JOMO KENYATTA UNIVERSITY

OF
AGRICULTURE & TECHNOLOGY
JKUAT SODeL

SCHOOL OF OPEN, DISTANCE AND eLEARNING

P.O. Box 62000, 00200

c 2020

Nairobi, Kenya

E-mail: elearning@jkuat.ac.ke

HEH 2410: Human Resource Information Systems

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 HEH 2410: Human Resource Information Systems

This presentation is intended to covered within one week.

The notes, examples and exercises should be supple-

mented with a good textbook. Most of the exercises have

solutions/answers appearing elsewhere and accessible by

clicking the green Exercise tag. To move back to the same

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page click the same tag appearing at the end of the solu-

tion/answer.
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Errors and omissions in these notes are entirely the re-

sponsibility of the author who should only be contacted

through the Department of Curricula & Delivery

(SODeL) and suggested corrections may be e-mailed to

elearning@jkuat.ac.ke.

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LESSON 3
Man Power Planning
Learning Objectives
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After reading this chapter, you should be able to understand

• To know the Modules on HR Planning, Recruitment, Se-

lection, Placement.
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• To know the Module on Performance Appraisal System.

• Understand the Training & Development Module

• Understand Information System's support for planning &

control.

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3.1. Introduction Modules on HR Planning

Many business owners prepare a business plan before starting

their business. However, small business owners often do not in-

clude human resource planning as part of their over-all business

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plan. They may start out with only a few employees or none

at all. Over time, it is important to properly forecast employ-

ment needs. Just as failing to address potential threats in the

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marketplace can jeopardize the viability of your business, fail-

ing to anticipate personnel needs may impact on overall business

success. The success of a business is directly linked to the perfor-

mance of those who work for that business. Underachievement

can be a result of workplace failures.

JJ II Because hiring the wrong people or failing to anticipate uc-
J I tuations in hiring needs can be costly, it is important that you
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put eort into human resource planning. Planning for HR needs

will help to ensure your employees have the skills and compe-

tencies your business needs to succeed. An HR plan works hand

in hand with your business plan to determine the resources you

need to achieve the business's goals. It will better prepare you

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for sta turnover, recruitment, and strategic hiring  and alle-

viate stress when you have emergency/last-minute hiring needs.

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This module provides a detailed outline of how small business

owners can develop a human resource plan. There is also a dis-

cussion of issues to consider when developing a succession plan,

the plan that is needed to consider how to carry on the business,

or sell the business, when the current management/ownership

JJ II leaves. Tips for creating a personnel policy manual are also

J I included.

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According to Geisler,  HR planning is the process  including

forecasting, developing and controlling  by which a rm ensures

that it has the right number of people and the right kind of

people at the right places at the right time doing work for which

they are economically most useful .

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According to Wendell French, human resource planning may

be dened  as the process of assessing the organization's human

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resources needs in the light of organizational goals and making

plans to ensure that a competent, stable work force is employed .

According to E.W.Vetter, human resource planning is  a pro-

cess by which an organization should move from its current man-

power position to its desired manpower position. Through plan-

JJ II ning, management strives to have the right number and right

J I kind of people at the right places at the right time, doing things

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which result in both the organization and the individual receiv-

ing maximum long-run benet .

Leon C Megginson is of the opinion that, human resource

planning is  an integrated approach to perform the planning

aspects of the personnel function in order to have a sucient

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supply of adequately developed and motivated people to per-

form the duties and tasks required to meet organizational objec-

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tives and satisfy the individual needs and goals of organizational

members .

The Human Resource Planning has the following modules:

[How many employees do we have to hire, train or promote

this year?]

JJ II Manpower Planning . . . headcount analysis, turnover, and

J I organization charts The Manpower Planning module manages

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the employee inventory and handles a number of related issues,

including: Maintaining an inventory of the number of required

job positions by Branch, Department, and Section based on the

organization's manning objectives.

•
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Calculating actual head count and determining variance

between required and actual

• Providing interface to third-party applications such as Org-

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Plus and Visio for printing organization charts

• Calculating turnover for the current base period

• Projecting turnover for a future period using past results

• Including retirement projections to determine future va-

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J I The daily demands and hectic lifestyle of business owners and

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managers often has an unfortunate by-product: human resource

planning gets placed on the bottom of the list of things to get

done. Failure to anticipate potential changes in your work-

force often leads to last minute or  crisis mode decision-making.

Needless to say, quick xes are no solution to long-term issues.

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Taking the time to forecast future hiring needs today will save

you time and money in the long-run. HR planning must be tied

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to the overall business plan. You can start the process by as-

sessing the current conditions and future goals of your company.

Perform these assessments regularly.

Consider some of the following questions:

• What are the company's goals and objectives?

JJ II • Do these goals call for expansion into new markets?

J I • Are new product lines planned?

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• Are changes in technology necessary to stay competitive?

• Will new skills and/or training be required to meet the

company's goals and objectives?

The following three-step method is designed to help you deter-

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mine whether or not you are ready to hire:

1. Identify Business Strategy and Needs

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2. Conduct a Job Analysis and Write a Job Description

3. Determine the Feasibility of Hiring

Step 1: Identify Business Strategy and Needs

Identify Pressures and Opportunities
Consider the following internal and external opportunities
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and record how they may impact your business:
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• Competition: Often businesses will feel pressure to ex-

pand and hire more workers in order to remain competitive

in a particular market.

• Technology : Technological advancements may increase

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the demand for employees in certain industries or profes-

sions.

• Increased customer demand: An increased demand for

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products or services may require more resources to help

produce or deliver services.

• Economics: Growth of the economy or lower interest

rates cause increased spending, and often increased busi-

ness opportunities. Changes in the labor market impact

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your ability to nd and keep employees.
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• Workforce changes : These include resignations, termi-

nations

Clarify your Business Strategy and Direction

Describe what your business does in terms of key functions and
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tasks and then describe the changes that will come into play and

the direction that the business will likely take in the next few
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years. If you expect to increase sales by 50% over the next ve

years, consider what impact that will have on your hiring needs.

If you are a start-up company, consider the dierent sorts of em-

ployees you will need at each stage of development. Identifying

your business goals and needs will help you to predict future hir-

ing needs, in terms of the number of employees, types of skills,

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and work experiences. This planning process will help you to
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avoid making mistakes  like hiring an employee prematurely.

Identify Aspects of the Business that Need Help

Once you have developed a sense of the direction your business

is taking, you need to determine what human capacity your

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company will need in order to accomplish those goals. Identify

aspects of the business that need help, and the skills and knowl-
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edge required of a new employee. When you are hiring, look

for a person who has a particular set of skills  not a particular

person to ll a particular job

The following questions will help you determine how many

people are required, and with what skills, to fulll your business

needs.
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J I • What new positions are opening up?

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• What special skills (e.g. computer applications) will be

needed?

• What work experience (e.g. in a particular area) will be

required?
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• When will new sta be needed?

• When should hiring be scheduled to ensure a smooth tran-

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sition?

Does the hiring plan also provide for employee turnover

and attrition?

Step 2: Conduct a Job Analysis

If you decide that you need additional employees to fulll your
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business strategy, it is recommended that you conduct a four-
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step job analysis:

1. Review your Current Workforce

Describe the employees you now have in terms of their

knowledge, skills, and experience and describe how they

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function together to get work done. Map these onto your

strategic plan and describe the skills and knowledge that

you will need for the anticipated new work or function.

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At the same time, consider how the current work could

be reorganized to make the best use of current and future

employees.

2. Identify any Skills and Knowledge Gaps

Note any gaps between the skills and abilities your cur-
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ture. To ensure that you have considered the full scope of

the new position from all dierent perspectives, ask your

current employees what they think this position would in-

volve. The checklist below might help you identify the

desired attributes of potential employees.

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3. Write a Job Description

After completing steps one and two, you can begin to draft
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a job description. Although many small businesses do not

take the time to draft job descriptions, it is a worthwhile

exercise. See Module. Hiring Strategies for a detailed

explanation on how to write a job description.

4. Set an Appropriate Salary

JJ II Start by adopting a general salary range to help you deter-
J I mine what you will need to budget  and whether potential
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candidates are within your budget. You may want to com-

plete a job evaluation, whereby you rank jobs and their

corresponding salaries. Weigh the importance of critical

skills and knowledge for each position, compare positions,

and rank the new position on the pay scale accordingly.

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If you already employ an administrative assistant and plan to

hire another, you will probably pay him/her approximately the

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same rate, depending on experience. If, on the 65

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