Manpower planning Significance

   Manpower planning works against all contingencies and provides a cushion to
managers for the effective utilization of human resources. It provides a framework
for many important decisions relating to human resources. The significance of the
manpower planning can be stated as follows.

Growth: An appropriate manpower planning provides information to the management
to undertake decisions relating to expansion of the existing operations or contraction.
For example in Retail Organization, if manpower planning shows surplus people
Organizations can make a planned expansion of its scale of operation to use the
existing manpower.

Talent management: Manpower-planning facilitates an Organization to develop a
reservoir of talent in the Organization. Organization may take appropriate decisions to
develop a list of available talents within the Organization. Having manpower, a plan
ensures planning programmes of training and development of employees in a proper
way.

Cost control: Manpower planning facilitates preparation of manpower objectives and
budgets. This ensures exercising control over various manpower costs.

Facilitates planning: Possessing an appropriate manpower plan provides a
background to plan various facilities required to promote welfare and well-being of
employees. Facilities such as canteen, housing, education, medical etc. can be
planned based on the labour plans.

Succession planning: Manpower planning prepares people for meeting all future
challenges. Organization can have a provisional list of employees who are ready with
qualifications and knowledge required for undertaking any future assignment. Based
on the requirement organizations can readily replace superiors in the case of
emergencies and eventualities.