The New Roles of the Human Resources Professional

Some industry commentators call the Human Resources function the last bastion of bureaucracy. Traditionally, the role of the Human Resource professional in many organizations has been to serve as the systematizing, policing arm of executive management.

In this role, the HR professional served executive agendas well, but was frequently viewed as a road block by much of the rest of the organization. While some need for this role occasionally remains — you wouldn’t want every manager putting his own spin on a sexual harassment policy, as an example — much of the HR role is transforming itself.

The role of the HR manager must parallel the needs of his or her changing organization. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptive, resilient, quick to change direction and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR professional, who is considered necessary by line managers, is a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate and a change mentor.
Strategic Partner

In today’s organizations, to guarantee their viability and ability to contribute, HR managers need to think of themselves as strategic partners. In this role, the HR person contributes to the development of and the accomplishment of the organization-wide business plan and objectives.

The HR business objectives are established to support the attainment of the overall strategic business plan and objectives. The tactical HR representative is deeply knowledgeable about the design of work systems in which people succeed and contribute. This strategic partnership impacts HR services such as the design of work positions; hiring; reward, recognition and strategic pay; performance development and appraisal systems; career and succession planning; and employee development.
Employee Advocate

As an employee sponsor or advocate, the HR manager plays an integral role in organizational success via his knowledge about and advocacy of people. This advocacy includes expertise in how to create a work environment in which people will choose to be motivated, contributing, and happy.

Fostering effective methods of goal setting, communication and empowerment through responsibility, builds employee ownership of the organization. The HR professional helps establish the organizational culture and climate in which people have the competency, concern and commitment to serve customers well.

In this role, the HR manager provides employee development opportunities, employee assistance programs, gainsharing and profit-sharing strategies, organization development interventions, due process approaches to problem solving and regularly scheduled communication opportunities.
Change Champion

The constant evaluation of the effectiveness of the organization results in the need for the HR professional to frequently champion change. Both knowledge about and the ability to execute successful change strategies make the HR professional exceptionally valued. Knowing how to link change to the strategic needs of the organization will minimize employee dissatisfaction and resistance to change.

The HR professional contributes to the organization by constantly assessing the effectiveness of the HR function. He also sponsors change in other departments and in work practices. To promote the overall success of his organization, he champions the identification of the organizational mission, vision, values, goals and action plans. Finally, he helps determine the measures that will tell his organization how well it is succeeding in all of this.

Business Management Success Tips

Human Resources leaders need degrees. If you are considering a career in Human Resources, or trying to advance your current career, a Bachelors degree, and even a Masters degree, will assist you to achieve your goals and dreams. Degrees have become more important in most fields, but nowhere has the shift occurred quite as dramatically as in HR. As organizational expectations of the potential contributions of an HR pro have increased, the need for the HR leader to possess both experience and a degree has increased, too. In fact, a degree is becoming essential.

I can’t say that I would never consider a candidate for a role in HR leadership who didn’t have a degree – never say never – but, why would an organization select a candidate who has experience and no degree, over a candidate with experience and a degree? (I am making the assumption that the organization likes both candidates and their cultural fit and experience are equal.)

In my experience in hiring, I have found college degrees, that have emphasized well-rounded understanding of the fundamentals, quite predictive of future success. We can all name an exception. My father’s best friend quit school after seventh grade, founded nursing homes, and is the richest person I know. But, he is an exception.
Hiring Human Resources Leaders, Who Have Earned a Degree, Sends a Powerful Message

A degreed HR leader will generally prove more effective and more sought after than a person without a degree. Here’s why.

* The staff members the HR leader will supervise increasingly have degrees. An MBA and a Business degree with a concentration in HR or organization development are becoming more common. So are candidates with degrees in psychology, sociology, and other areas of liberal arts. Degreed staff will look up to an HR leader with degrees.


* The staff members whom the HR leader advises will increasingly have degrees. As the HR leader progresses up the organization chart, his or her peers will increasingly have degrees and MBAs. Especially as a company grows and hires more professional staff, degrees become the norm. The HR leader needs to possess the same ticket to be a sought after confidant and advisor. The degree is step one in joining the club.


* Especially for salaried positions, degrees plus experience rank highly among the traits, skills, and characteristics identified as needed and desired from people selected to fill most of the leadership positions in organizations.


* A college degree and the coursework associated with earning that degree have long been touted as producers of well-rounded knowledgeable candidates who can think and solve problems, and who have proven they can stick with a goal and complete it. Just one college website advertises its graduates:


Among Skidmore College graduates, you'll find young men and women prepared to both think critically, and to apply skills practically and professionally in a variety of settings ... Skidmore's distinctive integration of the traditional liberal arts with preparation for professions, careers, and community leadership equips our students exceptionally well for excellence in today's increasingly complex world.

* The HR leader is usually the education and development leader for the organization. The individual who leads in this role should be able to demonstrate the value of education in their own life.


* The HR leader generally serves as the initiator of processes that identify and encourage high potential staff. This role includes encouraging employees to attend school to further develop their skills and capacities. Additionally, the HR leader assesses the need for and often delivers training and development sessions to others in the organization. The degree brings credibility to his or her ability to do these activities.


* Recognize that this is an opinion, and I am unaware of data that support this opinion, but I generally find that HR people without degrees lack knowledge and experience in organization development, strategic business management, and management development. They lack some of the educational and developmental leadership background and skills of their more educated counterparts. At the same time, they often have deeper knowledge in transactional areas as they generally worked their way up over the years from an early payroll or administration job. Indeed, they usually have in-depth knowledge of employment law and policy and procedure making, too.

In summary, a degree is becoming essential for an HR professional who plans a leadership role in an organization. In fact, I believe that a Masters degree, a JD degree, or even a PhD. will eventually be the degrees of choice for HR leaders. Certification through the Society for Human Resources Management is becoming more common as well. Will you be ready to compete for the best HR jobs and opportunities?

Human Resources Job Prospects and Earnings

Job prospects for various Human Resources positions vary by position but they range from growing as fast as the average of other occupations to growing faster than average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Sample Human Resources Job Prospects and Earnings

* Human Resources Assistant: expected to grow by 11 percent between 2006 and 2016, as fast as the average for all occupations.

The median of wages paid to HR Assistants was $33,750 in 2006. The range was $22,700 to more than $48,670.

* Human Resources Generalists, and Training or Labor Relations Managers: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment is "expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations. College graduates who have earned certification should have the best job opportunities. Overall employment is projected to grow by 17 percent between 2006 and 2016."

--Compensation and benefits managers made a median income of $74,750 in May, 2006 with a range from $55,370 to $99,690. The lowest paid 10% were paid less than $42,750; the highest 10% earned more than $132,820.

--The median earnings of training and development managers were $80,250 in May, 2006. Salaries ranged from $43,530 to $141,140.

--The median annual earnings of human resources managers in other specialty areas were $88,510 in May, 2006. The range was $51,810 to $145,600. The middle 50% made between $67,710 and $114,860 annually.

How to Research Human Resources Jobs and Careers

You can research any job title at the the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Here's a hint to save you research time. While most Human Resources jobs including managers, generalists, training specialists and labor relations specialists, appear under "Human Resources," higher level jobs, such as Vice President and Director, appear in the index under "Vice President" and "Director."

The site provides the most current information about these job occupation areas.

* Nature of the Work
* Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
* Employment
* Job Outlook
* Projections Data
* Earnings
* Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Data
* Related Occupations
* Sources of Additional Information

More About Potential Salary and Earnings in Human Resources

My only cautionary note, as you can see from the above examples, is that the range within a specific occupation for salaries is broad. You can obtain more specific salary information for your occupation, level, years of experience, region, market competition, skills, and education by researching at job boards, in your Human Resources office from salary surveys, and at sites that provide market research and salary calculators.

The pay for Human Resources jobs generally ranges from around $30,000 for an entry-level job to millions of dollars for a corporate executive with leadership responsibility for thousands or hundreds of thousands of employees, and often responsibility for multiple departments.
Summary of Human Resources Career Opportunities
According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the three key points for people who want to work in Human Resources include:

* "The educational backgrounds of these workers vary considerably, reflecting the diversity of duties and levels of responsibility.
* "Certification and previous experience are assets for most specialties, and are essential for more advanced positions, including managers, arbitrators, and mediators.
* "College graduates who have earned certification should have the best job opportunities."

Human Resources is a field that offers multiple job opportunities: see these descriptions of the range of jobs in Human Resources. Human Resources jobs also offer the opportunity to make significant income and to contribute to business culture, business strategy, and the overall happiness and motivation of employees.

Human Resources and Management OneStop Center

Are you looking for information about human resources management, human resources development, how to manage and supervise people, or how to work with people at work? Here are the resources you need to start, manage and develop your human resources department and all of the people aspects of your business and work. See the Human Resources, management, and business glossary.
New to Human Resources?

Before you plunge into the intricacies of recruiting and hiring, and the rest of the information on the site, are you interested in fundamental information about Human Resources?

The most frequent question I receive from readers is: What is Human Resources? These fundamental human resource questions are answered in my FAQ. A management pro? Move on. If you are just starting out or have basic questions about Human Resources and the HR field, check out my HR FAQ.
Human Resources Management Site Guide

Want more management, business and human resources information? The information you need is here.

Recruiting and Hiring Employees and Employee Salary

Looking for information about recruiting, hiring and paying employees? Find information about recruiting and hiring employees and employee salary and benefits.

Employee Management and Employee Performance Management

Looking for information about supervision, leadership, management, and performance management? Find information about supervision, leadership, management, and performance management here.

Business Management and Policies for Workplace Management

Looking for information about business management, stress management, policy development, and workplace management? Find information about business management, stress management, policy development, and workplace management.

Motivation, Coaching, Training and Education for Employees

Looking for information about any aspect of human resources, motivation, coaching, training or education for your business or organization? You've found the right resource. Here are all the resources you'll need to effectively start, manage and develop your human resources department and all aspects of your business. Find information about motivation, coaching, training or education.

Career Education, Self Help and Job Search

What can you do to build your career? These sites provide career builders, career education, career planning, career counseling, career development and job search information for you. Look for job openings, job hunting essentials, executive search strategies, temporary employment ideas and more. Boost your own career or locate staff by exploring these job search and employment sites.
Four Types of Visitors Will Benefit From This HR Site

This Human Resources site offers support and assistance to four types of visitors:

* People who work in or manage any aspect of human resources including training, organization development, benefits, and more; (The site offers resources for people who are beginners, mid-career, and later-career professionals.)
* People who manage, lead, or supervise people;
* People who want to increase their personal effectiveness and success or career effectiveness and success; and
* People who want to improve their ability to work effectively with people at work.

New to This Human Resources Website?

Take a look at these resources. They will get you started and tell you quickly what information is available.

* Most Recent Articles, Policies, and Site Recommendations: the most recent additions to the site.
* Articles: 2000-2004: earlier, but still relevant, articles and resources.
* Most Popular Topics: the articles people read again and again.
* Work Relationship, Leadership, and Management Tips: anyone who works with people whether a manager or a coworker, will find these tips useful.
* Quick Start Learning Guides: quick learning, goal-oriented paths through the material on the site.
* Inspirational Quotations for Business and Work: quotations focus on work-related issues and motivation.
* Indepth Free Email Classes and Career Success Tips: are perfect for when you have time to invest in your personal and professional development.
* Business, Management and Human Resources Glossary: Human Resources terms defined with examples and samples.
* Humor and Inspiration: check out work related humorous sites and inspirational sites.

Memorable Firsts in Human Resources Management

Anyone who works in human resources management knows that the job comes with great joys and great sorrows. And all along the way, memorable first moments with people occur. Sometimes you feel prepared for the moments; some sneak up and surprise you. But whatever memorable human resources management moment you are experiencing for the first time, these resources will help you. Hire an employee, fire an employee, give an employee a pay raise, or perform performance improvement coaching. Your interactions with people will never be boring when you practice in any field of human resources management.

1. How to Break Into a Career in Human Resources

Rayman / Getty Images

No matter how you managed to do it, breaking into the field of Human Resources Management is definitely a memorable HR first. Whether you studied and prepared long term for your career in Human Resources Management or transferred from another line of work, you have the opportunity to transform workplaces in the Human Resources Management profession. Congratulations on achieving your first memorable Human Resources Management moment.

2. How to Hire an Employee

Copyright Constantin Kammerer

A memorable moment in human resources management is the first time you hire an employee - especially if the employee turns out to be a good employee. Want to recruit and hire a superior workforce? This checklist for hiring employees will help you systematize your process for hiring employees, whether it's your first employee or one of many employees you are hiring. This hiring employees checklist helps you keep track of your recruiting efforts. This hiring employees checklist communicates both the recruiting and the hiring process and progress in recruiting to the hiring manager.

3. How to Show Appreciation to Employees

Copyright Lisa Gagne

When you work in human resources management, you set an example and you have much influence over how people are treated and the company culture. You can tell your colleagues, coworkers and employees how much you value them and their contribution any day of the year. Trust me. No occasion is necessary. In fact, small surprises, verbal expressions, and tokens of your appreciation spread throughout the year help the people in your work life feel valued all year long. Human resources management can be fun, fulfilling and have an impact.

4. How to Provide Motivational Employee Recognition

Copyright Phil Date

Human resources management focuses first on providing a motivational work environment in which employees choose success. In a motivational work environment, employee recognition is not just a nice thing to do for people. Employee recognition is a communication tool that reinforces and rewards the most important outcomes people create for your business. When you recognize people effectively, you reinforce, with your chosen means of recognition, the actions and behaviors you most want to see people repeat. An effective employee recognition system is simple, immediate, and powerfully reinforcing.

5. How to Develop a Policy

In human resources management, you and your managers need to lead in terms of organizing the workplace for best organization success. You want to have the necessary policies and procedures to ensure a safe, organized, convivial, empowering, nondiscriminatory workplace. Yet, you do not want to write a policy for every exception to accepted and expected behavior. Policy development is for the many employees not for the few exceptions. When you develop your policies, these are the human resources management considerations.

6. How to Diagnose Employee Performance Problems

Do you have the responsibility for supervising the work of others? If so, you know that employees don't always do what you want them to do. On the one hand, they act as if they are competent professionals. On the other, they procrastinate, miss deadlines, and wait for instructions. They blame others when their work is unsuccessful. And worst of all, employees become defensive when you try to coach them to perform excellent, goal-accomplishing work. So, what's a supervisor to do?

7. How to Coach Employee Performance

Looking for a step-by-step coaching approach you can use to help an employee improve his work performance? This approach avoids the need for discipline and produces great results. Your human resources management skills will improve when you use these steps to coach employees.

8. How to Administer Progressive Discipline

Progressive discipline is a process for dealing with job-related behavior that does not meet expected and communicated performance standards. The primary purpose for progressive discipline is to assist the employee to understand that a performance problem or opportunity for improvement exists. The process features increasingly formal efforts to provide feedback to the employee so he or she can correct the problem. The goal of progressive discipline is to improve employee performance.

9. How to Fire an Employee

Not a fun moment when you work in human resources management, but the day will come when you need to fire an employee. Never the first step in human resources management, firing an employee is potentially conflict ridden, uncomfortable, and sometimes results in lawsuits. But, assuming that you have taken steps to help an employee improve his work performance - and they are not working - it may be time to fire the employee. These are the legal, ethical steps in how to fire an employee. Ensure that the company's actions, as you prepare, are above reproach. How you fire an employee sends a powerful message to your remaining staff - either positive or negative. Fire an employee as a last resort, but, do not jeopardize your company success.

10. How to Handle an Employee Resignation

Copyright Jacob Wackerhausen

Face it. Sooner or later, even the best employer has employees resign. They think they've found a better opportunity or their spouse has accepted a job out-of-state. The reasons are endless for an employee resignation. But, each employee resignation poses the employer with a series of questions. Find out how to handle an employee resignation. Find out how to handle an employee resignation when you're happy to see the employee go - and, when the resignation makes you sad.

11. Share Your Memorable Firsts in Human Resources Management

Whether you are a manager, a supervisor, a business owner or a Human Resources staff person, if you work with people, you have memorable firsts. Your first hire, your first disciplinary action, your first employee firing, and your first employee recognition all etch memories in your mind and heart. Please share your memorable Human Resources Management firsts in the submission form below.

5 Categories For Effective Time Management

Many people mistake time tracking for time management. They religiously keep track of everything they do each day, for weeks or even months.

And then they stop doing it because they haven’t realized any positive changes.

But keeping track of how you spend your time isn’t time management. Time management is about making changes to the way you spend your time. For effective time management, you have to apply a time management system that will help you see where changes can and should be made.

Keeping track of your many daily activities is just a preliminary step to effective time management. The first step of time management is to analyze how you actually spend your time so you can determine what changes you want to make.

This is where many people’s attempts at time management fail. They look at a specific day in their Day-Timer or Outlook calendar or on their Palm which is packed with activities from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and don’t know what to do with it. So they fall back on the tried and true techniques and eliminate a few events and prioritize others. But they haven’t really managed anything; they’ve just rearranged it. All the perceived problems and frustrations of the day’s activities are still there – and at the end of their day they’re still frazzled and frustrated.

Manage Your Time With Time Management Categories

How do you actually manage time? The secret is in the categories. Look at your calendar for tomorrow. It’s probably already full of events and activities that you’re hoping to accomplish. As you work or afterward, you’ll be filling in the blank spaces.

Now look at the list and categorize it. How much time during your working day did you actually spend:

1) Putting out fires. An unexpected phone call. A report that’s necessary for a meeting that should have been printed yesterday. A missing file that should be on your desk. How much of your day was actually spent in crisis mode? For most people, this is a negative category that drains their energy and interferes with their productivity.

2) Dealing with interruptions. Phone calls and people dropping by your office will probably top the list when you’re assigning events to this category. Once again, for most people, this is a negative category because it interferes with (and sometimes kills) productivity.

3) Doing planned tasks. This is the most positive use of time during your work day. You are in control and accomplishing what you intended to accomplish. Planned tasks can include phone calls, meetings with staff, even answering email – if these are tasks that you have put on your agenda.

4) Working uninterrupted. You may not be working on a task you had planned to do, but you are getting to accomplish something, and for most people, this is a very productive, positive work mode.

5) Uninterrupted downtime. Those times during the work day that are used to re-energize and regroup. Lunch or a mid-morning break may count IF they’re uninterrupted. If you’re lucky enough to work with a company that offers on-site work-out facilities or nap rooms, that would count, too. Everyone needs a certain amount of uninterrupted downtime built into their day to be productive during their work time.

A Week Of Your Past Is The Key To The Future

Now that you understand the time management categories, it’s time to use them to analyze your “typical” work week. Using whatever calendar system you use for listing appointments and activities in your daily life, go back and select a recent typical week. Go through the entries of each working day and categorize them according to the time management categories above. Keeping a running total at the bottom of each day will make it easy to see just how you’ve spent your working time each day.

Now you have the data you need to make changes to the way you spend your time at work. Are you spending too much time putting out fires? Then you need to make the organizational or physical changes to prevent or defer these constant crises. Clean up and reorganize your desk, for example, so you can find the files you need easily, and establish a routine of putting the files you need for the next day out on your desk before you leave for the day. Not getting enough uninterrupted downtime during your working day? Then you need to build it in. For instance, stop eating lunch at your desk and physically leave the building for your stipulated lunch time.

By applying my work categories of time management, and making the changes you need to make to spend more of your time during your working day in the positive categories and less time in the negative categories, you’ll truly be able to effectively manage your time at work – and accomplish the true goal of time management, to feel better.

Quick-Start Business Planning for Small Businesses

Business planning is like water to a thirsty plant. It keeps our businesses vital and thriving. Without business planning, your business will never be as healthy as it could be and may even sicken and die. But many small business owners don’t do the business planning they should, because they’re hard-pressed to find the time to do it. How many times have you thought that you should do some business planning – if only you weren’t so busy taking care of business!

But business planning doesn’t have to be a time-consuming ordeal. In just a pair of two to three hour sessions, you can put together the basics of a business plan that will invigorate your business for the course of a year.

So set aside the time on two days for a pair of business planning sessions. (The days don’t have to be consecutive, but should be fairly close in time. You may choose to have your business planning sessions as much as a week apart.)

If you’re the sort of person who prefers to work in a group, get together with a like-minded friend or two who also runs a small business. You’ll find the brainstorming in these business planning sessions easier with input from other people, and they’ll certainly be more fun as social occasions. (Keep your business planning group small though; no more than three!)

Business Planning Session 1

1. Revisiting the vision statement.

Your business vision statement is the starting point for any business planning, as it’s the core of your inspiration and motivation. Do you see yourself having so much business you need to hire help? Trebling your sales? Becoming locally renowned as the best business of your type? Expanding into a franchise operation? Give your imagination free rein. What would you like your business to be like next year? Three years from now? Five years from now?

Articulate your business vision for each time period listed above – and write your three business vision statements down. Don’t hesitate to craft a business vision statement that expresses what you truly want your business to be and what you truly want to get out of your business. The vision statement is for you, not for your customers or clients.

2. Evaluate your business.

This second step of business planning involves examining the current position of your business. First, the easy part. What are your business’s three best strengths right now? And what are your business’s three areas of weakness?

Now it gets a little harder; you need to relate these strengths and weaknesses to your vision statement for next year. How will the three strengths you have identified get you closer to where you want to be next year? How will the three weaknesses hold you back?

Think about these and/or discuss them and then write down the three aspects of your business that you feel are most important to concentrate on in terms of achieving your vision statement for next year.

For instance, suppose my business vision statement is to treble my sales for next year and get my product nationally known. Suppose, too, that my strengths are the attributes of my product (people who use it see it as a superior product), my customer base (the product is well-positioned locally and I do a lot of repeat business), and my distribution system (I have no problems filling orders or having my product delivered to the customers).

On the other hand, the weaknesses of my business are that it doesn’t seem to be attracting a large number of new customers, the product doesn’t seem to be known outside of the local area, and my marketing efforts don’t seem to be working.

Examining these and comparing them to my vision statement for next year, I wrote down: “Sales force. PR. Marketing.”

Stop here for the first business planning session. That’s enough to mull over for now – and if you go away and do other things, your mind will continue to work on the problem you’ve set it. A good night’s sleep between this and your next business planning session (or even several!) will make your next business planning session much more productive.
Business Planning Session 2

Now that you now where you want to go, the purpose of this business planning session is to figure out how you’re going to get there, giving you a practical business plan of action for the next year.

3) Set your priorities.

In my example in the first business planning session, the three aspects of my business that I thought were most important in terms of achieving my vision statement for next year were all closely related. Yours might not be. Look at the three aspects you’ve selected and rate them from most important to least important.

4. Brainstorm actions.

Focus on your top one or two priorities. What can you do to achieve what you want to achieve? Let your mind rove and list all the possible actions you could take, no matter how impractical they seem. (Here’s where having a partner or business planning team will really help; others often come up with ideas that have never occurred to you!)

For instance, having set my priorities to marketing and PR, I would brainstorm all the actions I could take to improve my marketing and PR efforts so that I could treble my sales and get my product nationally known. I could:

* Set up a website
* Send press releases regularly
* Do something unique or outrageous that would get me national coverage
* Hire a public relations expert
* Do a marketing plan
* Do a huge mailing campaign sending people samples of my product
* Pay to have the name of my business on a blimp
* Buy ads in national magazines
* Buy ads on search engines

This is only a partial list, but you get the idea. The important thing at the brainstorming stage is to record all your ideas without prejudging (and rejecting) any of them. The most far-fetched idea may contain the kernel of a good idea.

5. Organize your actions.

This is the stage of our Quick-Start business planning where you shape your ideas into an action business plan.

First, go over your list of actions. Put checkmarks by ideas you think are good, put question marks by ones you are doubtful about, and draw lines through the ones you think are unworkable or silly.

Now examine the “good” ideas. Do you see any similarities or themes? If so, group those ideas accordingly.

6. Set your goals.

Use the check marked items and/or groups of themed items to create your action goals. As I say in Goal Setting Is The First Step To Achievement, the secret of successful goal setting is to incorporate both the action you’re going to take and the timeline into your goal. Use the formula of:
"I will (specific goal) BY (specific actions I will follow to accomplish the goal) BY (time).”

As an example, one of my action goals might be: “I will get my product known nationally BY creating a marketing plan BY (a date 3 months from now).”

Another of my action goals might be: “I will get my product known nationally BY placing two ads in national magazines BY (a date 3 weeks from now).”

Don’t skip the dates! They’re important both to spur you into action and to give you a basis for evaluating your progress.

Create as many action goals as you feel are necessary to accomplish the greater goal of making your vision statement for next year reality.

7. Plan how and when to evaluate your progress.
You have your action business plan now and you’re ready to implement it – but there’s one more piece of business planning to do first. If you don’t plan how and when to evaluate your progress now, chances are you’ll never get back to your business plan.

The dates inherent in the goals will help, but you also need to build time for reviewing your progress on your action business plan into your timetable. What will work best for you? Will you review your progress on your business plan once a week? Once a month? Each three months? Some people find it very effective to start each day with a business planning session This keeps your goals front and center in your mind.

Whichever you choose, pick your dates now and record them with reminders in whatever scheduling system you’re using. Evaluating your progress on your action business plan will probably take anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour.

Once again, doing your business planning with a partner or small group is very beneficial at this stage; one of the things you will do when you evaluate your progress is assess what’s working and what’s not. It’s always useful to get more input when amending goals (and interesting to see how your partner or group members are doing implementing their own action business plans).

The second business planning session ends here. You’ve now chosen your direction over the course of the next year and have forged a specific action business plan to take you where you want to go. You’ve even determined how and when you’re going to sit down and evaluate your progress on your action business plan.

There’s only one thing left to do – put your action plan into action! Hopefully these two business planning sessions have gotten you fired up and ready to start working on making your vision statement happen.

7 Ways to Control Chaos in Your Small Business

“I know it’s here somewhere.” “I’ll have to get back to you about that.” “Where’s that _____?”

Sound familiar? If so, chaos has crept into your small business – and is probably busy spreading throughout your organization like a virus. Disorganization and confusion are irritating, but they’re also just plain bad for business. Think of it as a formula, if you like: chaos increasing equals profits decreasing. What to do? Control chaos by applying these basic office management principles:

1. Establish office management routines and stick to them.

Routine tasks need routine procedures if you want to stay organized and keep things running smoothly. Set up routines for handling paperwork and office systems. For instance, every piece of paper that comes into your office should be handled once, acted upon, and filed – not haphazardly piled on a desk. Office systems, such as computers, will need both administration and what I call panic mode procedures. When the system crashes or a computer-related piece of equipment fails, everyone in your office needs to know who to call and what not to do (such as try to fix the problem themselves). These data management articles provide helpful tips for everything from office filing systems through computer backup procedures.

2. Set up clearly delineated responsibilities.

Good office management depends on people knowing who is responsible for what – it’s people who are accountable who get things done. What would happen, for example, if the purchasing for your small business was done by whoever whenever? Would you be able to find a paper clip when you wanted one? Or print off a report when you needed to? Putting one person in charge of ordering all equipment and supplies solves the problem and keeps things running smoothly. It’s the same with (computer) systems administration. You need to have one person responsible for the security of your computer system and keeping track of things such as accounts, passwords and software. Otherwise, chaos will proliferate.

3. Keep records – and keep your business records updated.

Keeping records sounds like the easiest part of good office management – until you consider the need to keep those records both accessible and updated. But my first rule for controlling chaos will help you get a grip on this; make updating records an office routine. When you get a new customer or client, for instance, it only takes a moment to enter him into your contacts database. Then it will only take another moment or two to update the record after you’ve spoken to him on the phone. (Note, too, that thanks to the new Privacy Act, records of customer permissions will have to be kept and customers need to have access to their records. See What You Need To Know About PIPEDA for more about complying with the Privacy Act.)

4. Take a walk through your office and have a sit.

Is your office an example of space management or space mis-management? When you walk through the office, do you have to detour around obstacles or run the risk of tripping over something? When you sit down at a desk, could you actually work comfortably there? Are things logically arranged so that the things that you would use most at the desk are closest to hand? There are a lot of things crammed into offices nowadays, from printer stands through filing cabinets. For good office management, you need to be sure that all the things in the office are arranged for maximum efficiency – and maximum safety. The Basics of Small or Home Office Design provides tips for safely meeting the power, lighting and ventilation needs of your office space.
Here are more tips for using good office management to control chaos in your small business (continued from the previous page).

5. Schedule the scut work.

It’s too easy to put off things that you don’t like doing, and I don’t know very many people that enjoy scut work. Unfortunately, an office, like a kitchen, won’t function well without a certain amount of scut work being done. If you are a small business owner who’s in the position of not being able to assign whatever you view as scut work to someone else, force yourself to get to it regularly by scheduling time each week for it. Take a morning or afternoon, for instance, and spend it making the cold calls or catching up on the accounting (or updating the records).

6. Delegate and outsource.

In a perfect world, everyone would only be doing what he or she had time to do and did well. As the world is not perfect, instead a lot of people are doing things that they don’t have the time or talent to do well. Delegating and outsourcing can not only improve your small business’s office management, but free you to focus on your talents as well, thereby improving your bottom line. Virtual assistants can handle many of your office or administrative tasks. For more on delegating, see Decide to Delegate.

7. Make business planning a priority.

Many small business owners spend their days acting and reacting – and then wonder why they seem to be spinning their wheels. Business planning is an important component of good office management and needs to be part of your regular office management routine. Successful small business owners spend time every week on business planning, and many use daily business planning sessions as a tool for goal setting and growth. If you have staff, involve them in business planning, either formally or informally.

Don’t let chaos interfere with doing business. Once you start applying these seven principles of good office management, you’ll be amazed at the difference good office management makes – and how much more business you do.

Hiring Employees: A Checklist for Success in Hiring Employees

Selection and Hiring Checklist

Want to recruit and hire a superior workforce? This checklist for hiring employees will help you systematize your process for hiring employees, whether it's your first employee or one of many employees you are hiring. This hiring employees checklist helps you keep track of your recruiting efforts. This hiring employees checklist communicates both the recruiting and the hiring process and progress in recruiting to the hiring manager. Your feedback and comments are welcome to improve this checklist for hiring employees.
Checklist for Hiring Employees

* Determine the need for a new or replacement position.
* Think creatively about how to accomplish the work without adding staff (improve processes, eliminate work you don’t need to do, divide work differently, etc.).
* Hold a recruiting planning meeting with the recruiter, the HR leader, the hiring manager, and, potentially, a coworker or internal customer.
* Develop and prioritize the key requirements needed from the position and the special qualifications, traits, characteristics, and experience you seek in a candidate. (These will assist your Human Resources department to write the classified ad; post the job online and on your Web site; and screen resultant resumes for potential candidate interviews.)
* With HR department assistance, develop the job description for the position.
* Determine the salary range for the position.
* Decide whether the department can afford hiring employees to fill the position.
* Post the position internally on the "Job Opportunities” bulletin board for one week. If you anticipate difficulty finding a qualified internal candidate for the position, state in the posting that you are advertising the position externally at the same time.
* Send an all-company email to notify staff that a position has been posted and that you are hiring employees.
* All staff members encourage talented, qualified, diverse internal candidates to apply for the position. (If you are the hiring supervisor, as a courtesy, let the current supervisor know if you are talking to his or her reporting staff member.)
* Interested internal candidates fill out the Internal Position Application.
* Schedule an interview, for internal candidates, with the hiring supervisor, the manager of the hiring supervisor or a customer of the position and HR. (In all cases, tell the candidates the timelines you anticipate the interview process will take.)
* Hold the interviews with each interviewer clear about their role in the interview process. (Culture fit, technical qualifications, customer responsiveness and knowledge are several of the screening responsibilities you may want your interviewers to assume.)
* Interviewers fill out the Job Candidate Evaluation Form.
* If no internal candidates are selected for the position, make certain you clearly communicate with the applicants that they were not selected. Whenever possible, provide feedback that will help the employee continue to develop their skill and qualifications. Use this feedback as an opportunity to help the employee continue to grow their career.
* If an internal candidate is selected for the position, make a written job offer that includes the new job description and salary.
* Agree on a transition timeline with the internal candidate’s current supervisor.
* If you've created another internal opening, begin again.
* End the search.
* If no qualified internal candidates apply, extend the search to external candidates, if you didn't advertise the position simultaneously. Develop your candidate pool of diverse applicants.
* Spread word-of-mouth information about the position availability in your industry and to each employee’s network of friends and associates.
* Place a classified ad in newspapers with a delivery reach that will create a diverse candidate pool.
* Recruit online. Post the classified ad on jobs and newspaper-related websites including the company website.
* Post the position on professional association websites.
* Talk to university career centers.
* Contact temporary help agencies.
* Brainstorm other potential ways to locate a well-qualified pool of candidates for each position.
* Through your recruiting efforts, you've developed a pool of candidates. People are applying for your open job. Whether you have developed a candidate pool in advance of the job opening or you are searching from scratch, the development of a qualified pool of candidates is crucial.
* Send postcards or emails to each applicant to acknowledge receipt of the resume. (State that if the candidate appears to be a good match for the position, relative to your other applicants, you will contact them to schedule an interview. If not, you will keep their application/resume on file for a year in case other opportunities arise.)

See the second half of the hiring employees checklist.Want to recruit and hire a superior workforce? This checklist for hiring employees will help you systematize your process for hiring employees, whether it's your first employee or one of many employees you are hiring. This hiring employees checklist helps you keep track of your recruiting efforts. This hiring employees checklist communicates both the recruiting and the hiring process and progress in recruiting to the hiring manager. You'll want to start with the first page of this checklist for hiring employees.

* Once you have developed a number of applicants for the position, screen resumes and/or applications against the prioritized qualifications and criteria established. Note that resume cover letters matter as you screen.
* Phone screen the candidates whose credentials look like a good fit with the position. Determine candidate salary requirements, if not stated with the application, as requested.
* Schedule qualified candidates, whose salary needs you can afford, for a first interview with the hiring supervisor and an HR representative, either in-person or on the phone. In all cases, tell the candidates the timeline you anticipate the interview process will take.
* Ask the candidate to fill out your official job application, upon their arrival for the interview.
* Give the candidate a copy of the job description to review.
* Hold screening interviews during which the candidate is assessed and and has the opportunity to learn about your organization and your needs.
* Fill out the Job Candidate Evaluation Form for each candidate interviewed.
* Meet to determine which (if any) candidates to invite back for a second interview.
* Determine the appropriate people to participate in the second round of interviews. This may include potential coworkers, customers, the hiring supervisor, the hiring supervisor’s manager and HR. Only include people who will impact the hiring decision.
* Schedule the additional interviews.
* Hold the second round of interviews with each interviewer clear about their role in the interview process. (Culture fit, technical qualifications, customer responsiveness and knowledge are several of the screening responsibilities you may want your interviewers to assume.)
* Candidates participate in any testing you may require for the position.
* Interviewers fill out the candidate rating form.
* Human Resources checks the finalists’ (people to whom you are considering offering the position) credentials, references and other qualifying documents and statements.
* Anyone who has stated qualifications dishonestly or who fails to pass the checks is eliminated as a candidate.
* Through the entire interviewing process, HR, and managers, where desired, stay in touch with the most qualified candidates via phone and email.
* Reach consensus on whether the organization wants to select any candidate (via informal discussion, a formal discussion meeting, HR staff touching base with interviewers, candidate rating forms, and so on). If dissension exists, the supervising manager should make the final decision.
* If no candidate is superior, start again to review your candidate pool and redevelop a pool if necessary.
* HR and the hiring supervisor agree on the offer to make to the candidate, with the concurrence of the supervisor’s manager and the departmental budget.
* Talk informally with the candidate about whether he or she is interested in the job at the offered salary and stated conditions. Make certain the candidate agrees that they will participate in a background check, a drug screen and sign a Non-compete Agreement or a Confidentiality Agreement, depending on the position. (This should have been signed off on the application.) If so, proceed with an offer letter. You can also make the job offer contingent on certain checks.
* If not, determine if negotiable factors exist that will bring the organization and the candidate into agreement. A reasonable negotiation is expected; a candidate that returns repeatedly to the company requesting more each time is not a candidate the company wants to hire.
* If the informal negotiation leads the organization to believe the candidate is viable, HR will prepare a written position offer letter from the supervisor that offers the position, states and formalizes the salary, reporting relationship, supervising relationships, and any other benefits or commitments the candidate has negotiated or the company has promised.
* The offer letter, the job description and the Company Non-Compete or Confidentiality Agreement are provided to the candidate.
* The candidate signs the offer documentation to accept the job or refuses the position.
* If yes, schedule the new employee's start date.
* If no, start again to review your candidate pool and redevelop a pool if necessary.

Employee and Applicant Accommodation Under ADA

A recent article about disability awareness and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) sparked some serious questions about how far an employer needs to go to accommodate an applicant or an employee with a disability. The answer is: as far as possible to accommodate the needs of a person with a disability so they can perform the core functions of their job.

Good employers are committed to keeping valued employees working. And, employers who value their employees will gladly help with an accommodation. What every employer worries about, though, is being scammed by a deadbeat employee who attempts to use the law to his or her advantage and the employer's disadvantage. This is why the employer can require a second, and even a third, medical opinion, when an employee requests an accommodation.

According to a BLR Human Resources training series, one in six Americans has some form of disability and many of them are hidden. With this in mind, accommodating employees with a disability is common, and you may not even know that your fellow employee needs or is using an accommodation. Since medical information is protected by HIPAA standards, Human Resources offices store medical-related information in files that are not accessible by anyone except HR staff.

The second most frequent question to arise when I teach about the ADA, FMLA, or other employment-type laws, is what constitutes an accommodation? As a result of the frequency of that question, I've put together these examples for your use. Some are accommodations an employer might make for applicants so the employer does not discriminate against certain disabilities in hiring. Most of these examples are ways in which employers have helped valued employees with a needed accommodation.

Examples of Applicant Accommodation
When dealing with applicants who may have a disability, an employer must only consider the person with a disability for positions for which they are qualified. An applicant who has a disability must be able to perform the essential functions of the job with the help of a reasonable work accommodation.

The employer does not have the obligation to hire a person with a disability before a person without a disability. They do, however, have the obligation not to discriminate against a person with a disability. The employer retains his or her right to choose the most qualified candidate. These are examples of accommodations an employer can make to fairly consider a candidate with a disability. You can learn more about the employer's obligation to accommodate from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

* Schedule an onsite interview with a qualified candidate who may have a hearing loss rather than requiring the person to pass a telephone screen first.

* Modify the job application process to allow a person with a disability to apply. Examples of this include providing large print, audio tape or Braille versions of the application or allowing a person to apply on a paper application when an online application is normally required, or vice versa.

* Provide a sign language interpreter or a reader during the interview process.

* Conduct interviews in a first floor office when an elevator is unavailable. Make sure that all areas required for the application process are accessible.

* Alter the format or the time allotted for a required test unless the test is measuring a skill that is an essential function of the job.

* Provide or modify equipment or devices that are necessary to perform the essential function of the job when that function is tested or assessed as part of the application process.

Examples of Employee Accommodation
Employers are required to make accommodation where possible to enable an employee to perform the essential functions of their job. Responsible, employee-oriented, employers care about how they are viewed as an employer by the individual, the individual's coworkers, and the community. Employers of choice make accommodations, whenever possible, for employees.

According to the ADA, "an employer is required to make a reasonable accommodation to the known disability of an employee if it would not impose an 'undue hardship' on the operation of the employer's business. Undue hardship is defined as an action requiring significant difficulty or expense when considered in light of factors such as an employer's size, financial resources, and the nature and structure of its operation.

"An employer is not required to lower quality or production standards to make an accommodation; nor is an employer obligated to provide personal use items such as glasses or hearing aids."

These are examples of accommodations an employer might make for a qualified employee.

* Modify the employee's work schedule in terms of hours, days, shifts, full- or part-time work, or starting and ending times.

* Provide a sign language interpreter or a reader when necessary at work for gatherings such as meetings and training sessions.

* Make sure that all areas the employee needs to enter to perform his or her job and to enjoy the equal benefits of employment are accessible.

* Alter the format or the time allotted for a required test for a promotion or other job change unless the test is measuring a skill that is an essential function of the job.

* Provide or modify equipment or devices that are necessary to perform the essential function of the job.

* Provide or modify equipment or devices that are necessary to perform the essential function of the job. Examples include teletype writers (TTYs) or telephone amplifiers, tactile markings on equipment, or special computer equipment.

* Adjust training materials or policies for an employee with a disability. As an example, allow telecommuting even though your policy requires an employee to have been employed for a year before telecommuting.

* Reassign an employee to an open position for which he or she is qualified.

* Enable the employee to perform their essential job functions by telecommuting from their home.

All of these ideas will help you accommodate valued employees who are experiencing a disabling condition. They ensure that the employee can continue to perform the essential functions of their job. And, that's a win-win for you.

Business Management Basics

One of the problems of running a small business is that the small business owner gets to do everything himself – at least until he can afford to hire other people. Business management can be a particularly thorny area for people who don’t have any management experience and/or aren't familiar with management basics.

These business management basics provide an outline of four areas of business management most critical to small businesses. For each business management bascis area, I’ve linked business articles that you can use to learn more about or brush up on that particular business management topic.

1) Money Management Basics

Is there anything more important to the success of your small business than managing the money? Money management should be your top business management priority.

Accounting
The first step in money management is tracking the money coming in and the money flowing out.

* Top Accounting Software Programs For Small Business
These top selling software programs simplify your small business accounting tasks, and provide all the reports and tools you need to effectively use your financial data.

* Before You Buy Accounting Software
Ease of use, the learning curve, and scalability are only some of the features you should consider when choosing an accounting software package that will meet the needs of your small business.

* Preparing A Balance Sheet
An explanation of the different sections of the balance sheet and a balance sheet template that you can use for your small business.

Cash Flow Management
Once you know how cash flows in and out of your small business, you’re ready to manage that flow.

* Cash Flow Management
A definition of cash flow management and an outline of the steps small businesses need to follow to develop a cash flow management system.

* Preparing Cash Flow Projections
An explanation of the difference between a cash flow statement and a cash flow projection, and a template that you can use to make cash flow projections for your small business.

* Close The Cash Flow Gap
The basics of cash flow management, including a simple way to make cash flow projections and how to improve your cash flow by shortening your cash flow conversion period.

* Doing Credit Checks Can Really Pay Off
Doing a credit check on a customer before you extend credit can save you money and buy you peace of mind. And the best credit check is an accurate credit report. Learn how and where to get credit reports in Canada.

Financing
Sooner or later, your business is going to need more money. From angel investors and private lenders through traditional sources of small business financing, figuring out where you’re going to get the money you need and managing your business’s debt is vital to good business management.

* Finding Small Business Financing
This guide to the different types of debt and equity financing will help you decide what kind of small business financing is right for you.

* How To Get A Small Business Loan
Increase your chances of getting a small business loan by being prepared to meet the lender's expectations. This explanation of the documents you need and how to prepare yourself will give you a better chance of making a winning presentation.

2) Business Planning Management Basics

While business planning is a huge part of business management, two aspects of business planning basics to focus on are managing the vision of your small business and protecting your small business from disaster.

Managing The Vision
Managing the vision means having long-range goals and objectives for your company and then planning how to achieve those goals. What do you want your small business to look like next year, three years, and five years down the road?

* What's a Vision Statement?
Get started crafting a vision statement that encapsulates your dream for your company's furture.
+ Quick-Start Business Planning
Put together a plan that will keep your business on track and invigorate your business over the course of the next year with this quick-start approach.
+ Setting Goals Is Just The First Step To Achievement
How to set specific goals that are designed to help you succeed and make it easy for you to evaluate your success. The secret is in the goal setting formula.
+ Advisory Boards - Management Power For Small Businesses
No business is too small to benefit from an Advisory Board and an Advisory Board can be a powerful management tool for your small business. Here's how to set up and use an Advisory Board.

Crisis/Disaster Management
Being prepared for the unexpected (and undesired) is another aspect of business management that you’ll want to devote some attention to.
+ Business Continuity Planning
A definition of business continuity planning with links to resources to help protect your business and manage crises.
+ Survive the Unthinkable Through Crisis Planning
About Management Guide F. John Reh provides an overview of crisis management and crisis communications.

There are two more business management basics on the next page. Click to continue reading.Continuing with business management basics, here's an outline of two other areas of business management that are most critical to small businesses. Once again, for each business management area, I’ve linked business articles that you can use to learn more about or brush up on that particular business management basics topic.

3) Human Resource Management Basics

Recruiting, retaining and firing employees, employee training, motivating employees, human resources planning – there’s a lot to do in this area of business management. But people are your number one resource.

* 7 Easier Ways to Find Employees
For small businesses that don’t have departments devoted to Human Resources, finding the right employees at the right times can be especially time-consuming and frustrating. Why not try one or more of these strategies for hiring employees the next time you have a position to fill? You may be surprised at how much shorter and more successful your hiring process becomes.

* People Power Your Small Business
About Human Resources Guide Susan M. Heathfield outlines a human resources framework for any business, highlighting solutions to the unique people opportunities and challenges small businesses face, such as hiring for growth and success, and orientation and training.

* The Right People in the Wrong Jobs
The key people on your team like being busy and feeling needed, says F. John Reh, yet they can easily burn out. Others are bored with being underutilized or unhappy being cross-trained. How you can make your people, and yourself, more productive and happier?

* Payroll Taxes
Everything you need to know about Canadian payroll taxes, from how to fill out the ROE to payroll deductions.

4) Resource Management Basics

Business management basics include managing the physical resources your small business needs to operate, such as data, equipment, supplies and inventory.

Data Management
Data is one of your business’s most valuable resources. How to set up filing systems, deal with receipts, email management, file management, document management and records management are all included in this business management topic.

* Protecting Your Business Data
Back it up is the first rule of data management. Learn how to establish a backup routine that will protect your critical business data from disaster.

* The Privacy Act (PIPEDA) and Your Small Business
As of January 1, 2004, all businesses in Canada must comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Here's what your small business needs to know about complying with the Privacy Act.

* Mastering Your Filing System
Though setting up a filing system sounds difficult, it is a relatively easy task that can be made easier by a few filing tips and tricks. Learn how to set up a filing system that helps you work swiftly and efficiently with these filing tips from Jill Chongva.

Equipment, Supplies and Inventory Management
Business management of equipment, supplies and inventory involves not only keeping equipment serviced and supplies and inventory at adequate levels, but using best business management practices to balance or decrease costs.

* Office Equipment and Office Machines
Information about the office equipment needed to run a small business, such as computer hardware and PDAs, office machines such as printers, copiers, and digital recorder transcribers and LCD projectors.

* Business Software
Business software including small business accounting software, backup software, business plan software, contact management software and tax software.

* Maximize Your Capital Cost Allowance Claim
Tips for making the most of your capital cost allowance income tax deduction for your depreciable property.

* How to Optimize Your Inventory
Lowering inventory costs is one of the quickest ways to substantially decrease working capital needs. Sam Lampropoulos explains how to improve your firm's inventory efficiency (About Logistics/Supply Chain).

Interim Human Resources Management - Reasons To Be Flexible

Growing numbers of employees want to work more flexibly in order to achieve a better balance between their jobs and the rest of their lives. But while growing numbers of organizations are trying to accommodate their employees’ requests, they are doing it not out of altruism but for good business reasons. Benefits range from increased motivation, productivity and retention, to better customer service and considerable reductions in both costs and CO2.

However, many employers still resist the strong business case for flexible working. They fear that staff working from home will shirk, and that customers will lose faith if they can’t talk to whom they want exactly when and where they want. Some employers believe that a desire to work flexibly implies a lack of commitment, that it is primarily a benefit for working mothers and that it will breed resentment among those who don’t work flexibly.

But these very attitudes represent the biggest obstacle to flexible working. Other key elements include winning the buy-in of line managers by showing them how it can benefit the team, the customer and the business; communicating flexible working as a benefit for everyone, not just women; having strong policies and practices; learning to trust employees; and, crucially, monitoring output, not input.

In companies such as DSGI, BT, Lloyds TSB and First Direct, which have been strong pioneers of flexible working, flexibility for front-line staff and management levels are managed quite differently. The firms provide an array of different flexible working options, including term-time or school hours working, evening or night working, compressed hours, home working and rolling shifts, and attempt to accommodate the needs of front-line staff as far as possible by scheduling them in against the requirements of the business on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.

However, when it comes to back office and central support functions, where people work in smaller teams, flexibility is managed more informally. Melissa Godfray, senior manager, equality and diversity at Lloyds TSB, says that good line management, reinforced by training - along with a big dose of common sense - are crucial.

"In our team, for example, we have a weekly location planner so that everyone - both internally and externally - knows where everyone else is and when they are available, even if it is on the phone or by email. And you should avoid scheduling meetings at 7.30 in the morning if some of the team can’t make it," she says. Indeed, some of the most senior and demanding jobs are being done on a flexible basis. Godfray says: "Our head of expatriate banking flies the world all the time, but works a compressed fortnight so that he can spend sensible chunks of time with his family when he’s in the UK."

Likewise, Caroline Waters, director, people and policy at BT Group, works from home one or two days a week, another BT senior executive works a compressed week and yet another works entirely from home. "We have examples at every level," says Waters. But managing flexible working successfully, particularly at management level and above, is also a matter of give and take, points out Godfray. "Staff might need to switch their day off from a Friday to a Monday, for example, to accommodate an important meeting, or be prepared to take an urgent call when they are at home."

They might also need to be flexible if, for some reason, their request for a given pattern of working is turned down. "But we encourage line managers not just to turn down a request outright, but to explore more workable alternatives. Giving individuals time to mull over a compromise solution is also important, because these things can be very emotive," says Godfray.

In these leading companies, flexible working is communicated as a benefit for all staff, not just working mothers, and take-up is the same among both men and women. "Communicating successful flexible working is enormously important too, and we take every opportunity to showcase the people - men and women at all levels - who do it," says Godfray. Working more flexibly doesn’t mean working less hard; it often means just the opposite. BT’s research shows that the average productivity of an individual working from home is 20% higher than when they are in the office. The growth of homeworking at BT delivers an additional £8m onto the bottom line every year. And the savings don’t stop there. Waters explains: "Since 2000 we have taken £500m off our real estate costs. Our return rate after maternity leave is 99% compared to the UK average of 40%, which saves us between £4m and £5m in recruitment costs. Overall, our staff turnover is 3% in an industry where 17-18% is the norm." People also travel less. "In one year alone we used 12m liters less fuel, saving £10m and 54,000 tonnes of CO2."

Flexible working is good for business, but for most organizations it requires a shift in mindset and culture.

Human Resource Management Outsourcing

Human resource management outsourcing is the one thing that can make the difference between efficient and inefficient employment of resources for businesses, especially small and medium-sized concerns. Resources not utilized fully could lead a business towards higher operating costs and loss. Setting apart a substantially large chunk of the company’s resources and income for an HR department prevents the resources from benefiting the company’s productivity and capacity for greater income generation.

A PEO or professional employer organization can take over the HR responsibilities of businesses, thereby enabling them to focus on their core tasks. The PEO enters into a co-employment relationship with the client company enabling the former to assume employer responsibilities. HR management services include:

Online HR software solutions
Employee self service
Screening and assessing of employees
Employee performance reviews
Benefit administration for employees
Health and safety programs for employees
Maintaining files of personnel
Developing and managing HR forms
Employee handbooks, workplace policies and procedures
Unemployment claims management services
Employee orientations
Termination assistance
Conflict resolution

Outsourcing these HR services enables the client company to utilize all its resources for its core responsibilities, the profit generating tasks. While employers assign tasks to their employees, the PEO takes care of staff management. All paperwork, claims processing, regulation compliance, and motivation programs are carried out by the PEO without interference with the functioning of the client company. The PEO also takes care of recruiting employees and is able to help the client company offer an attractive benefits package that would increase its influence in the job market.

Human resource management outsourcing is therefore a winning proposition, something that could set the client company on the right track towards satisfying customer expectations and increasing earnings.

Five Tips for Effective Employee Recognition

Employee recognition is not just a nice thing to do for people. Employee recognition is a communication tool that reinforces and rewards the most important outcomes people create for your business. When you recognize people effectively, you reinforce, with your chosen means of recognition, the actions and behaviors you most want to see people repeat. An effective employee recognition system is simple, immediate, and powerfully reinforcing.

When you consider employee recognition processes, you need to develop recognition that is equally powerful for both the organization and the employee. You must address five important issues if you want the recognition you offer to be viewed as motivating and rewarding by your employees and important for the success of your organization.
The Five Most Important Tips for Effective Recognition

You need to establish criteria for what performance or contribution constitutes rewardable behavior or actions.

* All employees must be eligible for the recognition.


* The recognition must supply the employer and employee with specific information about what behaviors or actions are being rewarded and recognized.


* Anyone who then performs at the level or standard stated in the criteria receives the reward.


* The recognition should occur as close to the performance of the actions as possible, so the recognition reinforces behavior the employer wants to encourage.


* You don't want to design a process in which managers "select" the people to receive recognition. This type of process will be viewed forever as "favoritism" or talked about as "it's your turn to get recognized this month." This is why processes that single out an individual, such as "Employee of the Month," are rarely effective.

A Working Example of Successful Recognition

A client company established criteria for rewarding employees. Criteria included such activities as contributing to company success serving a customer without being asked to help by a supervisor. Each employee, who meets the stated criteria, receives a thank you note, hand-written by the supervisor. The note spells out exactly why the employee is receiving the recognition.

The note includes the opportunity for the employee to "draw" a gift from a box. Gifts range from fast food restaurant gift certificates and candy to a gold dollar and substantial cash rewards. The employee draws the reward, so no supervisory interference is perceived. A duplicate of the thank you note goes into a periodic drawing for even more substantial reward and recognition opportunities.
More Tips About Recognition and Performance Management

* If you attach recognition to "real" accomplishments and goal achievement as negotiated in a performance development planning meeting, you need to make sure the recognition meets the above stated requirements. Supervisors must also apply the criteria consistently, so some organizational oversight may be necessary.

The challenge of individually negotiated goals is to make certain their accomplishment is viewed as similarly difficult by the organization for the process to be a success.


* People also like recognition that is random and that provides an element of surprise. If you thank a manufacturing group every time they make customer deliveries on time with a lunch, gradually the lunch becomes a "given" or an entitlement and is no longer rewarding.

In another organization, the CEO traditionally bought lunch for all employees every Friday. Soon, he had employees coming to him asking to be reimbursed for lunch if they ate lunch outside of the company on a Friday. His goal of team building turned into a "given" or an entitlement and he was disappointed with the results.


* There is always room for employee reward and recognition activities that generally build positive morale in the work environment. The Pall Corporation, in Ann Arbor, MI, has had a "smile team" that meets to schedule random, fun employee recognition events. They have decorated shop windows, with a prize to the best, for a holiday.

They sponsor ice cream socials, picnics, the "boss" cooks day, and so on, to create a rewarding environment at work. Another company holds an annual costume wearing and judging along with a lunch potluck every Halloween.

Rewards and recognition that help both the employer and the employee get what they need from work are a win-win situation. Make this the year you plan a recognition process that will "wow" your staff and "wow" you with its positive outcomes. Avoid the employee recognition traps that:

* single out a few employees who are mysteriously selected for the recognition,
* sap the morale of the many who failed to understand the criteria enough to compete and win, and
* sought votes or other personalized, subjective criteria to determine winners.

Top Ten Ways to Show Appreciation to Employees

You can tell your colleagues, coworkers and employees how much you value them and their contribution any day of the year. Trust me. No occasion is necessary. In fact, small surprises and tokens of your appreciation spread throughout the year help the people in your work life feel valued all year long.

Looking for ideas about how to praise and thank coworkers and employees? Here are ten ways to show your appreciation to employees and coworkers.

* Praise something your coworker has done well. Identify the specific actions that you found admirable.

* Say "thank you." Show your appreciation for their hard work and contributions. And, don't forget to say "please" often as well. Social niceties do belong at work. A more gracious, polite workplace is appreciated by all.

* Ask your coworkers about their family, their hobby, their weekend or a special event they attended. Your genuine interest - as opposed to being nosey – causes people to feel valued and cared about.

* Offer staff members flexible scheduling for the holidays, if feasible. If work coverage is critical, post a calendar so people can balance their time off with that of their coworkers.


* Know your coworker’s interests well enough to present a small gift occasionally. An appreciated gift, and the gesture of providing it, will light up your coworker’s day.

* If you can afford to, give staff money. End of the year bonuses, attendance bonuses, quarterly bonuses and gift certificates say "thank you" quite nicely. TechSmith staff receive a percentage of their annual salary for their end of year bonus.

* Almost everyone appreciates food. Take coworkers or staff to lunch for a birthday, a special occasion or for no reason at all. Let your guest pick the restaurant.

* Create a fun tradition for a seasonal holiday. ReCellular employees draw names for their Secret Santa gift exchange. Alison Doyle, About's Guide to Job Searching, also works in Career Services at Skidmore College where they do a "gift grab" at their holiday party.

LuAnn Johnson who works in Human Resources at the Schaller Anderson Mercy Care Plan says, "We celebrate Treat Tuesday, every Tuesday between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We match up departments or people who don't normally work together as a unit and assign a day to provide gooey, healthy or scrumptious treats for the other groups. It's a great mixer, an opportunity to show off our culinary skills and a morale builder - to say nothing of the sugar high!"

* Bring in bagels, doughnuts or another treat for staff and coworkers. Offerings such as cookies or cupcakes, that you've baked personally, are a huge hit. (Have you tried baking cupcakes in ice cream cones? People love them.) Another hit? Bring chocolate - chocolate anything.

* Last, but not least, provide opportunity. People want chances for training and cross-training. They want to participate on a special committee where their talents are noticed. They like to attend professional association meetings and represent your organization at civic and philanthropic events.



These are my top ten ways to show appreciation to employees and coworkers. Stretch your imagination. There are hundreds of other employee and coworker appreciation ideas just waiting to be found. They'll bring you success in employee motivation, employee recognition and in building a positive, productive workplace.

Memorable Firsts in Human Resources Management

Anyone who works in human resources management knows that the job comes with great joys and great sorrows. And all along the way, memorable first moments with people occur. Sometimes you feel prepared for the moments; some sneak up and surprise you. But whatever memorable human resources management moment you are experiencing for the first time, these resources will help you. Hire an employee, fire an employee, give an employee a pay raise, or perform performance improvement coaching. Your interactions with people will never be boring when you practice in any field of human resources management.

Outsource Human Resource Management

Businesses need to outsource human resource management services in order to succeed in the fiercely competitive corporate sector. Businesses can enter into a relationship with a PEO that takes care of the entire HR responsibilities of the client company. The PEO relationship is called a co-employment relationship and involves an allocation in the contract that enables the PEO to share the client company’s employer responsibilities. This is partnership in its entirety.

The co-employment relationship automatically implies that the PEO contractually assumes some of the employer rights and takes over the risks and responsibilities associated with employees. PEOs themselves maintain an employer relationship at the worksite with the employees of the client companies. In matters relating to work, the client company maintains its control over the employees, while all other matters are taken over by and communicated with the PEO. In other words, the PEO ensures:

the right workforce is recruited

an attractive benefits package is offered

the recruited individuals work to the best of their ability

they stay motivated

their paycheck (out of the PEO’s account) is handed out regularly on time

the relationship between employees is maintained

employee grievances are taken care of

workers’ compensation claims are handled

federal and state government regulation is maintained by the company

employees are trained onsite

employee safety programs are administered

termination process is carried out when required

This leaves the employer or the client company to deal only with the operational side of its business – streamlining business processes, improving production, reducing unnecessary costs, and eventually bringing about greater earnings. When companies outsource human resource management to PEOs, they are left with all the resources, time, energy and workforce to concentrate on placing themselves on the top rung of the market in the midst of fierce competition and the vagaries of the economy.

Human Resource Management

Human resource (or personnel) management, in the sense of getting things done through people. It's an essential part of every manager's responsibilities, but many organizations find it advantageous to establish a specialist division to provide an expert service dedicated to ensuring that the human resource function is performed efficiently.

"People are our most valuable asset" is a cliché which no member of any senior management team would disagree with. Yet, the reality for many organizations is that their people remain

* under valued
* under trained
* under utilized
* poorly motivated, and consequently
* perform well below their true capability

The rate of change facing organizations has never been greater and organizations must absorb and manage change at a much faster rate than in the past. In order to implement a successful business strategy to face this challenge, organizations, large or small, must ensure that they have the right people capable of delivering the strategy.

The market place for talented, skilled people is competitive and expensive. Taking on new staff can be disruptive to existing employees. Also, it takes time to develop 'cultural awareness', product/ process/ organization knowledge and experience for new staff members.

As organizations vary in size, aims, functions, complexity, construction, the physical nature of their product, and appeal as employers, so do the contributions of human resource management. But, in most the ultimate aim of the function is to: "ensure that at all times the business is correctly staffed by the right number of people with the skills relevant to the business needs", that is, neither overstaffed nor understaffed in total or in respect of any one discipline or work grade.
Functional overview and strategy for HRM

These issues motivate a well thought out human resource management strategy, with the precision and detail of say a marketing strategy. Failure in not having a carefully crafted human resources management strategy, can and probably will lead to failures in the business process itself.

This set of resources are offered to promote thought, stimulate discussion, diagnose the organizational environment and develop a sound human resource management strategy for your organization. We begin by looking at the seven distinguishable function human resource management provide to secure the achievement of the objective defined above.

Following on from this overview we look at defining a human resource strategy.

Finally, some questions are posed in the form of a HRM systems diagnostic checklist for you to consider, which may prove helpful for you to think about when planning your development programs for the human resources in your organization, if they are truely "your most valuable asset."