Employment planning

The process by which management ensures it has the right number and kinds of people in the right places at the right time, who are capable of helping the organization achieve its goals.

HR Inventory:

A report listing the name, education, training, prior employer, languages spoken and other information about each employee in the organization

Employment planning is the process by which management ensures that it has the right number and kinds of people in the right places at the right times, people who are capable of effectively completing those tasks that will help the organization achieve its overall objectives. Employees planning then translate the organization’s mission and objectives into a personnel plan that will allow the organization to achieve its goals. Employment planning can be condensed into two steps: (1) assessing current human resources and future human resources needs and (2) developing a program to meet those needs.

How does an Organization conduct an employee assessment?

Management begins its current human resource status. This review is typically done by generating a human resource inventory. In an era of sophisticated computer systems, it is not too difficult a task to generate a human resource inventory in most organization. The input for this inventory is derived from forms completed by employees. Such inventories might list the name, education, training, prior employment, languages spoken, capabilities and specialized skills of each employee in the organization. This inventory allows management to assess what talents and skills are currently available in the organization.

Job analysis: An assessment of the kinds of skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to successfully perform each job in an organization.

Another part of the current assessment is the job analysis. Whereas the human resources inventory is concerned with telling management what individual employees can do, job analysis is more fundamental. It is typically a lengthy process, one in which workflows are analyzed and skills and behavior that is necessary to perform jobs is identified. For instance, what does an international reporter who works for the Wall Street Journal do? What minimal knowledge, skills and abilities are necessary for the adequate performance of this job? How do the job requirements for an international reporter compare with those for a domestic reporter or for a newspaper editor? Job analysis can answer these questions. Ultimately, the purpose of job analysis is to determine the kinds of skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to successfully perform each job. This information is then used to develop or revise if they already exist, job description and job specifications.

Job description: A written statement of what a job holder does, how it is done and why it is done.

Job specification: A statement of the minimum acceptable qualifications that an incumbent must possess to perform a given job successfully.

A job description is a written statement of what a job holder does, how it is done and why it is done. It typically portrays job content, environment and conditions of employment. The job specification states the minimum qualifications that an incumbent must possess to perform a given job successfully. It identifies the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to do the job effectively. The job description and specification are important documents when managers begin recruiting and selecting. For instance, the job description can be used to describe the job to potential candidates. The job specification keeps the manager’s attention on the list of qualifications necessary for an incumbent to perform a job and assist in determining whether candidates are qualified for an incumbent to perform a job and assists in determining whether candidates are qualified. Furthermore, hiring individuals on the basis of the information contained in these two documents helps to ensure that the hiring process is not discriminatory.
–