The HR Answer Book: An Indispensable Guide for Managers and Human Resources Professionals - Hardcover

Smith, Shawn; Mazin, Rebecca

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0814417175 ISBN 13: 9780814417171

Publisher: AMACOM, 2011

Synopsis

With changes in the economy, the job market, technology, and the law, human resources professionals and department managers alike are facing new challenges. Luckily, the second edition of The HR Answer Book covers these developments and addresses more than 200 questions that every employer needs to deal with, from recruiting and hiring to discipline and downsizing, compensation and benefits to training and employee relations.

The new edition contains revised and expanded sections on FMLA, health insurance changes, and compensation laws, as well as information on salary reductions and using social networking to recruit employees. It is also packed with ready-to-use tools and checklists including:

• 10 Questions to Ask Before Scheduling an Interview
• Job Applicant Flow logs
• Performance Goals forms
• Exit Interview Questionnaire

The HR Answer Book is an easy-to-use problem solver that can be read cover-to-cover or as a quick reference in specific situations.

About this title

About the Author

SHAWN SMITH is an attorney, corporate executive, and founder of Next Level Consulting. Her articles have appeared in numerous legal and business publications. REBECCA MAZIN is cofounder of Recruit Right, an HR consulting firm, and has held key positions at Hyatt Hotels, Owens Corning, and the National Labor Relations Board.

From the Back Cover

From recruiting strategies to payroll, retention to benefits administration, the job market to the very culture of business, workplaces continue to change at an unprecedented rate. And so do the laws and best practices that govern sound and effective human resources policies.

Featuring a powerful combination of proven strategies and breaking, must-know information, The HR Answer Book is an invaluable and practical reference for both human resources practitioners and any professionals involved in hiring and managing staff.

Organized by topic in an accessible question-and-answer format, the book has been fully updated to reflect changes to every facet of human resources and employee relations. Veteran employment attorney Smith and HR consultant Mazin offer clear, powerful, plain-English responses to all your most pressing questions on more than 200 targeted topics, including:

Compensation and Benefits. How can we make our benefits package attractive and cost-effective at the same time?

Employment Law. What are the recent changes—including wage and hour classifications—and how do they affect the company, and our employees?

Workplace Issues. How do I handle sensitive, difficult, or even dangerous situations in the workplace?

Terminations and Layoffs. Whether it’s for performance problems or economic realities, how do I make sure we do it legally, fairly, and as humanely as possible?

Restructuring. How do we minimize business disruptions even in the midst of substantial downsizing and reorganization?

New Technologies. How can I leverage the opportunities and meet the challenges of Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and other new realities of business culture?

Every chapter offers instructive (and often amusing) examples, including real-world instances dubbed either “Worth Repeating” or “Better Forgotten.” And the expanded Tools and Templates section offers an array of forms, checklists, and other ready-to-use documents such as:

• Questions to ask before scheduling an interview

• Job-applicant flow log

• Performance goals form

• Discipline, warning, and termination documents

• Exit interview questionnaire

. . . and many more that will help you establish, revise, and maintain workable and thorough policies that help create a positive work environment and bring out the best in your employees.

Your field, your job, and your company are constantly evolving. Make sure you keep pace. It’s easy with The HR Answer Book!

Shawn Smith is an attorney, corporate executive, and frequent speaker on management issues. Her articles have appeared in numerous legal and business publications.

Rebecca Mazin is cofounder of Recruit Right, an HR consulting firm; has held key positions at organizations including Hyatt Hotels, Owens Corning, and the National Labor Relations Board; and is the author of The Employee Benefits Answer Book.

From the Inside Flap

From recruiting strategies to payroll, retention to benefits administration, the job market to the very culture of business, workplaces continue to change at an unprecedented rate. And so do the laws and best practices that govern sound and effective human resources policies.

Featuring a powerful combination of proven strategies and breaking, must-know information, The HR Answer Book is an invaluable and practical reference for both human resources practitioners and any professionals involved in hiring and managing staff.

Organized by topic in an accessible question-and-answer format, the book has been fully updated to reflect changes to every facet of human resources and employee relations. Veteran employment attorney Smith and HR consultant Mazin offer clear, powerful, plain-English responses to all your most pressing questions on more than 200 targeted topics, including:

Compensation and Benefits. How can we make our benefits package attractive and cost-effective at the same time?

Employment Law. What are the recent changes—including wage and hour classifications—and how do they affect the company, and our employees?

Workplace Issues. How do I handle sensitive, difficult, or even dangerous situations in the workplace?

Terminations and Layoffs. Whether it’s for performance problems or economic realities, how do I make sure we do it legally, fairly, and as humanely as possible?

Restructuring. How do we minimize business disruptions even in the midst of substantial downsizing and reorganization?

New Technologies. How can I leverage the opportunities and meet the challenges of Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and other new realities of business culture?

Every chapter offers instructive (and often amusing) examples, including real-world instances dubbed either “Worth Repeating” or “Better Forgotten.” And the expanded Tools and Templates section offers an array of forms, checklists, and other ready-to-use documents such as:

• Questions to ask before scheduling an interview

• Job-applicant flow log

• Performance goals form

• Discipline, warning, and termination documents

• Exit interview questionnaire

. . . and many more that will help you establish, revise, and maintain workable and thorough policies that help create a positive work environment and bring out the best in your employees.

Your field, your job, and your company are constantly evolving. Make sure you keep pace. It’s easy with The HR Answer Book!

Shawn Smith is an attorney, corporate executive, and frequent speaker on management issues. Her articles have appeared in numerous legal and business publications.

Rebecca Mazin is cofounder of Recruit Right, an HR consulting firm; has held key positions at organizations including Hyatt Hotels, Owens Corning, and the National Labor Relations Board; and is the author of The Employee Benefits Answer Book.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER 1

Employee Selection: How Do I Find, Attract, and Select the Best?

Hiring is a basic need for any employer that has at least one employee

who is not a partner or family member.This is where the employment

relationship begins. Policies and procedures for employee selection

will set the tone for the interactions that follow throughout an individual’s

time with the organization.

Hiring someone is easy.Hiring the best candidate isn’t always as simple,

and it will require planning and a logical process.Whether you have

one job opening or one hundred, the process and procedures you use for

employee selection will be directly reflected in the results you achieve.

FINDING YOUR CANDIDATES

“Isn’t it as easy as posting the job on the Web?”

Web-based job postings are an important part of an effective recruitment

strategy, but not the first step.Technology and the exponential rise

in the use of online social networking have dramatically expanded the

sources and methods for identifying candidates, but jumping right in

without planning and preparation can bog down the process.

Some Preliminary Steps

Before identifying the best recruiting sources, you must clearly identify

the parameters of the job.While a complete job description is helpful,

it may not be available and does not always include all the information

you need. Answering the following questions will help you define the

job parameters. If you are the hiring manager, you will probably have

the answers to these questions already or you know where to get them.

If you are not the hiring manager, then the hiring manager is a good

starting point.

• What is the job title and who does the job report to? In your company,

a particular job title or level may have certain benefits or perks

attached to it. Does your company allow flexibility or creativity with

job titles? One candidate may only accept a job with a “director”

title, while another may be satisfied with a lesser title if you add the

word “senior.” Employers often add words like “senior” or “junior”

with the intention of upgrading an individual or adding an entrylevel

spot in a department. Use care in creating these new titles.

While the title of “senior sales associate” will add status, a title such

as “junior sales associate” can be a detriment.Think of the customers

or other employees who will interact with this person. Does dealing

with a “junior” inspire confidence? Creative titles are terrific as long

as they are appropriate for your culture both internally and externally.“

Brand Champion” might have a nice ring, but may not translate

into an understandable role in every business-to-business situation.

Speak to the person to whom the job reports to determine this

individual’s needs and expectations. In a larger department, the position

may report to a level below the hiring manager. In this situation,

you should speak with both persons.

• When does the position have to be filled, and how much does it pay?

A manager may demand a quick hire. Before you rush to offer the job

to the first available candidate, remember that the cost of hiring the

wrong person is potentially higher than leaving the position vacant.

The wrong person can make expensive mistakes or cause dissatisfac-

tion and turnover among other employees. Set realistic hiring timelines

that also take into account the availability of necessary

resources such as space, equipment, training, and supervision.

If you are filling an existing position, find out what the pay

range has been in the past. If it is a new position, ensure that the pay

rate is appropriate. If your company paid sign-on bonuses, relocation

expenses, or other incentives or special benefits in the past,

determine if they are available for this position and, if so, how much

money is available. Extra perks are far less common when candidates

are plentiful but may be necessary in industries or environments

where skills shortages exist.

• Who needs to meet or interview this person, and who will make the job

offer? Identify everyone who needs to be part of the hiring decision

and determine their general availability to conduct interviews.Also,

think about people who will be helpful in attracting candidates.

These people may include employees from a promising candidate’s

hometown or alma mater, as well as those with exceptional personalities

who might be effective salespeople for the organization.

It is often helpful to obtain many different perspectives on an

applicant, from both prospective superiors and peers. Consider having

an employee who is at the same job level as the open position

either conduct an interview, give a tour of the facility, or take a coffee

break with candidates. Not only is employee involvement in the

selection process good for morale, it will provide valuable feedback—

and a peer can help to “sell” the company.

The job offer should be made by the person with the authority

to make decisions and respond to demands.This can be the hiring

manager, a senior manager or executive, a member of the HR

staff, or a search firm, if one is used.

Worth Repeating: Tour Guide Obtains References

For a mid-management position in a service industry, a strong performer

met the candidate as part of a tour. The manager identified all

they had in common, including people they both knew and had

worked for. These names became the first references to be called.

• What are the skills/education needed for this position? What is the work

experience required for this position? Create a list of the core skills, edu-

cation, and experience needed to get the job done.You can add

additional skills and experience that would be helpful and designate

these elements as optional for successful performance of the job.

• Was someone promoted or fired? Where did the last person come from?

If the vacancy was created by a promotion, gather information about

the position from the person who last held the job. Check with the

hiring manager to ensure that the job content is not changing. If the

vacancy was created because someone was fired, find out if the termina-

tion was due to poor job performance or a lack of specific

knowledge or skills.

If the last person in the job had been hired within the past year,

check for a file of resumes of other candidates who applied for the

position. Find out whether the person came from a search firm,

Internet posting, networking, or other source, then make it a priority

to return to this source if it had previously generated strong candidates.

Maintaining applicant flow logs in a spreadsheet or database

will facilitate the process, particularly when resumes are filed electronic-

ally. A sample format can be found in the Tools and Templates

section of this book.

Better Forgotten: Great Post, Wrong E-Mail Address

A start-up in a major city placed a job posting on a site focused on the

town and industry. The posting included an e-mail address to send

resumes and responses to. The e-mail address was incorrect and

responses went into cyberspace. Candidates were lost and frustrated.

Double-check any information included in an employment posting.

Edition details

• Publisher: AMACOM
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0814417175
• ISBN 13: 9780814417171
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 288