Thursday, August 17, 2017

Human Resource Planning and Job Analysis

Unit – II: Human Resource Planning and Job Analysis
Meaning and Definition of Human Resource Planning
Characteristics of Human Resource Planning
Characteristics of effective human resource planning are as follows:

6. Environmental Influence: Human resource planning is influenced by environmental changes, hence, it is to be updated as per the change occupied in the external environment.
7. Related to Corporate Plan: Human resource planning is an integral part of overall corporate plan of the organization. It can be formulated at strategic, tactical and operational levels.
8. A Part of Human Resource Management System: As a part of total human resource management system, human resource planning is regarded as a component or element of HRM which is concerned with acquisition and assessment of manpower.
Objectives of Human Resource Planning
4. A series of specified reasons are there that attaches importance to manpower planning and forecasting exercises. They are elaborated below:
Ø  To link manpower planning with the organizational planning
Ø  To determine recruitment levels.

Ø  To anticipate redundancies.
Ø  To determine optimum training levels.
Ø  To provide a basis for management development programs.
Ø  To cost the manpower.
Ø  To assist productivity bargaining.
Ø  To assess future accommodation requirement.
Ø  To study the cost of overheads and value of service functions.
Ø  To decide whether certain activity needs to be subcontracted, etc.
HRP exists as a part of planning process of business. This is the activity that aims to coordinate the requirements for the availability of the different types of employers. The major activities are the forecasting, inventorying, anticipating and planning.
Significance or need or Importance of Human Resource Planning
Disadvantages of human resource planning
6. Unproductive activity: Another disadvantage of human resource planning is that the time and effort used in retraining employees could have been used by the employees to offer services or produce more goods. In the short run, human resource planning can sometimes be unproductive. This however, is not the case in the long run.
Process/Steps in HRP:

HRP is done by the HRD manager. He is supported by the HRD department. He takes following Steps in the process of Human Resource Planning HRP.
1. Review of Organisation's Objectives: The HRD Manager first studies the objectives of the organisation. Then he prepares a list of all the activities (jobs) that are required to achieve the objectives. He also does Job's analysis.
2. Estimation of Manpower Requirements: The HRD manager then estimates the manpower requirement of the organisation. That is, he finds out how many people (manager and employers) will be required to do all the jobs in the organisation. Estimation of manpower requirements must be made in terms of quantity and quality.
3. Estimation of Manpower Supply: The HRD manager then estimates the manpower supply. That is, he finds out how many managers, and employers are available in the organisation.
4. Comparison of Manpower: The HRD manager then compares the manpower requirements and manpower supply.
5. In case of no difference: If there is no difference between the manpower requirements and the manpower supply, then the HRD manager does not take any action. This is because manpower requirements are equal to the manpower supply.
6. In case of difference: If there is a difference between the manpower requirements and the manpower supply the HRD manager takes the following actions.
a. Manpower Surplus: If the manpower requirements are less then the manpower supply then there is a surplus. During manpower surplus, the HRD manager takes the following actions: Termination i.e. removal of staff, Lay-off, Voluntary retirement.
b. Manpower Shortage: If the manpower requirements are greater than the manpower supply then there is manpower shortage. During manpower shortage, the HRD manager takes the following actions : Promotions, Overtime, Training to improve quality, Hire staff from outside, etc.
7. Motivation of Manpower: HRP also motivates the employers and managers by providing, financial and non-financial incentives.
8. Monitoring Manpower Requirements: The HRD manager must continuously monitor the manpower requirements. This is because many employees and managers leave the organisation by resignation, retirement, etc. and new work force must take their place fill the manpower gap. This helps in uninterruptible functioning of the organisation.
Reasons for increased importance for HRP/Factors affecting HRP in the organization
1. Employment: HRP is affected by the employment situation in the country i.e. in countries where there is greater unemployment; there may be more pressure on the company, from government to appoint more people. Similarly some company may force shortage of skilled labour and they may have to appoint people from other countries.
2. Technical changes in the society: Technology changes at a very fast speed and new people having the required knowledge are required for the company. In some cases, company may retain existing employees and teach them the new technology and in some cases, the companies have to remove existing people and appoint new.
3. Organizational changes: Changes take place within the organization from time to time i.e. the company diversify into new products or close down business in some areas etc. in such cases the HRP process i.e. appointing or removing people will change according to situation.
4. Demographic changes: Demographic changes refer to things referring to age, population, composition of work force etc. A number of people retire every year. A new batch of graduates with specialization turns out every year. This can change the appointment or the removal in the company.
5. Shortage of skill due to labour turnover: Industries having high labour turnover rate, the HRP will change constantly i.e. many new appointments will take place. This also affects the way HRP is implemented.
6. Multicultural workforce: Workers from different countries travel to other countries in search of job. When a company plans it’s HRP it needs to take into account this factor also.
7. Pressure groups: Company has to keep in mind certain pleasure. Groups like human rights activist, woman activist, media etc. as they are very capable for creating problems for the company, when issues concerning these groups arise, appointment or retrenchment becomes difficult.

How Human Resource Planning is made effective?
Some of the suggestions for making manpower planning effective are as follows:
1. Integration with organizational plans: Human resource planning must be integrated with the organizational plans and objectives to be successful. Moreover, there should also be a good channel of communication between the organizational planners and the human resource planners to get a successful human resource planning.
2. Period of manpower planning: The period of manpower planning should have a connection with the needs and circumstances of the enterprise. The size and structure of an enterprise as well as the anticipated changes must be taken into consideration while going for manpower planning.
3. Proper organization: It is necessary to organize the planning function properly in order to make it successful. It is advisable to have a separate cell or constitute a committee within the human resource department in order to provide adequate focus and to coordinate the planning work at various levels.
4. Support of top management: The top management should give full support and cooperation to make the manpower planning effective. The support of top management facilitates the process of getting necessary resources, cooperation and other things as per requirement to make the planning successful.
5. Involvement of operating executives: Human resource planning is not a function of manpower planners only but also of the operating executives too. An effective manpower planning highly solicits the active participation and coordination of the operating executives. Such participation is sought to make the process of manpower planning understandable to everyone so that chances of resistance can be rooted out in time.
6. Efficient and reliable information system: An adequate data base must be developed for the human resources of an organization to facilitate the process of human resource planning.
7. Balanced approach: Both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of manpower should be given equal weightage by the human resource experts. Emphasis should be more on filling the future vacancies with right people rather than matching the existing jobs. The matters of promotions, career planning and development, skill levels, morale etc. should also be given due importance by the planners.

Meaning and Definition Job analysis:
According to DeCenzo and P. Robbins, “A job analysis is a systematic exploration of the activities within a job. It is a basic technical procedure, one that is used to define the duties, responsibilities, and accountabilities of a job.”
Importance/Uses of Job analysis
1. Achievement of Goals: Weather and Davis have stated, “Jobs are at the core of every organization’s productivity, if they are designed well and done right, the organization makes progress towards its objectives. Otherwise, productivity suffers, profits fall, and the organization is less able to meet the demands of society, customer, employees, and other with a stake in its success.”
2. Organizational Design: Job analysis will be useful in classifying the jobs and the interrelationships among the jobs. On the basis of information obtained through job analysis, sound decisions regarding hierarchical positions and functional differentiation can be taken and this will improve operational efficiency.
3. Organization and Manpower Planning: It is helpful in organization planning, for it defines labour in concrete terms and co-ordinates the activities of the work force, and clearly divides duties and responsibilities.
4. Recruitment and Selection: Job analysis provides you with information on what the job entails and what human requirements are required to carry out these activities. This information is the basis on which you decide what sort of people to recruit and hire.
5. Placement and Orientation: Job analysis helps in matching the job requirements with the abilities, interests and aptitudes of people. Jobs will be assigned to persons on the basis of suitability for the job. The orientation programme will help the employee in learning the activities and understanding duties that are required to perform a given job more effectively.
6. Employee Training and Management Development: Job analysis provides the necessary information to the management of training and development programmes. It helps in to determine the content and subject matter of in training courses. It also helps in checking application information, interviewing test results and in checking references.
7. Job Evaluation and Compensation: Job evaluation is the process of determining the relative worth of different jobs in an organization with a view to link compensation, both basic and supplementary, with the worth of the jobs. The worth of a job is determined on the basis of job characteristics and job holder characteristics. Job analysis provides both in the forms of job description and job specification.
8. Performance Appraisal: Performance appraisal involves comparing each employee’s actual performance with his or her desired performance. Through job analysis industrial engineers and other experts determine standards to be achieved and specific activities to be performed.
9. Health and Safety: It provides an opportunity for identifying hazardous conditions and unhealthy environmental factors so that corrective measures may be taken to minimize and avoid the possibility of accidents.
10. Employee Counselling: Job analysis provides information about career choices and personal limitation. Such information is helpful in vocational guidance and rehabilitation counselling. Employees who are unable to cope with the hazards and demands of given jobs may be advised to opt for subsidiary jobs or to seek premature retirement.
Methods of job analysis
A job is defined as a collection of duties and responsibilities which are given together to an individual employee. Job analysis is the process of studying and collecting information relating to operations and responsibilities of a specific job. There are different methods used by organization to collect information and conduct the job analysis. These methods are:
2. Actual performance of the job: In this method the observer who is in charge of preparing the job analysis actually does the work himself. This gives him an idea of the skill required, the difficulty level of the job, the efforts required etc.

6. Log records: Companies can ask employees to maintain log records and job analysis can be done on the basis of information collected from the log record. A log record is a book in which employee’s record /write all the activities performed by them on the job. The records are extensive as well as exhausted in nature and provide a fair idea about the duties and responsibilities in any job.
Steps in Job Analysis
The various steps of job analysis are given below:
1. Determine the Use of the Job Analysis Information: Start by identifying the use to which the information will be put, since this will determine the type of data you collect and the technique you use to collect them.
4. Collection of Job Analysis Data: Job data on features of the job, requited employee qualification and requirements, should be collected either form the employees who actually perform a job; or from other employees (such as foremen or supervisors) who watch the workers doing a job and there by acquire knowledge about it; or from the outside persons, known as the trade job analysis who are appointed to watch employees performing a job. The duties of such a trade job analyst are (i) to outline the complete scope of a job and to consider all the physical and mental activities involved in determining what the worker does.; (ii) find out why a worker does a job; and for this purpose he studies why each task is essential for the overall result; and (iii) the skill factor which may be needed in the worker to differentiate between jobs and establish the extent of the difficulty of any job.

Difference between Job Evaluation and Job analysis
Job Evaluation: There are many jobs inside an organization and they are ranked in terms of their relative importance. The point to remember is that it is jobs according to their content and not those who are holding them that are ranked in job evaluation. Objectives of any job evaluation program should be well documented so that there is no untoward bias while evaluating jobs. The program finally ends with deciding the wages and perks associated with different jobs in an organization.
Job analysis: Job analysis is a part of any job evaluation program but actually precedes job evaluation. Job analysis is vital to rank it in a hierarchy of jobs which is what job evaluation aims it. Job analysis is the process of gathering all information and data about a job so as to be able to successfully indulge in job description and its specification.
Difference between Job Evaluation and Job Analysis
• Despite being a part of the broader job evaluation process, job analysis is an important program in itself.
• While job evaluation aims at finding the net worth of different jobs in an organization with the aim of finding salaries and wage differentials, job analysis tries to find out everything about a specific job including the role, responsibility, working conditions, skills required, demands and hazards associated with a job.
• Management of any organization always endeavors to make the salaries and wages associated with jobs attractive so as to able to compete with other companies in luring better talent.
Meaning and principles of Job design
Principles of Job Design: Principles are the bases of the approach used in job design. Robertson and Smith (1985) have suggested the following five principles of job design:
a)      To influence skill variety, provide opportunities for people to do several tasks and combine tasks.
b)      To influence task identity, combine tasks and from natural work units.
c)       To influence task significance, form natural work units and inform people of the importance of their work.
d)      To influence autonomy, give people responsibility for determining their own working systems.
e)      To influence feedback; establish good relationship and open feedback channels.
Meaning of Job Enrichment:


