Mary B. Holihan - 365 Answers about Human Resources for the Small Business Owner: What Every Manager Need to Know about Workplace Law

This book provides important information for a new HR professional. Many of the questions regarding the interviewing process are also vital to those who are looking for positions.

Gloria Pincu, President, Basic Learning Systems, Inc., Asheville, NC

The book has more than 365 answers, it is quite comprehensive, from A to Z. It is evident that it is well-researched since it targets the details an entrepreneur needs to have a solid HR foundation and manage the staff while complying with federal and state regulations. It should be on the shelf within arms reach of the owner or HR Manager.

David H. Arechiga, DHA Associates, since 1988, Human Resources Consultants, HR solutions, Ret. Administrator, Human Resources at Columbia University

This book is great for the small business owner who wears many hats, one being that of the HR Director. You will get the information you need to manage your personnel issues successfully, without the added expense of a HR person. Well worth the investment.

Ken Patterson Sr., ASM/EMT/PSM/CSSO,

As an entrepreneur who has started several successful businesses over the years, I have dealt with hiring, firing, and all of the personnel management work that goes in between that tries to compensate, motivate, protect, and control my employees. With the laws constantly changing, I never knew the latest rules, and I learned through trial and error. This book would have saved me many sleepless nights, stressful meetings with tearful employees, and trips to my lawyers office. Why learn from my own mistakes when I could have learned from the experts through this book? I would rather refocus all of that wasted time and energy on growing my business. For me, the decision is clear - buy this book!

Kevin Aguanno, Executive Project Manager, IBM

What Every Manager Needs to Know About Workplace Law

by Mary B. Holihan

365 Answers About Human Resources for the Small Business
Owner: What Every Manager Needs to Know About Workplace Law

Copyright 2006 by Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1210 SW 23rd Place Ocala, Florida 34474 800-814-1132 352-622-5836Fax
Web site: SAN Number: 268-1250

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be sent to Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc., 1210 SW 23rd Place, Ocala, Florida 34474.

ISBN-13: 978-0-910627-78-8
ISBN-10: 0-910627-78-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Holihan, Mary B., 1947

365 Answers About Human Resources for the Small Business Owner: What Every Manager Needs to Know About Work Place Law / Mary B. Holihan.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-910627-78-9 (978-0-910627-78-8)

1. Small business--Personnel Management. 2. Labor Laws and Legislation.

3. Personnel Management. I. Title. II. Title: Three Hundred and Sixty-Five

Answers About Human Resources for the Small Business Owner.

HF5549.H5237 2006

658.3--dc22

2006012536

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

Chapter One
The Role of Human ResourceManagement

Chapter Two
Developing a Personnel Policy

Chapter Three
Job DescriptionsKnow What You Need Before Your Interview

Chapter Four
The Recruiting Process

Chapter Five
Interviewing Candidates

Chapter Six
The Hiring Process

Chapter Seven
Orientation, Training and Career Development

Chapter Eight
Communicating with Employees

Chapter Nine
Evaluating and Motivating Performance

Chapter Ten
Discrimination and Fair Treatment

Chapter Eleven
Establishing Compensation Plans

Chapter Twelve
Employee Retention

Chapter Thirteen
Employee Benefits

Chapter Fourteen
Privacy and Employee Records

Chapter Fifteen
Employee Safety and Health

Chapter Sixteen
Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining

Chapter Seventeen
Performance Problems, Discipline Procedures, and Termination

As a business owner, you create the future vision for your company, you develop strategies for taking the company there, and then you communicate the actions required for pursuing those strategies. You are the one driving the business to success.

To make this work, you need to understand the unique skills and attributes of your employees and then make sure that you have assigned the right person to the right job to help you achieve your objectives. However, as your business grows, this personal knowledge of your employees becomes harder and harderat some point, you may not know all of your employees well enough to make the correct judgment calls.

That is where human resources managers come in. They are the bridge between your business strategies and the staff who will execute those strategies. They help you determine your staffing needs, find suitable job candidates, interview them, and then make the right selections. They help draft performance evaluation, compensation and benefits plans, employee motivation schemes and training and career programs to ensure that your employees keep improving their skills and capabilities to match the changes in your business. They protect the employees through discrimination, privacy, and health and safety policies. And when things go wrong, they handle labor relations, discipline procedures, and employee termination. These human resources generalists may seem like miracle workers, but they are the lifeblood of most growing businesses.

But when your business is too small to hire a human resources professional, what then? Most small businesses struggle with human resources issues; some even get in legal trouble for breaking rules they did not even know existed. Workplace law is not a simple subject, and the regulations are changing frequently. It is hard for any business owner to stay on top of it all.

So, what do you do? Do you develop your own human resources skills or hire a human resources manager? The decision comes down to funding and time: Can you afford to pay the salary of a professional human resources manager, and how much time can you afford to waste on resolving human resources issues yourself when you should be focusing on leading your business toward achieving its strategic objective?