Reference no: EM133243509

Following the collapse of the telecom bubble, NES Inc. shrank from over 20,000 employees to just over 10,000. Further, the mix of talent required shifted considerably following the company's re-evaluation of its business plans and strategy.

Human Resources was faced with the task of ensuring that each business in the company had the right number, quality, and type of talent needed to execute its strategy and get the highest and best use from its available talent. This proved to be a difficult task as business units had independent HR organizations that did not communicate at the organization level the specific talent needs of their respective businesses.

It was not uncommon for multiple divisions to tackle similar workforce planning issues independently thereby increasing the overall cost of HR to the organization. And because corporate HR functions were based on centres of excellence in areas such as compensation, employee relations, and recruiting, initiatives were often developed that were not well aligned with the priorities of individual businesses.

This raised questions about the business relevance and business impact of HR programs that were often disappointing. This approach to program development contributed to the perception that HR was not aligned with the needs of the business and the function was too costly in comparison to the value delivered.

Questions

1. What are some of the problems and issues facing HR?

2. What should HR do to get management involved and engaged in HR planning?

3. What does this case say about strategy and HR?