Discuss the relationship between HR managers and line managers in achieving the objectives of HR planning, including:

• Ensuring that talented employees are available and correctly allocated;
• The skills mix and number of employees is appropriate;
• Recruitment and retention are optimised;
• Employee engagement is central to line management.

Two of the most crucial facets for the success of Human Resource Management are the presence of well-defined and clear Human Resource practices and effectiveness in their implementation. The purpose of this essay is to discuss that Strategic Human resource management is a discipline that aligns HR planning with organisational objectives and strategies and amplifies the role of line managers in HR planning. The more consistent planned and executed HRM practices are, the more effective HRM outcomes are. The accomplishment of these outcomes to a great extent lies on the shoulders of line managers. The role of line managers is quite significant in the implementation of HRM as they bear the responsibility of practically executing them on the work floor. The aim of the current essays to highlight the implications of the relationship between HR managers and line managers on HR planning by focussing on the aspects of HR planning, Strategic Human Resource Management, and Resource-Based view. 

 Strategic Human Resource Management as defined by (Fried & Fottler, 2015) is the blueprint of human resource deployment and actions, aimed for helping an organisation in the achievements of its goals and objectives. SHRM includes a broad set of managerial tasks and functions associated with the development, management and retention of a qualified workforce in the organisation (Lengnick-Hall, et al., 2009). SHRM takes place in a complex and continuously changing the environment within the organisational setting and it is imperative for HR managers to adopt a strategic view towards their job and identify the vital links among HR strategies and strategies of the organisation (Fried & Fottler, 2015). 

As defined by (Prashanthi, 2013) Human resource planning is the process through which human resources needed in an organisation are discovered, ascertained and planned for the sake of meeting, both short and long term human resource requirements. Being a very critical HR function, HR planning bases itself on the construct that individuals in an organisation are the most crucial strategic resources for a business. HR planning revolves around meeting both short and long term HR needs of an organisation with respect to the right quality and the right number. Hence, HR planning provides answers to two key issues: how many people an organisation needs and possessing what skills and qualities. (Armstrong, 2007).HR planning also deals with issues of strategic importance such as the method of employing people and the development of personnel with the intention to enhance organisational effectiveness. Therefore, HR planning plays a major life in strategic human resource management (Prashanthi, 2013). 

It has been argued by (Armstrong, 2009) that it is one of the basic premises of the concept of SHRM to lay emphasis on the need to conduct HR planning in conformity with organisational objectives and strategies. The need for HR planning and strategies to be responsive to the dynamic external environment has been further emphasised by (Armstrong, 2009). As an approach, SHRM needs to be adapted and interpreted by an organisation by ensuring an optimal fit with HR planning. It has been mentioned by (Armstrong, 2008) that business organisations operating in a difficult, dynamic and volatile business environment at times even rely on ad-hoc and short term measures to hire and retain employees. Such an organisation can benefit from the facets of HR planning revolving around the policies for key staff attraction and retention. 

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