Human Resources Kit For Dummies

382 Pages·2006·1.76 MB·english

by  Harold Messmer Jr.

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Human Resources Kit
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
2
ND EDITION
by Max Messmer
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Human Resources Kit For Dummies®, 2nd Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006934827
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-04930-3
ISBN-10: 0-470-04930-8
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
2O/RU/RR/QW/IN
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Contents at a Glance
Introduction.................................................................1
Part I: Building the Framework .....................................7
Chapter 1: The Big Picture................................................................................................9
Chapter 2: Law and Order: Navigating the Legal Minefield
of Hiring and Managing.................................................................................................23
Part II: The Right People in the Right Places................41
Chapter 3: Building a Staffing Strategy..........................................................................43
Chapter 4: Smart Start to Hiring: Kicking Off the Hiring Process...............................51
Chapter 5: Resourceful Recruiting.................................................................................65
Chapter 6: Narrowing Down the Field............................................................................87
Chapter 7: One on One: Getting the Most Out of Interviewing.................................103
Chapter 8: The Home Stretch: Making the Final Decision.........................................121
Chapter 9: Starting Off on the Right Foot....................................................................143
Part III: Retention: Critical in Any
Business Environment ...............................................161
Chapter 10: Ensuring an Effective Compensation Structure.....................................163
Chapter 11: Creating the Right Benefits Package.......................................................185
Chapter 12: Creating an Employee-Friendly Work Environment..............................207
Chapter 13: Getting Permanent Benefit from Interim Staffing..................................225
Chapter 14: Training and Development.......................................................................237
Part IV: Keeping Things Together:
Monitoring Ongoing Performance...............................255
Chapter 15: Assessing Employee Performance..........................................................257
Chapter 16: Encouraging Extraordinary Performance..............................................277
Chapter 17: Handling Difficult Situations....................................................................291
Part V: The Part of Tens ............................................311
Chapter 18: Ten Keys to HR Success in the Future....................................................313
Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Become an HR Strategist....................................................319
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Chapter 20: Ten HR-Related Web Sites Worth Exploring...........................................325
Chapter 21: Ten HR-Related Associations You Should Know About........................331
Chapter 22: The Ten Most Important HR-Related Laws............................................335
Appendix: About the CD............................................339
Index.......................................................................347
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Table of Contents
Introduction..................................................................1
About This Book...............................................................................................2
Conventions Used in This Book.....................................................................3
Foolish Assumptions.......................................................................................3
How This Book Is Organized...........................................................................4
Part I: Building the Framework.............................................................4
Part II: The Right People in the Right Places......................................4
Part III: Retention: Critical in Any Business Environment.................5
Part IV: Keeping Things Together: Monitoring Ongoing
Performance........................................................................................5
Part V: The Part of Tens.........................................................................5
Appendix.................................................................................................5
The CD-ROM............................................................................................5
Icons Used in This Book..................................................................................5
Part I: Building the Framework .....................................7
Chapter 1: The Big Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Scoping Out the HR Role ................................................................................9
Strategist versus administrator..........................................................11
Adapting to the changing workplace.................................................12
Easing the work/life conflict...............................................................13
Avoiding the baby boom bust.............................................................14
Workforce diversity: Making it work..................................................14
Rising healthcare costs........................................................................15
Keeping pace with technology...........................................................16
Rules and regulations: Ethics first.....................................................17
Making HR a Strategic Partner.....................................................................18
Staying Ahead with HR Software..................................................................19
Become an educated buyer................................................................20
HR software: A features checklist.......................................................21
Chapter 2: Law and Order: Navigating the Legal Minefield
of Hiring and Managing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Legal Matters: The Big Picture.....................................................................24
Keeping the Peace..........................................................................................25
Discrimination................................................................................................25
Disparate Impact............................................................................................26
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)......................27
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Human Resources Kit For Dummies, 2nd Edition
The EEO Family: A Closer Look....................................................................29
ADEA: The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (1967).............29
AC-21: American Competitiveness in the 21st Century
Act (2000)...........................................................................................29
ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)....................................30
COBRA: Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation
Act (1985)...........................................................................................30
Equal Pay Act (1963)............................................................................31
FMLA: Family and Medical Leave Act (1993)....................................31
FLSA: Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)..............................................31
FUTA: Federal Unemployment Tax Act (1939)..................................32
HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (1996)...........................................................................................32
IRCA: Immigration Reform and Control Act
(1986, 1990, and 1996)......................................................................32
OWBA: Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (1990)......................33
Patriot Act (2001).................................................................................33
Pregnancy Discrimination Act (1978)................................................33
Rehabilitation Act (1973 and 1998)....................................................34
Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002)..................................................................34
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964)................................................35
WARN: Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification
Act (1988)...........................................................................................35
Sexual Harassment: Keep Your Workplace Free of It.................................35
Spread the word...................................................................................36
Create a reporting process..................................................................37
Treat all complaints about sexual harassment seriously...............38
Take decisive action.............................................................................38
Document every complaint.................................................................38
International Expansion: Stranger in a Strange Land................................38
Forms on the CD.............................................................................................39
Part II: The Right People in the Right Places.................41
Chapter 3: Building a Staffing Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Breaking Out of a Hiring Rut.........................................................................43
Grasping the Big Picture...............................................................................45
Consider a mix of resources...............................................................46
Reassess goals annually......................................................................47
Finding New Employees................................................................................47
Inner peace: Filling jobs from within the organization....................47
New horizons: Looking for staff outside the company....................49
Outsourcing: The role of HR...............................................................49
Chapter 4: Smart Start to Hiring: Kicking Off the Hiring Process . . . .51
The Costs of a Bad Hire.................................................................................51
Hiring: Think “Strategy”................................................................................52
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Building Competency Models.......................................................................53
The ABCs of Job Descriptions......................................................................55
Sample job description........................................................................56
Look ahead, not behind.......................................................................57
Don’t confuse tasks with requirements and qualifications.............57
Set priorities..........................................................................................58
Don’t box yourself into a corner........................................................58
Don’t forget soft skills..........................................................................58
Make sure that the job is doable........................................................59
Be specific.............................................................................................59
Set a salary range.................................................................................60
What’s in a Job Title?.....................................................................................60
Employee Classification: Yes, It Matters.....................................................61
Full-time employees.............................................................................61
Regular part-time employees..............................................................61
Temporary workers and contract employees..................................61
Independent contractors.....................................................................62
Leased workers.....................................................................................63
A Final Note.....................................................................................................63
Forms on the CD.............................................................................................63
Chapter 5: Resourceful Recruiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Recruiting: The Big Picture...........................................................................65
Getting Started...............................................................................................66
Inside Story: Recruiting from Within...........................................................68
Creating a successful internal hiring process...................................68
Developing an employee skills inventory.........................................69
Writing a Good Job Ad...................................................................................71
The Internet: Powerful, but Be Careful........................................................73
A miraculous tool, but there’s no free lunch....................................73
Quality in, quality out..........................................................................75
You’re only as good as your Web site................................................76
Classified Ads Remain a Factor....................................................................77
Using Recruiters.............................................................................................78
Who does what?...................................................................................78
Should you use recruiters?.................................................................79
Finding the “right” recruiter...............................................................80
Back to School: Recruiting on Campus.......................................................81
Other Recruiting Sources Worth a Look.....................................................82
All in the family: Employee referrals..................................................82
Job fairs.................................................................................................83
Open houses: Our house is your house............................................84
Professional associations and unions...............................................85
Direct applications (walk-ins).............................................................85
Government employment services....................................................86
Forms on the CD.............................................................................................86
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Chapter 6: Narrowing Down the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Job Applications: Are They Obsolete?........................................................87
Setting up the application...................................................................88
Using the application as an evaluation tool......................................90
Setting Up a System for Evaluating Candidates.........................................91
Resume Roulette: Reading Behind the Lines..............................................93
Mastering the basics............................................................................93
Reading between the lines..................................................................94
Watching out for red flags...................................................................94
Testing: Knowing What Works and What’s Legal.......................................96
Finding the right test for your situation............................................97
Staying out of test trouble.................................................................101
Phone Interviews: Narrowing Your List Further......................................102
Forms on the CD...........................................................................................102
Chapter 7: One on One: Getting the Most Out of Interviewing . . . . .103
Interviewing: The Basics.............................................................................104
The Five Deadly Sins of Job Interviewing.................................................105
Setting the Stage...........................................................................................106
The Introduction: Warming Up...................................................................107
Q & A: Mastering the Art.............................................................................108
Have a focus........................................................................................108
Make every question count...............................................................108
Pay attention.......................................................................................109
Don’t hesitate to probe......................................................................109
Give candidates ample time to respond..........................................109
Suspend judgments............................................................................110
Take notes...........................................................................................110
Vary the style of questions................................................................110
A Crash Course in Nondiscriminatory Questioning................................112
National origin....................................................................................113
Citizenship status...............................................................................113
Address................................................................................................114
Age........................................................................................................114
Family status.......................................................................................114
Religion................................................................................................114
Health and physical condition..........................................................115
Name....................................................................................................115
Language..............................................................................................115
Fifteen Solid Questions to Ask and How to Interpret the Answers.......115
End Game: Closing on the Right Note........................................................119
Forms on the CD...........................................................................................120
Chapter 8: The Home Stretch: Making the Final Decision . . . . . . . . .121
Coming to Grips with the Decision-Making Process................................122
Utilizing the “Tools” of the Trade...............................................................123
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Selecting Your Candidate: You Need a “System”......................................125
Setting up your own protocol...........................................................126
Factoring in the intangibles..............................................................128
Hiring Right...................................................................................................130
Getting a Broader View................................................................................131
Checking hard-to-check references..................................................132
Using your own network for checking.............................................133
Online reference checking: Proceed with caution.........................133
Discovering the Truth about Background Checks...................................134
To do or not to do? That is the question!........................................136
So what’s the bottom line?................................................................137
Making Offers They Can’t Refuse...............................................................137
Don’t delay..........................................................................................137
Put your offer on the table................................................................137
Set a deadline......................................................................................138
Stay connected...................................................................................138
Know how to negotiate salary..........................................................138
Know when to draw the line.............................................................140
Clarify acceptance details.................................................................140
Stay in touch.......................................................................................141
Forms on the CD...........................................................................................142
Chapter 9: Starting Off on the Right Foot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Onboarding: Going Beyond Orientation....................................................144
Three Unproductive Approaches...............................................................145
Osmosis...............................................................................................145
“Just follow Joe around”....................................................................145
Watch the video..................................................................................146
Doing It Right: A Little Empathy Goes a Long Way..................................146
The First Day: Ease Anxieties.....................................................................147
The First Week: Discover More about the Company and the Job..........148
Provide the rules of the road............................................................148
Keep orientation practical................................................................149
Involve senior management..............................................................149
Hold large-group sessions in a suitable location............................150
Make group presentations user-friendly.........................................150
Provide an orientation agenda.........................................................151
Space things out.................................................................................151
Give a clear sense of tasks and set concrete goals........................151
Second Week and Beyond...........................................................................153
Develop a checklist............................................................................153
Ensure goals continue to cascade....................................................153
Don’t let your message die................................................................154
Use mentoring to build a solid foundation.....................................154
Feedback: How good is your program?...........................................156
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Policy and Procedures Manual: Yes, You Need One................................157
Paying attention to presentation......................................................158
Knowing what to include...................................................................159
Playing it safe......................................................................................160
Forms on the CD...........................................................................................160
Part III: Retention: Critical in Any Business
Environment..............................................................161
Chapter 10: Ensuring an Effective Compensation Structure . . . . . . .163
Defining Your Role........................................................................................163
Compensation and Benefits: Nothing Is Simple.......................................164
The Basic Language of Employee Compensation....................................165
The Foundation for an Effective Compensation System.........................166
Getting a compensation philosophy................................................167
Setting pay levels in your organization...........................................168
Accounting for individuals................................................................171
Thinking about wage plans...............................................................172
Exempt and Nonexempt: Why the Distinction Matters...........................175
Who’s exempt and why?....................................................................176
The bottom line on overtime............................................................177
Other legal considerations................................................................177
What You Need to Know about Raises, Bonuses, and Incentives..........178
Pay raises............................................................................................179
Bonuses...............................................................................................179
Incentives............................................................................................180
What’s fair versus what works?........................................................182
Communicate Your Policies........................................................................183
Chapter 11: Creating the Right Benefits Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
What’s a Benefit Anyway?...........................................................................186
Key Trends in Benefits Management.........................................................186
The Basics of Benefits Coverage................................................................187
Social Security and Medicare............................................................187
Unemployment insurance.................................................................188
Workers’ compensation.....................................................................189
A Healthy Approach to Insurance..............................................................190
A bird’s eye view of the options.......................................................190
Weighing the options.........................................................................191
Rising costs: Staying ahead of the game.........................................192
Retirement Plans..........................................................................................194
Defined-benefit pension plans..........................................................194
401(k) plans: Pros and cons..............................................................195
Unfunded plans...................................................................................195
ERISA and other legal issues.............................................................196