HR 101: Human Resource Dos and Don’ts

1. HR 101: Human Resource Dos and Don’ts Presented by Brian Walters, MBA, CBA The Summit Medina Business Alliance For: The Hudson Library and Historical Society Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship Research November 9, 2011

2. Introduction • Summit Medina Business Alliance (SMBA) Competencies • What this session will include • What this session will not include

3. HR 101 • What does the term Human Resource mean to you? • Hiring? • Firing? • Providing Benefit Packages? • Managing Laws/Rules? • Interfering with Business Units? • Any thing else?

4. HR 101 • Human Resources (HR) must: • Understand the business model • Revenue and cost drivers • Non Revenue drivers • Come out of their “tower” • Communicate all HR policies and procedures • Honestly • Candidly

5. HR 101: HR Must • Create transparent policies and procedures • Most critical? • Performance Appraisal/Review System • Develop HR and people skills in management ranks • WHY?

6. HR 101: HR Must • Listen to employees and management • Accept feedback from the correct perspective • Measure its performance • In qualitative terms • In quantitative terms • Use an external source for credible results

7. HR 101: HR Must Not • Be inaccessible and unapproachable • Create bureaucratic procedures • Involve itself with mundane tasks • Outsource them • Payroll • Benefits Admin • Always present a management view • If no union, HR must represent employees

8. HR 101 • HR Department/Employment Process • Job Description • Hiring • Interviewing • Motivating • Appraisal/Review • Managing Poor Performance • Employee Exit • Firing • Retiring

9. HR 101: Job Description • Do: • Use a factual/impersonal style • Base the description on the departments needs • Be accurate, concise, and complete • Use complete sentences • Begin each duty/task with and action verb • Achieve • Augment • Organize • Strategize • Conduct • Implement • Develop • Negotiate

10. HR 101: Job Description • Do: • Be careful and consistent if using “may” and “occasionally” • Why? • Refer to job titles rather than persons in a position • “reports to Regional Manager” • Not • “reports to Gene Simmons”

11. HR 101: Job Description • Do: • Be precise, succinct • Critical for accurate job evaluation and analysis • Focus on critical activities • Use a logical flow when describing duties/responsibilities

12. HR 101: Job Description • Don’t: • Use a narrative writing form • Base the content on capabilities, skills of any one person • Write the description as a guide on how to do the job • Include minor or occasional tasks

13. HR 101: Job Description • Example: • Position Details • Job Duties • What you do • Performance Standards • How you do it • Job factors

14. HR 101: Job Description • Position Details • Working Title • Main function or role of the position • Be specific • Examples: • Program Director • Help Desk Support Analyst • Business Manager

15. HR 101: Job Description • Job Description Summary • Contains 1-3 Paragraphs • Summarizes the main points of the job description • Responsibilities • Functions • Duties • Education/Experience • Travel Necessity

16. HR 101: Job Description • Job Duties • Foundation of the Job Description • Outlines: • Complexity • Scope • Level of responsibility • Composed of three main elements: • Key Accountabilities (main areas of responsibility) • Use 3-5 Key Accountabilities

17. HR 101: Job Description • Job Duties • Duty Statements • Provide additional information on Key Accountability tasks • Percentage of Time • Estimates a portion of time spent on each Key Accountability

18. HR 101: Job Description • Performance Standards Section • Conveys the expectations of the position • Depicts the human capital necessary to be successful • Provides a basis for measuring performance • One section for each Key Accountability

19. HR 101: Job Description • Job Factors • Outlines the knowledge and skills necessary • Education • Analytical skills needed • Level and nature of internal contacts • Level and nature of external contacts

20. HR 101: Hiring/Interviewing • Do: • Use someone experienced in interviewing • WHY? • Listen Actively and with empathy • Not all can do this • Make an interview a conversation • Discuss any pressures associated with the position • Overtime • Priorities • Deadlines

21. HR 101: Hiring/Interviewing • Do: • Outline specific duties of the position • Talk about necessity for additional training • Refer to facts relevant to the applicants future performance

22. HR 101: Hiring/Interviewing • Don’t: • Ask the following: • Where were you born? • Is your name Irish, Italian, Jewish, etc? • Are you married? • Do you plan to have children? • What does your husband/wife/mother/father do for a living? • Do you live alone? • Where do you go to church? • Do you have a sitter?

23. HR 101: Hiring/Interviewing • Do: • Ask the following: • What made you apply for this position? • What is your biggest weakness? • Why are you leaving your present/last job? • Describe a work related accomplishment that you are most proud of • Describe a work related disappointment • Why did it happen? • What did you learn from it?

24. HR 101: Hiring/Interviewing • Do: • Ask the following: • What are your career goals? • How do you feel about working overtime for a special project, trade show, etc? • My favorite: • Tell me about yourself

25. HR 101: Motivation • Employee Engagement derives from 3 factors: • Employee alignment with the company goals • Faith of the employee in management competence and their commitment to company goals • Trust in their direct supervisor • Support the staff • Assist them in succeeding

26. HR 101: Motivation Employees rarely quit companies. Rather, employees quit their supervisors by leaving the company

27. HR 101: Motivation • To improve employee engagement: • Don’t: • Get angry (Any one can do that) • Be cold, distant, rude • Mislead your team • Send mixed signals to your employees • Avoid taking responsibility for your actions • Jump to conclusions without checking facts

28. HR 101: Motivation • To improve employee engagement: • Do: • Admit your mistakes • Recognize your team • Publicly support your team • Be responsive (return emails, calls) • Ask and listen!!!! • “The manager of the future will know how to ask rather than how to tell.” Peter Drucker • Do what you say you are going to do • Smile and laugh • Have fun

29. HR 101: Appraisal/Review • Employer viewpoint: • Used to: • Measure employee performance • Establish goals • Open channels of communication • Strengthen the relationship

30. HR 101: Appraisal/Review • Employee viewpoint:

31. HR 101: Appraisal/Review • Do: • Provide: • Clear identification of job standards • Consistent, objective measurement relative to those standards being met • Opportunity for clarification/feedback • Be sincere! • Rewards to top performers • Encouragement to marginal performers • Proper feedback to those with low performance

32. HR 101: Managing Poor Performance • Ignoring poor performance contains costs: • Employee morale • Customers • Revenue

33. HR 101: Managing Poor Performance • Tips to manage poor performance: • Don’t: • Begin a conversation about the topic in a demeaning or defensive way • Talk “at” the employee • Have the conversation in a public realm • “Sugarcoat” the conversation

34. HR 101: Managing Poor Performance • Do: • Be clear and firm when addressing your concerns • Address issues as they occur • Share specific examples of poor performance • Provide details and examples of how to improve poor performance • Make it a conversation

35. HR 101: Managing Poor performance • Do • Highlight a part of their performance that is positive • Provide clear and measurable goals • Follow up after an agreed upon time period • Are they reaching their goals? • Summarize the discussion and plan in writing

36. HR 101: Firing Employees

37. HR 101: Firing Employees • Don’t: • Leave the firing to someone else • Why? • Fire an employee “on the spot” • Unless it is truly warranted • Based on company standards and acceptable/unacceptable behaviors • Get personal

38. HR 101: Firing Employees • Don’t: • Be unprepared • Prepare the termination letter • Rehearse what you will say • How you will say it • In what sequence • Become defensive or debate the merits of the decision

39. HR 101: Firing Employees • Do: • Act quickly after a careful decision has been made to terminate • Be respectful • Ensure that your notice arrangements meet legal compliance • Moderate Emotion • Solicit feedback • No dialogue!

41. Brian Walters, MBA, CBASummit Medina Business Alliance 526 S. Main Street Suite 813 Akron, OH 44311 330.375.2111, ext 4343bwalters@akronsbdc.org