HRM FPX 5025 Assessment 3

Introduction

One of the key functions of the HR planning process of any organization is human resources forecasting. HR forecasting assists the organization in deciding what numbers are predicted in the future and what skills will be required in the future. There are various techniques that are employed by the HR specialists for conducting HR forecasting. The most popular approach is utilizing quantitative methods with data used to plan future manpower requirements. The following essay employs facts to forecast the future manpower requirements of CapraTek. The hiring and training strategy also factors in training needs that cover all levels of staffing at CapraTek (Mathis & Jackson, 2010).

CapraTek must plan for skilled, unskilled, and shift leaders; department supervisors; and operations management. Staffing forecasting encompasses external and internal sources of human resources. External sources are new hires and outsourcing, whereas internal sources are internal transfers and promotions, among others (Mathis & Jackson, 2010). Internal promotion is one of the lowest-cost methods through which organizations can fill vacancies in existing positions. CapraTek has already established that it will employ internal supply, primarily through promotion, to achieve future staffing needs.

HRM FPX 5025 Assessment 3:Operations Management

The capacity for staffing available in the operations management department is presently 22 employees. The capacity for staffing next year will be the same. Therefore, there is perfect balance in the operations management departments since demand and supply are equal. Therefore, there is no requirement to purchase human resources, either internally or externally. The same goes for supervisors at the departmental level. Therefore, CapraTek does not have to advertise departmental supervisors to operational managers or shift leaders to departmental supervisors. The titles are keeping in mind that there be no casualty or layoff in the respective departments.

Shift Leaders

CapraTek currently has 82 shift lead supervisors. Long-term expectations are that the firm will require 84 supervisors, two supervisors below the requirement. CapraTek is required to offer a promotion from the trained employees as its best alternative.

Skilled Workers

CapraTek currently has 512 workers. In one year, CapraTek would require 540 skilled workers. Aside from the two employees who will be promoted to shift leader positions, CapraTek will be forced to replace 30 positions. In this case, unfortunately, it might not be feasible to promote employees from the unskilled grade because the KSAs are not the same between the skilled and unskilled grades. CapraTek may conduct skills inventory and testing among the unskilled labor to ascertain the skills of the employees under this category and identify those who can be promoted to the skilled labor category. In the case where the unskilled labor cannot fill all the posts under the skilled labor department, the company will have to do its best and hire from outside. 

Unskilled Labor

The final level that CapraTek HR needs to prepare for is the unskilled labor department. At present, CapraTek employs 390 unskilled laborers but will need 410 unskilled laborers in the future time period or even more depending on the number of employees who will be promoted to the rank of skilled laborer. External recruitment is the only feasible solution to fill hiring requirements at this level.

Impacts of Technology

CapraTek is a Georgia corporation. One of the means of making decisions in HR planning is the application of employment and demographic trends found on government websites, among others. The rate of unemployment in Georgia is estimated to be 13.90% by 2020 and 14.50% by 2021 (Trading Economics, n.d.). CapraTek thus will not have any difficulty in acquiring employees since there is no shortage of labor within the market.

Regarding the attainment level of education, more than 25% of Georgia’s population possesses a high school attainment. Additionally, 30.7% of the population in Georgia has a bachelor’s degree or higher. Therefore, it will be simple for CapraTek to acquire skilled workers for its unskilled labor category. Georgia also possesses a population of 8.7% with disabilities and below 65 years. Around 39.5% of the population in Georgia constitutes a minority group (US Census Bureau, n.d.).

Therefore, CapraTek needs to account for how it will include this group in its hiring process, primarily due to the fact that the company has a history of discrimination against minorities and protected classes. Technology assists CapraTek in testing whether the market can supply its labor needs and account for what is required. Additionally, technology assists the company in making decisions on the hiring of protected classes (Satav, 2016).

Training Recommendations

CapraTek’s first recommendation is to conduct onboarding and orientation for its new employees. Onboarding and orientation not only allow the employees to familiarize themselves with the organization and feel like part of the team but also allow them to adjust to playing new roles in an organization. Onboarding is a procedure by which new staff are taken through a process of providing them with the KSAs required for them to succeed in the new company. Onboarding occurs during the time of the initial few weeks or months of employment. Thus, CapraTek will need to implement an onboarding process for new joiners with all stakeholders concerned, identifying the goals and program schedule (Lawson, 2015).

Training in the last few levels varies since succession planning will be done by CapraTek. Succession planning has training and development integrated into it to prepare workers and equip them adequately for the new positions. One mechanism of preparing potential candidates to assume the positions is on-the-job training, in which the manager or supervisor at that position demonstrates to workers what to do and what not to do. This type of training is appropriate for all levels (Mathis & Jackson, 2010). Therefore, CapraTek can use it to assist untrained employees who were promoted to shift leaders. CapraTek has to come up with a plan to provide trainers and have experts in their field. Additionally, the company needs to ensure training does not affect the productivity of employees.

HRM FPX 5025 Assessment 3 Hiring and Training Forecast Plan 

CapraTek will have to allocate leadership development and training to the staff that will be promoted from qualified workers to shift lead supervisors, as they have no leadership experience beforehand (Roupnel, Rinfre, & Grenier, 2019). Leadership development provides knowledge and soft skills to the leaders to ready them for the job. Therefore, CapraTek needs to select the individuals to be promoted to leadership roles in advance and begin developing them for the roles. Leadership development and training can be done in different forms, including mentoring, coaching, and action learning (Roupnel, Rinfre, & Grenier, 2019).

CapraTek can opt to employ a mentoring approach since it provides candidates with the opportunity to learn through doing and observing alongside the organization’s leaders. The company can place the candidates under the supervision of other shift supervisors. The process of mentoring appears to be effective, particularly in organizational development, since mentees become more confident and have increased focus on goals as well as networking and career growth. Additionally, mentorship is a less costly alternative for CapraTek, and therefore, the company can save money for new hires. The use of technology will allow CapraTek to consider the minority groups by their size in an attempt to become an equal employment opportunity compliant.