Employee Management for Small Business

by Grensing-Pophal, Lin

• ISBN13: 9781551806433
• ISBN10: 1551806436
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-08-31
• Publisher: Natl Book Network

Summary

Whether a business has one or 100 employees, Employee Management for Small Business provides the tools and knowledge to take an active and positive approach to maintaining an effective human resources plan.Finding and keeping good employees is crucial to the success of every business. Small-business owners today have the opportunity to select and nurture employees who will closely fit their company's culture and objectives. Finding and keeping those employees is not easy. This book will show small-business owners how by developing a human resources plan tailored for their needs.From hiring and orientation to developing company policies and negotiating employment contracts, this book covers the essentials of employee management. Each topic is explained in simple language and is illustrated with real-world examples, checklists, and forms. The bonus CD-ROM includes all the forms a small-business will need to manage their human resources.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Do You Really Need a New Employee?	1	(5)
Why Hiring Isn't Always the Answer	1	(1)
Alternatives to Hiring	2	(4)
Preparing for Hiring	6	(15)
Determining What You Need	6	(3)
Determining the Requirements of a Position	9	(2)
Where Do You Look for Help?	11	(6)
Developing Your Recruitment Ad	17	(4)
The Law --- What You Need to Know	21	(13)
The Best Person for the Job	22	(1)
Guidelines in the United States	23	(7)
Guidelines in Canada	30	(4)
The Application Form and Resume	34	(13)
Application Forms	34	(6)
Resumes	40	(3)
Narrowing It Down	43	(4)
The Interview	47	(17)
Types of Interviews	48	(1)
Stages of the Interview	49	(3)
Setting up the Interview Framework	52	(7)
Using the Past to Predict the Future	59	(5)
Questioning Skills	64	(16)
Developing Rapport	64	(2)
Effective Listening Techniques	66	(1)
Observing Nonverbal Cues	67	(2)
Ten Common Questions	69	(3)
A Grab Bag of Questions	72	(2)
Conducting Legal Interviews	74	(3)
Tips for Making Your Interviews Foolproof	77	(3)
Checking --- and Giving --- References	80	(11)
Why Reference Checks Are Important	80	(1)
Why You May Legally be Required to Obtain References	81	(1)
The Catch: Why Many Companies Are Hesitant to Give References	81	(1)
Avoiding the Catch-22: How to Break the Barriers and Get Good Information	82	(2)
Methods of Checking References	84	(4)
How to Establish a Program for Giving Useful Information	88	(3)
Making Your Selection	91	(9)
Common Selection Measures	91	(1)
Common Selection Criteria	92	(1)
Steps to Error-Free Selection Decisions	93	(1)
The Ten Most Common Selection Mistakes	93	(7)
Starting Employees on the Right Track	100	(18)
Making the Offer	100	(2)
Orientation and Training	102	(8)
Goals, Roles, and Reporting Lines	110	(3)
Maintaining Ongoing Contact	113	(3)
Violence in the Workplace	116	(2)
Employee Contracts and Covenants	118	(10)
Trademarks, Patents, and Copyright	119	(1)
Who Owns It?	120	(1)
Employment-at-Will	121	(1)
Employment Contracts	121	(3)
Nondisclosure Agreements	124	(1)
Noncompetition Agreements	125	(3)
Company Policies	128	(13)
Why Does My Company Need a Personnel Manual?	129	(1)
Watch Your Language	130	(4)
The Handbook As a Contractual Document	134	(2)
The Legal Review	136	(1)
Living by the Book	136	(3)
Some Dos and Don'ts of Preparing Your Employee Handbook	139	(2)
Issues Related to Pay and Work Hours	141	(10)
Issues of Money and Hours of Work	141	(5)
Rates of Pay	146	(5)
Benefit Administration	151	(9)
Commonly Provided Benefits	152	(5)
Flexible Benefit Programs	157	(2)
Low Cost/No Cost Benefits	159	(1)
Communicating Benefits	159	(1)
Dealing with Employee Absenteeism	160	(10)
Trends in Absenteeism	161	(2)
Examining Absenteeism	163	(1)
Your Absenteeism Policy	164	(1)
Combating Absenteeism	165	(2)
Dealing with Individual Employees	167	(3)
Performance Evaluation	170	(25)
Job Standards	170	(2)
Establishing Goals	172	(4)
Feedback	176	(5)
Formal Evaluation	181	(14)
When Employees Become Problems	195	(23)
How to Create a Problem Employee	195	(4)
Addressing Poor Performance	199	(3)
The Disciplinary Conference	202	(1)
Disciplinary Procedures	203	(1)
Separation Anxiety	204	(5)
When You Don't Want Them to Go	209	(4)
Exit Interviews	213	(5)
Maintaining a Fully Functioning Workforce	218
Individuals Have Individual Needs	218	(1)
The Power of Communication	219	(2)
Harvesting the Gold: How to Get Good Ideas from Your Employees	221	(3)
Involvement in Decision Making	224	(2)
Maintaining High Employee Morale	226