Текст бизнес-книги "The Essential HR."

Автор книги: Armstrong Sharon

Раздел: Зарубежная деловая литература, Бизнес-книги

Sharon Armstrong, Barbara Mitchell
The Essential HR Handbook: A Quick and Handy Resource for Any Manager or HR Professional

“Armstrong and Mitchell have provided a comprehensive and concise overview of human resources with practical advice, tips, forms and checklists. A must read for managers, small business owners, and individuals new to the HR profession.”

– Cornelia Gamlem, SPHR, president of GEMS Group ltd. www.gemsgroup-hr.comwww.gemsgroup-hr.comwww.gemsgroup-hr.comwww.gemsgroup-hr.com

“Armstrong and Mitchell have given us an excellent primer to educate our newly hired or promoted people managers on the must-know elements of human resource management. From the perspective of both historical and emerging trends, they succinctly present a pragmatic and uncomplicated explanation of why and how these issues are essential to business success. Among the many nuggets they offer are numerous, practical and proven ways to safely say what needs to be said in employee conversations, interviews, and evaluations. Even this old dog learned some new tricks!”

– Gary Cluff, manager, Corporate Recruiting, The MITRE Corporation

“As a HR practitioner of 26 years, I strongly recommend this book to all HR professionals who want to bring added value, and who wants to become a significant strategic partner in their organization. This book is a must have for any HR professional’s library.”

– Ben Lastimado, ED, author, Increasing Your HR Profession’s Value – Make Them Want You For a Strategic Partner

“If you want to know the core elements that any Human Resources professional should have in mind as they map their strategy and advise their organization, Sharon Armstrong’s and Barbara Mitchell’s work is a great source. And a strong manager should be keeping the points in The Essential HR Handbook front and center in their leadership of people! This is a great straight-forward resource for any desktop!”

– Naomi Morales, deputy vice president, Human Resources and Administration, PhRMA

“As promised in their introduction, the authors of The Essential HR Handbook have really made it all about the people. This is a handy reference for anyone trying to be an effective manager of people. If nothing else, be sure to read Chapter 12 and know the challenges for the future.”

– Dr. Janet Stern Solomon, SPHR, professor of management, The George Washington University

“This book should become ‘The Source’ for professionals in Human Resources. It covers the essential considerations in the field in a well-written, authoritative and yet very readable style. If you are at all interested in the growing area of Human Resources, I strongly urge to read The Essential HR Handbook .”

– Henry P. Baer, former Chair of the Labor & Employment Law Practice, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

“This concise handbook gets to the heart of human resource management by providing both practical guidance on essential HR activities and loads of useful samples, checklists and tools to help you do HR effectively and efficiently.”

– Wendy Bliss, J.D., SPHR, author, Employment Termination Source Book and Legal, Effective References: How to Give and Get Them

“This book delivers on the promise made in the title. It offers great examples, useful templates, provocative questions and all the data that an HR person might want to have at their fingertips. It is easy to read and gets the reader to the main point quickly and easily. The appendix is superb. A must have for your shelf.”

– Beverly Kaye, founder/CEO, Career Systems International, author of Up Is Not the Only Way

“Look no further than The Essential HR Handbook for the right advice to make the human resources function indispensable for the success of an organization. This book spells out practical approaches to the critical issues faced by leaders to effectively manage a fast-changing workforce. It is a must-read for all managers, not just HR professionals.”

– Brad Taft, president, Taft Resource Group, Career and Workforce Development Consultants, coauthor of Boom or Bust…Career Management Guide for Baby Boomers and Beyond

“The title says it all. This handbook succinctly lays out the key principles and protections that every Human Resource professional needs to know and put in place. It’s also a reference source that won’t remain on your shelf for long.”

– Francis T. Coleman, Esq., Williams Mullen

“The Essential HR Handbook is a superb compendium of human resources tools and techniques for HR and other professionals at all levels of organizations whether your company is large or small. This handbook provides extremely useful information on all facets of human resources and the sample documents (from applications through exit interviews) are especially helpful.”

– Gail Hyland-Savage, COO, Michaelson, Connor & Boul

“I am confident that you will find The Essential HR Handbook, truly that —essential in establishing a significant HR infrastructure relevant to all organizations. Not only do the authors address the fundamentals necessary to support a growing organization, but they walk you through the importance and process of defining a strategic human resource plan. The Essential HR Handbook should be a part of every HR Tool Kit!”

– Kathy Albarado, SPHR, president of Helios HR, principal author of Guide to HR Administration

“HR is no longer trying to find a seat at the table. It has become an inherent part of every process and priority that enable an organization to achieve its goals. Armstrong and Mitchell have transformed years of meaningful experience into one practical, comprehensive work. The Essential HR Handbook is a nonpareil; it clearly specifies the core elements of human resource management that help lead organizations to sustained success.”

– John G. Kitson, senior vice president, chief human resources officer, First Banks, Inc.

“Reading this extraordinary book, I asked myself how I have managed thus far without it? Not only is this a comprehensive guide to everything an HR professional needs to know, but the samples contained at the end of almost every chapter and the appendix loaded with every tool necessary, made me think I had hit the mother lode.”

– Karen Bloom, principal of Bloom, Gross & Associates, Inc.

“Regardless of the business size or industry; profit, non-profit, or government, this book reinforces what I have learned throughout my HR career – without strategic alignment between HR & the business manager, the dynamics of organizational effectiveness are absent.”

– D.J. Strauss, chief, branch of recruitment/training, DOL Office of Inspector General

“The Essential HR Handbook is a practical, comprehensive toolbox for HR professionals, filled with forms and checklists to assist with the critical everyday work of selecting, orienting, training, developing, rewarding, and retaining today’s workforce. The sample forms alone make it a valuable desk reference.”

– Leigh Branham, founder/principal, Keeping the People, Inc.

“The Essential HR Handbook is really Human Resources made easy for managers! This comprehensive overview is a one-stop guide for managers who want to create a productive and legally compliant workplace using time-tested HR techniques. Every manager needs a copy!”

– Mark Stevenson, president, SmartHR

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my father,Charles B. Scott, who taught me the true meaning of perseverance.

– Sharon Scott Armstrong

This book is dedicated to my parents, Anne and Tom Mitchell – I wish they were here to celebrate this achievement with me.

– Barbara Mitchell

Acknowledgments

Most people understand that writing a book takes a village! There are many folks behind the scenes who helped us, so there are some thank yous due.

Three major heroes were Anne Goodfriend, who skillfully and kindly edited our thoughts and words while remaining calm throughout; Susan Devereaux, who put the final manuscript together in her typical (and wonderful) professional way; and Joyce Oliner, who went above and beyond with some important critiques and suggestions. Another significant and special friend was Mike Strand, who contributed two important chapters without breaking a sweat.

More shout-outs go to: Kathy Albarado, Marilyn Allen, Richard Armstrong, Kimberly Barton, Patti Bicknell, Jann Bradley, Irene Cardon, Ann Casso, Madelyne D’Angelo,Angela Dabbs,Amy Dufrane, Laurie Friedman, Saunji Fyffe, Cornelia Gamlem, Diane Gold,Allyn Gutauskas, Lisa Haneberg, Bob Hoffman, Anne Hull, Natalie Loeb, Joanne Lozar Glenn, Taren McCombs, Cheryl Mirabella, Naomi Morales, Kerri Koss Morehart, Tom Morris, Julie Perez, Jane Pettit, Ane Powers, Michael Pye, Leah Rampy, Maggie Saponaro, Gail Hyland-Savage, Priscilla Vazquez, and Elaine Winfrey.

And finally, two special thanks to our literary agent, Marilyn Allen, for getting us started on this journey, and to our Career Press editor and formatter, Gina Talucci, for gently bringing the book to completion, thereby ending the journey.

To paraphrase the words of William Butler Yeats, “Think where man’s glory most begins and ends, and say our glory was we had such friends.”

Sharon Armstrong

Barbara Mitchell

Washington, D.C.

Introduction

Leading today is like being a first-time parent – you have to do the right thing long before you fully understand the situation.

– Warren Bennis, distinguished professor of business, and founding chairman of the Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California

In 14th-century England, masons, carpenters, leather workers, and other skilled craftsmen organized themselves into guilds, which they used to improve their work conditions.11
  Ivancevich, Human, 6.


[Закрыть] These guilds were the beginning of unions.

John Ivancevich, in his book Human Resource Management, tells us that, with the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, however, everything changed: divisions of labor, wages and hours, working conditions, and more. A new character in the workplace replaced the owner: the boss.22
  Ibid.


[Закрыть] He focused on getting the job done fast and done right.

Conflict grew between bosses and employees, and as businesses expanded they established new departments to deal with issues in the workplace. During the 1930s and 1940s, personnel departments began appearing to address hiring, firing, and the conflicts that occurred in between.

Around this time, personnel managers focused on employees and their well being, sharing their observations and suggestions with management to improve employees’ working lives.

Business guru Peter Drucker, the father of modern management and a prolific author, wrote that the role of personnel staff was “partly a file clerk’s job, partly a housekeeping job, partly a social worker’s job, and partly firefighting, heading off union trouble.”33
  Ibid. 7, quoting Fred K. Foulkes, “The Expanding Role of the Personnel Function.”


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Gone are the days (we hope) when managers wanted only that the work be done right and fast – without regard to the “human resources,” the workers. Both good managers and HR professionals need to understand their organizations’ employees and, on their behalf, create a workplace that helps them do their best work.

Some organizations have renamed their personnel/human resources units “People” or “Human Capital” departments to emphasize the importance of their paramount resource. They know that, without good people management, nothing else matters.

Today, leaders of successful organizations understand the importance of good human resources principles and practices for maintaining a healthy business: They expect their managers to integrate good human resources management into their day-to-day work.

In fact, in order to survive in today’s increasingly challenging world of work, managers have to be lifelong learners. They have to be open to not only learning new things, but also to incorporating those things in their everyday approach to work. These two behaviors are among the most critical for honing managerial skills.

That sounds simple, but we know that human resources is a complex field. HR tools and techniques draw on a wide and growing body of knowledge and requirements. The challenge for managers is to stay informed of the field’s best practices.

What does “human resources” mean today? It is the process of acquiring, training, appraising, and compensating employees while attending to their concerns about labor relations, health and safety, and fairness.44
  Dessler, Human, 2.


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This book covers these critical functions, working conditions, and the management actions – major or minor – that support them. It provides practical information, tools, and techniques to help managers and HR professionals excel.

When Joe Gibbs, former coach of the NFL’s Washington Redskins and three-time NASCAR champion, was asked to describe the differences between professional football and professional car racing, he replied, “There is none; it’s all about the people.”55
  Interview, WRC-Radio, Washington, D.C. (Nov. 21, 2005).


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Now that’s a worthy mantra for managers and HR professionals: It’s all about the people.66
  www.wegmans.com/about/pressRoom/overview.asp#whatwebelievewww.wegmans.com/about/pressRoom/overview.asp#whatwebelieve (last visited 11/13/07).


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Chapter 1
Strategic Planning and Mission Statements

Strategy connects the purpose and values of your organization with those of its customers and other external shareholders.

– Tony Manning, Making Sense of Strategy

If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? That’s why every organization needs a statement of its purpose or mission, and a strategy for planning its future.

Organizational strategy

Managers are responsible for allocating resources to achieve their organization’s stated goals, and this is where organizational strategy comes into play. Successful management of resources depends on effective planning. Managers need to set the organizations’ strategic direction and develop a plan to implement the strategy.

That plan defines the organization’s path into the future, and implementing it involves making decisions about the allocation of resources to reach the goals.

Organizational resources include intellectual capital, products, and financial capital, but the most important resource of all is human capital – the people who make it all happen. And because most organizations spend the largest percentage of their dollars on their labor force, firms that align their people strategies with their organizational ones are the most successful.

If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? It all starts with deciding what the organization wants to achieve throughout a reasonable period of time. In the past, standard business practice was to plan for long periods, such as five, 10, or 20 years – but, in today’s volatile business climate, most organizations plan for shorter periods such as one, three, or at most five years.

For your organization to remain competitive, it is essential to revisit your strategic plan frequently, and explore the business climate in your organization’s field to understand changes that may affect your company and its strategy. Strategy development involves evaluating the organization’s current business situation and determining where it wants to go in the future. Managing strategy is never “cast in concrete” – it is a continuous, recurring process.

Developing a strategic plan

The most enlightened organizations include human resources (HR) in the development of the strategic plan, so that the human resources plan can link directly to the strategic plan (discussed later in this chapter).

The typical approach to strategic planning is a three-step process:

1. Establish why the organization exists, its mission.