John Mcconnell - Auditing Your Human Resources Department: A Step-by-Step Guide to Assessing the Key Areas of Your Program

Second Edition

A Step-by-Step Guide to Assessing the Key Areas of Your Program

JOHN H. M C CONNELL

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McConnell, John H.
Auditing your human resources department : a step-by-step guide to assessing the key areas of

your program / John H. McConnell. -- 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Rev. ed. of: Auditing your human resources department : a step-by-step guide. 2001.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-1661-7
ISBN-10: 0-8144-1661-6
1. Personnel departments--Auditing. 2. Personnel management--Auditing. I. Title.
HF5549.M33954 2011
658.3--dc22

2010049940

2011 John H. McConnell.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.

This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

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Printing number

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For over 75 years, the American Management Association has been providing services and products to improve the skills and knowledge of professional managers. These have included workshops, seminars, training courses, consulting, research studies, and publications.

In the 1970s, AMACOM (AMAs publishing division) developed a series of self-evaluation guides for major organizational functions. One of those was How to Audit the Personnel Department. The book was used extensively by professional managers, human resources professionals, college professors, and consultants.

By the early 1980s, personnels role within organizations had evolved to that of a strategic partner and equal member of senior management. Simultaneously, its name changed to human resources to more accurately describe its enhanced function.

Users of the book requested a new version that reflected these changes, and in 1986 a second edition, How to Audit the Human Resources Department, was published. The edition used the same self-evaluating format as the original, but the content was updated. That edition proved to be even more useful.

Human resources continued to evolve strategically and professionally. By 1999, it was recognized that another version of the book was needed. That edition retained the self-evaluation process but created a completely new and more user-friendly format.

Now, 11 years later, human resources has established itself as an integral and vital partner in an organizations strategic planning and operations. Its level of professionalism has increased, and the function now uses complex systems and metrics to implement and measure performance. Responding to these changes, AMACOM recognizes the need for an updated self-audit of human resources.

This edition recognizes the many changes that have occurred in human resources since 1999. It has retained the self-audit procedure but provides for more complex responses. Simultaneously, the scoring system has been revised to reflect the increased professionalism and sophistication of the function, and it makes use of technology developments to simplify the audit process while allowing for a more comprehensive evaluation. In addition, the procedure for customizing the results for your organization has been expanded, and additional information has been provided for creating appropriate development plans.

All of these changes have been made to increase the usefulness of the audit.

We believe this new edition will be a major assist for anyone interested in arriving at a realistic evaluation of the human resources function and in developing specific programs for making maximum use of their human resources strengths and correcting areas needing improvement.

To further assist, the book is accompanied by a CD-ROM, which contains the key areas of the auditing process: The Categories and the four audit steps.

A unique feature of every edition of this self-audit series has been the use of an Advisory Board of human resources professionals. Members have been selected to reflect geographic, industry, and organizational diversity of our readers, and all have knowledge of human resources and experience as human resources professionals.

The Advisory Board:

Performs reviews and defines the audit categories.

Develops questions, responses, and evaluations.

Ensures the relevancy and practicality of the final audit.

Contributes to the rationale of the evaluations.

This information provides a series of benchmarks against which responses can be compared.

This edition includes selected information and recommendations from all who have served as Advisory Board members for all editions. Their position titles and biographies are as per the last edition for which they specifically served on an Advisory Board, but in some instances they have moved on to other positions or acquired additional experience.

To all the Advisory Board members, AMACOM and the author express their appreciation. Their contributions of time and expertise have made this human resources audit a valuable tool that can be used in your efforts to continually improve your human resources department.

R. Brayton Bowen is president of The Howland Group, a human resources and change management consulting firm. He previously held senior human resources management positions with General Mills and Providian. He holds a BA and MA from Brown University. He is a contributing faculty member for Seton Hall Universitys Systemwide Leadership Development, cofeatured on the management video series Management Speaks, host and coproducer of a five-part documentary on Anger in the Workplace, and has published articles in Industry Week and Retail Review. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants.

Ralph J. Brown is a management consultant specializing in human resources systems. His former positions have included director of employee relations for Philip Morris USA, director of management information systems for Flintkote, Inc., and director of personnel and administration for Wolverine Tube Division of Allied Signal. He holds a BA from Wayne State University and is a frequent speaker and seminar leader.