We all know that employees in an organisation follow a specific path from when they are hired to the moment they leave. This process is known as human resource flow, and it is very important for organisations and HR managers to evaluate as it can assist them in improving the employee experience.

Human Resource Flow Model

Put simply, human resource flow describes the employee’s life cycle in the organisation. The steps included in this model are:

• Inflow - Recruitment and selection process

• Throughflow - Onboarding, career development, promotion, redeployment

• Outflow - Resignation, retirement, dismissal and redundancy

Human resource flow model

This model is important for businesses as it helps identify current or former employees’ experience in the organisation, as employees can give feedback to HR regarding their experiences. The feedback also helps HR improve steps included in the human renounce flow model so that future or current employees gain a better experience. The improvements in the model attract new talent, assist employees in performing better and help organisations reach their set goals and objectives.

5 Elements of Human Resource Flow

There are five elements of human resource flow or the so-called 'employees’ journey' within an organisation. These elements are used by Human resources (HR) to develop the best experience for employees in the organisation and for the company to get the most benefit of the employees during their employment.

Five elements of human resource flow

These elements also assist HR in planning strategic changes and in responding to the external environment.

The five elements of human resource flow are:

• Recruitment and selection - This is the first element of the human resources flow model. This element suggests that HR should aim to implement recruitment and selection process methods that will result in choosing the best candidates. To accomplish this, HR should consider designing detailed and well-written job descriptions as well as providing a smooth application experience for candidates. The recruitment and selection process should not be too heavy on candidates but must assist managers in selecting the best talent.

• Onboarding - When talent is selected, it is important for HR to make sure that the new employees understand the organisation and what is expected of them, which is why the onboarding process is needed. In onboarding, HR managers should provide employees with plenty of guidance at the beginning of employment so that they do not get lost and learn quickly.

• Career development and promotion - In the human resource flow model, the employees’ training, development and promotion process should be clearly mapped out. This element is important in keeping employees motivated and encouraging them to learn and develop in their careers.

• Redeployment - Unlike other elements, redeployment does not always happen in the human resource flow model. This element means that HR managers move employees to a new location or a new job role within the organisation. This can also happen when the employees are facing redundancy, therefore HR managers will try to offer employees a suitable alternative, like applying for a new vacancy within the organisation. The important rule for deployment is that the alternative must be offered to employees before they are made redundant.

• Redundancy, retirement or transition to a different career path- This is the final element of the human resource flow principle. This element explains different ways of how employees will exit the organisation. Either the company makes employees redundant or the employees voluntarily leave the company by choosing a new career path. Alternatively, employees may reach retirement age and leave the company.

Human Resource Flow Examples

The example of the Human Resource flow model will explain how the HR professionals map out the employees’ journey throughout the organisation. This example will concentrate on how HR managers ensure an efficient flow of workers in the organisation. Meaning that the right inflow (the right number of employees) are recruited in the organisation. Also, for there to be an effective outflow of employees — the reduction of workers according to the company’s needs.

Overall, human resource flow describes the way employees move from start to finish in an organisation (from the moment they get hired until they leave or retire from the company), or in other words, their life cycle in the organisation. For HR managers, evaluating and improving the human resource model is critical, as it can help organisations attract new talent, improve employee performance and the performance of the organisation as a whole.