A new year is underway. Twelve months to account for. Dozens of initiatives to run. Hundreds, even thousands, of staff to inspire and engage. One HR Plan to manage it all. And six things that HR Plan needs.
Businesses will demand more and more of Human Resources teams this year. It’s a big challenge – and opportunity – for HR Managers.
Strategic priorities such as change management require dedicated focus (56% of HR leaders say change management will be a top priority, according to Gartner). But core elements like employee engagement can’t be neglected. Managing the needs of the business as well as those of staff will call for careful balancing.
To juggle these conflicting demands, HR managers need a plan. One that effectively charts the course for the year ahead.
An effective plan makes it easier for organizations to recruit, retain and reinforce the strong workforce needed to achieve strategic goals.
How to Create an Effective HR Strategic Plan
There are three key stages to successfully preparing, creating and executing your HR strategy: Plan, Implement, Track. Each stage includes information to gather or things to prepare from initial scoping through launching to staff to assessing performance.
While they can seem overwhelming at first, they are important to ensure your plan achieves its objectives. A summary of these are shown here - and included in the downloadable planning checklist below.
1. Plan
- Situation analysis – defining the current state of the business and the desired future state
- HR objectives – confirming key Human Resources priorities with SMART goals
- Strategic alignment – ensuring HR objectives support overall company goals
- Resource requirements – summarizing what is available now and what is required to deliver to HR objectives (this could be people, capabilities, systems or support)
- Budget requirements – establishing funding requirements for additional resources in line with objectives
2. Implement
- Timeline of activities – specifying the timeframe for goal achievements and setting major milestones to be met along the way
- Communication plan – defining key messages to be delivered, audiences to be targeted and channels to be employed
- Content creation – identifying any new process, policies or training materials required
- Plan B – confirming a contingency in the event of poor results or change in circumstances
3. Track
- Feedback mechanisms – introducing a way to track campaign performance, gauge employee sentiment and identify focus areas for improvement
- Regular reporting – setting a schedule to provide performance updates for staff and management
Download HR Strategic Plan Templates
With so much for Human Resources Managers to consider when creating their plans, we've prepared some free downloadable templates to help. Access these through the form below and share them with your HR team. You'll receive:
- Strategy guide - Details on the 6 things your plan needs to succeed this year
- Planning checklist - Make sure your plan covers everything it needs to (including a plan B)
- Activity schedule template - Track all your goals and initiatives in this editable project management tool that works alongside the annual HR calendar
To get your free copy of each of these valuable resources, simply complete this form.
