Every business leader is focused on growth and efficiency. But between strategic goals and actual results lies the most complex variable: your people. Connecting your company’s goals to your people strategy is essential, and the key to that connection is the HR business partner (HRBP).
The HRBP sees what's actually happening on the ground. They understand the challenges business leaders face and can identify what the business truly needs from HR to succeed. This role is no longer just support; it's a vital part of executing business strategy.
Why old tools fail in a new world
For years, HRBPs have been asked to answer complex questions using little more than spreadsheets with data from disconnected systems, offline exchanges, meetings, and emails. This approach is no longer viable. It’s slow, prone to errors, and creates a fractured view of the organization.
When HR, finance, and operations all work from separate plans, you can't get a clear or quick answer. By the time you’ve manually reconciled the data, the business has already moved on. You can't effectively model scenarios or see the true financial impact of talent decisions. This leaves you to make reactive choices instead of shaping a proactive workforce strategy.
The HRBP's new mandate: Navigating disruption
The introduction of new AI and automation tools presents both opportunities and challenges. As different parts of the organization adopt these new technologies, HRBPs, in collaboration with business leaders, are at the center of the subsequent workforce transformation. Re-evaluating your organization's headcount, skills, and capabilities to ensure that they can continue to meet targets and achieve business goals is a necessity.
These new tools also result in a cascade of critical questions that HRBPs and business leaders must face:
Skills and training: Can our current employees be trained to use these new tools? What will it cost and how long will it take?
Hiring: Do we need to bring in new people with different skills to make this technology successful?
Redeployment: Are there employees in other parts of the company who could be moved to this team to speed things up?
Outsourcing: Could this work be performed more efficiently or cost-effectively by a third-party vendor or contingent workforce? What are the trade-offs in control, quality, and long-term capability?
Restructuring: Will some current roles become redundant? How do we handle these transitions fairly and effectively?
Answering these questions isn't a simple headcount exercise. It requires a deep understanding of the current workforce, clear insight into budgets and financial constraints, and the ability to model different outcomes.
Empowering HRBPs with dynamic, connected workforce planning
This is where Anaplan comes in. To be effective, HRBPs need a tool that allows them to plan at the speed of the business. The Anaplan Operational Workforce Planning application is designed for this reality. It provides a single, live view of your positions, talent, and workforce costs, enabling HRBPs to become true strategic advisors.
With Anaplan, you can:
Get a clear, real-time picture: The Anaplan Operational Workforce Planning application gives you immediate visibility into your entire workforce—filled positions, open requisitions, and future planned roles. You can see the current state of the organization and how it aligns with your budget.
Model various scenarios, instantly: What if you implement a hiring freeze? What if you need to restructure a team? With Anaplan, you can model these scenarios, see the immediate cost and headcount implications, and compare different approaches to find the best path forward.
Connect people to the financial plan: The Anaplan Operational Workforce Planning application integrates workforce plans directly with finance. This ensures that every talent decision — from a new hire to a promotion — is aligned with the company's budget and financial goals. It moves the conversation from "Can we afford this?" to "Here's how this investment helps us hit our targets."
Foster true collaboration: By providing a single source of truth, Anaplan gets HR, finance, and business leaders on the same page. The focus shifts from debating whose numbers are correct to collaborating on the best strategy for the business.
Differentiating through a stronger HRBP function
Very few HR technology vendors have built a solution that truly supports the HRBP's role as a strategic linchpin. The Anaplan Operational Workforce Planning application is different because it was created with the HRBP in mind, providing the data and insights needed to connect workforce planning directly to business execution.
By equipping your HRBPs with the right capabilities, your team is empowered to move beyond administrative tasks and drive real business value. They can help you build a more agile, resilient, and competitive workforce, ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
