HR Strategic Plan TemplateYour Essential Guide for HR Planning Success

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A new year is underway. Twelve months to account for. Dozens of initiatives to run. Hundreds (or thousands) of staff to inspire and engage. One HR Plan to manage it all.

This is what your HR Plan needs to guarantee success.

‘‘Businesses are demanding more and more from Human Resources teams.

Strategic priorities such as change management require dedicated focus. But core elements like employee engagement can’t be neglected. Managing the needs of the business versus the needs of staff calls for careful balancing.

To juggle these conflicting demands, HR Managers need a plan. One that effectively charts the course for success in the year ahead.’’

Chris Leonard, CEO, SnapComms

03HR Strategic Plan Template

You can’t plan for success if you don’t know when you’ve achieved it. Failing to set objectives is a bit like setting sail across the ocean without a map and compass – you’ll end up somewhere, but it could be on the rocks.

Set clear objectives with targets you can track performance against. These could be a hard metric, like achieving an 80% workplace satisfaction rate, or a soft metric, like a 25% increase in employee engagement.

Use last year’s performance as a guide and adjust these based on known changes in the business this year.

Even if your key initiatives are quite broad, like improving your onboarding program or strengthening the employer brand for recruitment, set clear objectives for each.

Whatever your objective, make sure you have the means to measure it.

Do you have a tool for collating information on employee attitudes and beliefs? Can you measure staff engagement with platforms like the company intranet? If not, invest in one (see section 4: Right Resourcing).

Clear Objectives 01

Define a clear list of priorities for the year,

each with a quantifiable target to strive for.

Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timely

objectives are the best.S M A R T

04HR Strategic Plan Template

Strategic Alignment 02

Increase Engagement

Build Advocacy

Reduce Turnover

Improve Training

Business Growth

Demonstrate a clear relationship between

all HR activities and key business objectives.

Human Resources influences and supports every area of a business. But HR is only truly valuable when its efforts are aligned to overall company goals. Passion projects or ‘want-to-dos’ are nice, but may not help the company get where it needs to be.

Consider what the company’s strategic vision is. Then define what the HR touchpoints are in supporting this. Touchpoints can include staff capabilities, policies and processes, awareness and engagement, training and support. This will help ensure alignment between HR activities and business objectives.

Matching key HR activities to company goals helps position HR as a genuine business-enhancing discipline. It proves the value of HR activities to C-suite executives. It also makes it easier for you to secure buy-in for key HR projects, and gives you confidence that your hard work is well spent.

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HR Activity ScheduleGoal Task Action Status Responsible Involved Start Deadline Notes

Employee Wellness Program (example)

Employee engagement

Program scoping Confirm outline of program Program agreed Clara Management

Team 24/02/2020 6/03/2020

DocumentationWrite overview document for internal distribution

Draft completed for review Clara Management

Team 9/03/2020 13/03/2020

Messaging Create content for staff messages

Creative brief provided to designer Hayley Clara,

Marketing 16/03/2020 27/03/2020

Intranet updateSet up program overview page in HR section

Page created; IT to add to homepage navigation Hayley Clara, IT 16/03/2020 27/03/2020

HR Strategic Plan Template

Project Timeline 03

Download a free, editable HR Activity Schedule Template to help plan your year

Ever looked at a calendar and been surprised by how far through the year it is? Then felt worried about how much there is left to do in so little time? It happens to us all.

That’s why a timeline of key projects and supporting activities is essential. It helps manage the different areas you’ll be working on, from employee performance reviews and health and safety audits, to launching a new workplace wellness initiative.

Consider achievement timeframes – not just your overarching goal, but also dependencies and milestones you need to hit along the way.

What results will you need to achieve by halfway through the campaign, in order to hit your ultimate objective? How far should you expect to be a week after the initial launch?

Create a clear and comprehensive HR

schedule which makes implementation a breeze.

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Right Resourcing 04

If a good HR plan is the blueprint for success, resourcing is the HR team’s toolkit. The right people, systems and knowledge are essential – and if the business has any gaps, this is the time to fill them.

Confirm your resource requirements by identifying what capabilities the business needs to achieve its strategic goals. People are the key. Ensure critical skills are covered by existing staff, upskill where necessary and define any key vacancies that must be filled.

Where needs can’t be met by existing capabilities, budget must be sought to hire or acquire what’s needed. Securing budget for additional resourcing can be difficult.

Use the results achieved against last year’s objectives (see section 1: Clear Objectives) to help prove ROI. When senior executives have confidence in the value of HR initiatives, they’re more likely to approve future requests.

Confirm resource requirements and fill critical gaps so that performance

isn’t compromised.

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Communication Plan 05

MessageChannel

AudienceTargeting

Device

Map out audiences, messages, channels and timing in a clear communication

plan to improve campaign effectiveness.

So you’ve got your plan, projects and people sorted – now you need to get the word out. Awareness and employee engagement are the rocket fuel to power your projects.

A communication plan maps out the channels, messages and timings needed to reach every member of staff. Use this plan to match the right message with the right audience. Mobile employees, remote staff, millennials, frontline workers and others will all consume messages differently.

Target message content and channel to the distinct needs of each group. Some messages must be mobile-optimized; some short and punchy; some delivered via employee engagement apps to encourage interactivity.

Include regular follow-up comms to update staff on progress. Build in some flexibility so you can pivot if circumstances change or if certain projects need an additional push. Involve your Internal Communications Manager early so they can help support.

Download a free Internal Communications Strategy Template including comms plan

08HR Strategic Plan Template

Feedback Loop 06

Employees

Human Resources

People are at the core of all HR activities, so it’s essential to know how they’re feeling. What’s the reaction to the latest initiative? What’s concerning staff about the current business transformation? What are their suggestions for improvements?

Feedback mechanisms collect staff sentiment in a range of ways. Surveys give staff an anonymous channel to voice opinions and provide HR more formalized results. A forum on the company intranet allows staff to comment on any issue and gives HR a more general ‘finger on the pulse’.

This feedback loop is a good way to track your internal NPS (Net Promoter Score).

The percentage of staff who would recommend your company as a great place to work provides an insight into overall workplace health. Drilling down into responses by location, department or role type can identify areas of concern to focus on before they fester.

Whichever mechanism you use, make sure to publish the results and implement recommendations. This provides staff the assurance that their voice is heard. The results also form a valuable foundation for when you begin work on next year’s HR Plan.

Introduce two-way feedback mechanisms

to tap into valuable employee insights.

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