take to achieve those goals with measurable objectives.
Since strategic planning encompasses all areas of the organization, it helps everyone understand the company’s direction, how their work aligns with the plan, and how their position in the organization contributes to achieving company goals. HR professionals support those initiatives by ensuring the talent matches the organization’s current needs, preparing the workforce to adapt to change, and meeting the challenges and demands of the future. Having a strategic HR plan allows you to make conscious and purposeful HR decisions that support and align with the long-term goals.
Benefits of effective strategic HR planning
Employers should already be aware of the immediate needs of their workforce but may not be planning beyond that. This can lead to redundant roles, lack of successors for senior positions, or vacancies in critical positions. Think about your current workforce, availability of talent, the time and costs associated with hiring, additional management, and any other variables that will play a factor in achieving the organization’s goals.
HR tasks like succession planning, restructuring, downsizing, and expanding the workforce seem daunting but are necessary so your organization is prepared for the next stage of its life and remains on track for development. Creating a plan that weighs these factors prepares your company for a seamless transition.
Guide to strategic HR planning
Now that we know what a strategic HR plan is, why it is needed, and what benefits it offers, it is time to dive right into the steps to take to build a comprehensive HR strategic plan:
- Define and align your goals;
- Assess current talent;
- Forecast future requirements;
- Analyse gaps;
- Develop a workforce strategy;
- Implement and deploy your plan; and
- Conduct regular evaluations.
We understand that even with these concrete steps outlined, creating a strategic HR plan can be challenging. That is why our team of HR experts has created a detailed guide that walks you through all the resources you can use to achieve all the steps listed above.
Download your FREE Guide to Strategic HR Planning now!
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