HR strategy of a consultancy firm

The HR department has historically been regarded as being crucial to ensuring that workers are subjected to favorable working conditions within any given organization or institution. The departing employee is also responsible for appointing the appropriate candidates to fill any upcoming vacancies in order to ensure that the business has the right staff members. In doing so, the threshold and the main objectives of the human resource department are to solemnly help in the realization and attainment of the organizational goals, missions, and objectives, and this can be accomplished only when it ensures that each department has the right people working in it. For there to be ease in attaining the firm's objectives, the department has to adopt different strategies which are directly linked to the future growth of the firms defined by the company's strategic plan. By adopting this strategic plan, the human resource executives, who include the director and the human resource manager, anticipate to capitalize and mobilize the current resources at company disposal to propel the realization of its goals. Consequently, the department is concerned and interested in improving critical areas such as department structures, company service delivery, and employee empowerment by engaging them through training and even integrating with service standardization. Furthermore, the department will also give emphasis on improving employee relation which directly affects their morale. Departmental leadership will also be of great concerns and, thus, will be reviewed to facilities easy communication or have an employee participatory organization. Cumulatively, other areas of interest, which this strategic plan seeks to address, include but are not limited to employee recruitment, staff training, and compensation overall review of each department goals while similarly identifying various strategies which can be applied to achieve the departmental goals.

Human Resource Strategic Plan at XYZ Consultancy Firm
1. Introduction
This part will discuss the need for a strategic plan and how it will be developed. The strategic plan is expected to help in creating shared services within the XYZ Consultancy Firm departments. XYZ Consultancy Firm is an organization that has been established to provide professional consultancy services in financial marketer and investment analysis to its clients both locally and internationally. To facilitate its normal functioning effectively, the organization has to develop an all-inclusive HR department that will be in the frontline of spearheading the firm’s key objectives by ensuring that the right groups of people are employed and entire processes within the company are geared towards the actual realization of the company vision and mission objectives. In any given organization, a strategic plan is the pendulum and also a trajectory which the XYZ Consultancy Firm can use to navigate their operations (Wang, 2005).
By developing this strategic plan, it is expected that it will heavily boost the capability of the department in executing its designated mandate so that it can meet its set organizational goals. By doing so, the strategic plan will, therefore, maintain its focus on examining how the department is contemplating on improving its plans so as to achieve the desired organization outcome, in this case, the business goals. It is only through the strategic plan that the human resource executives are aspiring and hoping to meet and handle employees' interest effectively and amicably (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin & Cardy, 2012).
In order to enhance the appositeness and relevancy of the strategic plan, it will be of unlimited importance for the HR department to integrate and strike mutual balance between departmental and organization goals while heavily centering the latter. Furthermore, to come up with the best plan that will rejuvenate the achievement or the company goals the HR., director, and manager have keenly identified in the relevant expertise that will be tasked with bringing in insights on how to execute the strategic plan advantageously. Additionally, the department is set to incorporate the views of different stakeholders in the company who include the management and employees as this will fruitfully enhance the acceptability of the drafted plan and ease its entire implementation with minimum resistance.
2. HR Vision Statement
To promote proficiency in services delivery in all human resource roles, which is guided by efficiency, professionalism, and consistency to our valued clients at all times.
3. HR Mission Statement
Our human resource department is devoted to associating with XYZ Consultancy Firm’s corporate units to capitalize on the potential of our supreme staffs. We embrace transformation and the breakthrough it brings. We are dedicated to providing excellence customer service and devoted to recruit, cultivate, compensate, motivate, and retain our diverse workforce.
4. HR Objectives
1. To make sure that the recruitment process offers employees who meet organizational goals.
2. To heighten workers' satisfaction through nondiscriminatory compensation and by means of providing good working atmosphere.
3. To facilitate effective HR policies which are in full compliance with labor laws.
4. To craft a centralized HR functions with the department with aim of enhancing service delivery to employees in a professional manner.
5. To eradicate redundant reduplication of procedures and services within the entire human resource functions.
6. To ensure that workers are trained and obtain the needed experience in developing their expertise for future career advancement.
7. To progress information sharing amongst employees and staffs for effective communication and duty performance.
5. Strategic Contribution
By drafting this strategic plan, it is the expectations of the HR department that it will help the company in achieving its goals. Nevertheless, there is a number of certain areas that the HR department wishes to improve through the development of this strategic plan. For instance, the HR department wishes to spearhead the creation and implementation of a well-integrated human resource strategy. The main aim of coming up with a reformed human resource strategy is to help the organization in capitalizing on different opportunities in order to enhance the realization of its key goals. Furthermore, through these plans, the department also aims to integrate both the departmental and organizational goals for mutual benefits – a tactical move that will ensure that there is a conspicuous mutual collaboration in achieving the organization goals through combined efforts of all workers in each department (Gomez-Mejia et al., 2012).
Additionally, the department is contemplating on how to incorporate information technology into this strategic plan to facilitate the execution of certain human resource roles and functions (Wang, 2005). Among the main areas that will be transformed through the information technology include performance forecasting, payroll processing, employee training, employee performance evaluation, and record management. The chief reason for the adoption of technology is to help in improving efficiency in processing key information that relates to employees and the overall execution of HR functions. The uses of technology will boost the overall effectiveness of the HR operations within the different department through timely coordination of its processes and thereby contributing to the achievement of the corporate goals (Wang, 2005).
To maximize employee relationship with the management, the department intends to create a strong functional team that is well equipped with skills through training and development programs. This will be done by selecting and training those employees who exhibit outstanding talents which can be nurtured well to help in growing the company through creativity and innovation (Wang, 2005).
The department also seeks to come up with extra values that are strictly aligned with organization goals that will help in enhancing efficiency in the company's operations. The essence is to nurture and promote these values by making employees live by them in whatever they do. Likewise, the department also plans to promote diversity in the company by incorporating employees from different background and culture. This will help in information sharing, skill transfer among employees, promoting idea sharing, and providing creativity with the main objective of improving employee performance towards the accomplishment of organizational goals (Huselid, 1995). The department strategic plan will also contribute to increased performance among employees as it seeks to ensure that employees are timely evaluated, rated, motivated, and competitively compensated for the service offered to the company (Eckerson, 2009).
6. Personal Credibility
To create mutual trust and confidence among employees, the human resource managers plan to effectively improve their personal credibility. Additionally, employees' credibility will be achieved through regular training programs that will be put in place. During this process, the human resource will also require all the leaders at different supervisory levels to be trained as this will be important in helping them to deliver quality leadership and their overall service. Strategies are also incorporated in the plan that will help to improve human relations in the company department (Gomez-Mejia et al., 2012).
Communication with the company will also be revamped with the major objective of easing the follow of information from top-level management to subordinates and, finally, to employees. Similarly, it will enhance employees' interaction by availing an open platform over which information and idea can be shared easily for timely decision making. By including this strategy, HR department hopes to enhance the relationship between the management and the staffs department (Gomez-Mejia et al., 2012).
To offer outstanding headship within the company, the HR head also plans to enhance personal values by building a reputable personal profile through exceptional character, innovative team builder, and a key resource person to the group. In such situation where a personal profile is paramount for personal credibility, the HR manager will similarly establish relevant and acceptable core values for the department while maintaining high levels of integrity in the execution of the departmental roles (Eckerson, 2009).
High level of expertise will also be displayed through day-to-day running of the business in the department by the HR head. In addition, by capitalizing on the human resource personnel expertise's and competencies within the determent, the human resource manager will be required to develop employees through regular training which will be useful in promoting efficiency in operations (Huselid, 1995).
Grievances and challenges facing employees will be solved within the shortest time possible without any discrimination. Moreover, the HR management team expects to enrich transparency in the entire departmental operations as this will heighten the level of confidence among the workers and the group's management team (Huselid, 1995).
7. HR Delivery Metrics
Efficiency and effectiveness of services and functions performed by HR department are important in defining the success of the company. To control the overall operations at the department, the strategic plan developed contains several delivery metrics which need to be adhered to for smooth operations within the department. To boost efficiency in service delivery practice, the department expects to reduce unnecessary expenditures incurred in securing new employees (Huselid, 1995).
The HR department will similarly regulate staff turnovers with the aim of minimizing unwanted costs which are associated with employee turnover. To improve service quality among its employees, the department has put in place steps to help them adopt current market trends in service delivery by subjecting them to frequent training and funding external seminars and workshops on their behalf. Training pogroms are meant to boost employees' productivity as well as promoting job satisfaction (Eckerson, 2009).
Employee motivation will also be addressed by coming up with competitive salaries to different levels within the company. For instance, employees will be given bonuses, promotions, frequent leave, work-life balance schedule, and capacity to contribute in policy formulations. Well-motivated employees have been found to contribute productively to the achievement of organization goals by improving human relations (Huselid, 1995). The motivational program is meant to bar employees from regular absenteeism which reduces their contribution to the company. Upon being motivated to enjoy the work life in the company, the HR department will be in a better position to push for the achievement of the desired outcome so that the set goals are achieved.
8. Key Performance Measurements (KPM)
It is expected that the human resource department should be making regular evaluations of its achievements being guided by different indicators of performance. The main key performance of measures of concern to the HR department includes product and service delivery, employee needs, customer requirements, and contribution to the achievement of organizational goals and objectives (Skibniewski & Ghosh, 2009). The above-mentioned indicators are to be used in evaluating the accomplishment and the success of the strategic plan developed.
Through the assistance and cooperation of the company's top management, the department seeks to take advantage of the resources available to guarantee the success of the designed policies during the initial implementation stage (Eckerson, 2009). Counter checking on the periodic achievement of the strategic plan will also be of equal importance to the HR department as this will be used to assess any stray objectives and flaws in the strategic plan which needs to be rectified before moving to the next phase of its implementation.
Frequent meetings with persons in charge of the strategic plan implementation among other stakeholders in the organization will be used in assessing the effectiveness of the strategic plan. Regular meetings form one of the indicators of assessing the performance of the strategic plan and its impacts on the department goals and objectives (Eckerson, 2009).
The department likewise plans to recurrently monitor its outcomes by assessing the plan with the aim of determining its impacts on service delivery at the department level (Skibniewski & Ghosh, 2009). Consumer needs and feedback will be periodically monitored to assess the value of satisfaction as this will signal the progress on how employees are working towards the implementation and achievement of the goals enshrined in the strategic plan (Huselid, 1995).
Performance appraisal will be utilized to evaluate employees' achievements and commitment in implementing the strategic plan in their daily duties as well as being used to assess critical areas which need improvement through training programs. A timely overview of the entire process involved in implementing the strategic plan will be used in assessing the short-term priorities from those goals which can be achieved in future as this will avoid the crushing of the plan (Huselid, 1995).
9. Action Plan
To commence the strategic plan implementation process, training will be of great importance. Through training, employees will be aware of how the plan will be rolled out, its objectives and the roles that are expected to facilitate its achievement. The assessment and provision resources to facilitate the implementation process will be provided. The main resources that will be needed include financial resources, human resources, and technological resources (Skibniewski & Ghosh, 2009).
Recruitment and outsourcing of competent staffs and employees who will foresee the implementation process will be done as it forms the center part of the whole process. Sourcing of external expertise will be of great importance as it has the capacity of enhancing the overall effectiveness of the entire process. Additionally, it will be prudent for the department to focus on those areas that are likely to cause challenges which can hinder the strategic plan implementation process. Such issues to be addressed at this level relate to employee resistance in adopting the new strategic plan and facilitation of the needed top-management support. The different project team will be selected to oversee the plan implementation in different phases based on key functions that each phase needs. Additional staffs will be hired from different backgrounds to bring in their competencies (Eckerson, 2009).
Furthermore, each stage of implementation will be presided over by an independent expert who will be hired to assist with external strategies which can be used to have the plan achieved. It is expected that the strategic plan implementation process will only be rolled out after the needed resources have been made available by the top management in the company.
10. Conclusion
Previously, the company has been performing badly due to poor human resource management strategy that was adopted by the organization. To salvage the situation, the HR department has decided to adopt a new strategic plan at a department level which will be used to spearhead the achievement of the organization goals owing to the fact that the HR department is the engine of any given firm. The strategic plan that has been developed is expected to contribute immensely to the realization of the organization goals by revamping operations in the HR department and enhancing its efficiency. Despite the fact that the implementation process is expected to take a long period to be fully operational, the HR department has heavily capitalized on it as it will contribute significantly to transforming the organization to new grounds. By adopting the new strategic plan, it is expected that it will help in centralizing its functions to enhance consistency and efficiency and make service reliable and convenient to employees. In addition, it is anticipated that the plan will integrate various departments' efforts in achieving the set organizational goals. Of great importance to note is that this strategic plan can only be achieved through combined efforts by both employees and management.

References
Eckerson, W.W. (2009). Performance Management Strategies. Business Intelligence Journal,
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Gomez-Mejia, L., Balkin, D., & Cardy, R. (2012). Managing Human Resources (7th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN-13: 9780132729826.
Huselid, M. A. (1995), The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity and corporate financial performance‖, Academy of Management Journal, Vol.38, No.3, 635-672.
Skibniewski, M. J. & Ghosh, S. (2009). Determination of Key Performance Indicators with Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in Engineering Construction Firms. Journal of construction Engineering and Management, 135 (10), 965-978. http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733- 9364(2009)135:10(965).
Wang, Z. M. (2005), Organizational effectiveness through technology innovation and HRM strategies, International Journal of Manpower, Vol.26, No.6, 481-487.