Human resource services involve more than just accepting resumes or issuing paychecks. Today, human resources management includes everything from interviewing prospective employees to evaluating current staff members, and developing retention and incentive programs that will encourage workers to stay with the company. Because human resources responsibilities include such a variety of tasks, even veteran HR managers may need training for human resources management to brush up on their skills. And employees new to human resource planning need HR information that will help them keep up with this constantly changing field.

Training options for human resource management jobs include:

1. Hiring a consulting firm or coach to conduct on-site assessment and human resource management training.
2. Sending your HR staff to seminars, workshops and classes.
3. Using videos, online courses and other "do-it-yourself" training tools.
   

Action Steps for Working with Human Resources Management Consultants
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Seek human resources information from consultants or coaches

If you want to train your entire human resources staff, or make changes to the entire department, you may need to hire a consultant or coach. These human resources companies usually include an assessment as part of their process, followed by recommendations and even help in implementing these suggestions. This option is sometimes more expensive, but also more personalized than other methods.

I recommend: Find a company that specializes in human resource management issues, such as ITM Consulting, The Williams Group or HR Consultants.

Send employees to human resource management training

A human resources class, seminar or workshop offers employees structured training and guidance from an instructor. Many of these programs focus on a specific topic, and so are ideal if there's a narrow area that needs improvement, rather than a major overhaul of management style.

I recommend: The American Management Association offers seminars in human resource management, ranging from basic skills to more advanced topics. HR employees can prepare for their certification with the Society for Human Resource Management's Learning System.

Conduct your own training with videos or an online human resources class

If your employees' skills are basically sound, but they could use a refresher, consider purchasing training videos or kits, or using online courses. With these you can train your entire management team in-house, without trying to budget for expensive tuition or consulting fees, and without using work hours to meet with a coach or send employees to a two- or three-day class.

I recommend: HR.com offers one-hour webcast training that you can watch live or download, and which qualifies participants for HR Certification Institute recertification credits. Cornell University offers online human resource management through its eCornell program.

Tips & Tactics for Getting the Most from Human Resources Management Consultants

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you've never conducted human resource management training, ask employees for feedback after the program, so you can make changes before you create an ongoing training program.

Most businesses with fewer than 50 employees don't have a designated human resources (HR) manager, let alone a full-fledged HR department. Instead, business owners often hand off HR tasks to employees who have little or no experience in the arena or simply tack them on in addition to an employee's regular job requirements.

Either way, these methods don't produce the best results. A better solution, which more and more small businesses are discovering, is outsourcing HR tasks to professional employer organizations (PEOs). PEOs can handle a single HR assignment or cover the gamut of HR duties. Outsourcing your HR needs can:

1. Reduce labor costs
2. Allow owners and managers to focus on core competencies
3. Improve compliance with state and federal laws and regulations
4. Increase productivity
5. Eliminate employer liability
6. Increase employee retention

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get to know PEOs

PEOs provide a wide range of HR services, including: payroll; risk management (workers comp, safety inspections); HR management (recruiting, hiring); and employee benefits (health care, 401(k) administration).

I recommend: Discover how to select a PEO at the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO), which also includes a search function to find a PEO in your area. StaffMarket.com provides an overview of the various types of PEOs, the services they provide and their pricing methods. HROplus offers free assistance in helping businesses locate the best PEO for their needs.

Outsource employee benefits administration

By outsourcing benefits administration, you not only save time, but you also gain bargaining power for competitive rates in health and dental plans, flexible spending accounts, 401K plans, employee assistance plans and life insurance.

I recommend: TriNet offers all benefits administration and manages annual enrollment for companies large and small. Administaff handles adoption assistance, credit union membership and educational assistance in addition to typical employee benefits, such as health and dental plans.

Outsource recruiting and hiring

Streamline the process of hiring new employees by outsourcing the recruiting process.

I recommend: Locate headhunters, executive recruiters and staffing agencies in your area by searching the Headhunters.com directory. Find out how to choose a staffing firm at the American Staffing Association (ASA) Web site. Search the ASA database by location, type of placement and occupational category to find a staffing agency that fits your needs.

Outsource risk management

Risk management refers to the development and administration of safety programs and workers compensation programs.

I recommend: Workforce Solutions provides job site safety inspections, development of safety and workers compensation programs and assistance in OSHA record-keeping. HR By The Hour supplies HR support as you need it in areas such as sexual harassment training, legal terminations and preventing employee lawsuits.

Outsource payroll

Handing off payroll functions is one of the oldest forms of HR outsourcing and also one of the most important.

I recommend: ADP, one of the leading payroll companies, has a small business division that provides the specific services, tools and resources you need. SurePayroll offers online payroll management for small businesses and enables you or a manager to input employee hours and, within minutes, print checks or have money direct-deposited.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  By hiring a PEO, you aren't relinquishing control. PEOs will simply provide HR support for you and will consult with you in making decisions.
• •  To decide if you can afford to outsource, make a list of all of the administrative HR tasks that you and your staff currently perform, the time they require and what isn't getting done. Then assess how much this time costs in the form of man-hours to determine what you're currently paying for HR. Also take into consideration the discounts and better rates a PEO can obtain for numerous benefits.
• •  Make sure your PEO is a member of NAPEO; members are provided with up-to-date laws and regulations for HR issues.
• •  If you can only afford to outsource one task, make sure it's the one that's the most time-consuming or the one where the most mistakes could be made, such as payroll and tax withholding.

Human resource planning requires an understanding of everything from building employee morale to complying with employment law. Fortunately, although human resources responsibilities are growing more complex, the sources available for HR information and assistance have also increased.

Whether you're new to human resource services, or a veteran HR manager, researching human resource management basics can help you become a more efficient and effective leader. In nearly any business, human resources management basics include:

1. Joining a professional organization for human resource management professionals.
2. Researching employment law, including policies regarding wages, working conditions and discrimination.
3. Enhancing management skills through a human resources class.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find human resources information through professional associations

By joining a professional association for human resources or management professionals, you can network with and learn from other human resource managers. Many associations organize seminars, workshops and other training available only to members, as well as helping them stay informed on the issues affecting their industry.

I recommend: Members of the Society for Human Resource Management can attend conferences, receive email updates, watch and listen to webcasts and podcasts, consult the online knowledge center, and receive the organization's magazine, newsletters and reports. If you work in human resources in federal, state or local government, you can join the International Public Management Association for Human Resources.

Research the laws governing human resources management

A thorough understanding of employment law is essential to succeeding in human resource management jobs. The HR department must ensure that company policies comply with state and federal law, including anti-discrimination laws and laws regarding wages and working conditions.

I recommend: Consult elaws, an online compliance tool offered to workers and small businesses by the U.S. Department of Labor. Sign up for free daily or weekly e-newsletters from the Employment Law Information Network, designed for human resource professionals and lawyers.

Strengthen your human resource management skills through management training

Management training can help you with everything from employee evaluations to team building, and is available through seminars and workshops, on-site training, online courses and videos or DVDs. Many of these training programs also qualify you for professional certification.

I recommend: The American Management Association offers seminars in human resource management, from essential skills to more specialized topics such as employee retention, project management and managing organizational change. HR.com offers webcasts in a wide variety of topics related to human resource management, including succession planning, employee confidence and competency assessments.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You can consult human resources companies for assistance with most human resources management basics. Consulting or coaching companies can help you set up or change your own human resources department, and third-party firms can handle your human resource tasks for you.

Human resources management, or HR management, is a vital asset to all medium and large companies. The HR department handles a variety of tasks for the company, including employee benefits, training, discipline and other tasks that work directly with the employees of the company. An HR manager needs a number of skills in order to run an efficient, organized HR department. These skills include organization, multi-tasking, knowledge of professional development and leadership skills.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Employment law

Employment law is a set of laws that affect workplace conduct and fair practices. Some types of laws set forth for employment issues include affirmative action, discrimination and employee benefits.

I recommend: The Employment Law Information Network is a resource for HR staff and managers that offers news and educational information on a variety of federal and state employment law issues.

Retention

Retention is the process of keeping skilled, successful employees at a specific company. Retention can succeed with perks and benefits for the employee, including vacation time, sick leave and recognition programs.

I recommend: HR Hero offers a number of articles related to employee retention and motivation.

Competency assessment

A competency assessment is a measure of the performance of an individual employee based on criteria that meets the requirements for what a company deems as standard performance.

I recommend: Career Training offers detailed information on competency assessments in the workplace and how they can find the strengths and weaknesses in employees.

Employee development, human resources development

Employee development is the specific education and training of new employees. Employee development can also refer to an employee's continued education or retraining.

I recommend: The Society for Human Resources Management offers many educational resources to learn more about organizational and employee development through a company's HR office.

Performance review

A performance review is a written evaluation of an employee's success to show how well he or she has performed for a specific amount of time. This is given to the employee and used as a learning tool on areas where the employee needs to improve.

I recommend: Performance Review offers written examples of performance reviews for a variety of positions.

Succession planning

Succession planning is another way that HR management can help employees determine their strengths and weaknesses. Succession planning is a way top executives are evaluated by senior management. This helps to prepare backup options for senior officials in the company.

I recommend: The National Center for State Courts offers frequently asked questions about succession planning and how human resource management is involved in the process.