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• Employers Report the 10 Jobs Most Difficult to Fill
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Your role as a Human Resource Manager is changing and evolving with the emergence of new technologies and the growth of the global marketplace. The HR department used to be that place in the back of the office where employees made their first and last stops during their careers. Not any more. Chances are good that your company recognizes the value of a talented and informed HR department. You have the opportunity to be a major contributor to your company’s success. But to do so, you need to know the latest great ideas in HR. That's why BLR is offering an exciting Special Report on just what those ideas are.

Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2009 is almost 50 pages of valuable information that will show you how to:

#1: Master the art of Metrics

Metrics are a critical business component in many parts of a company; HR is no exception. Our special report will show you what to measure, the types of metrics successful HR departments use, and will give you examples of best practices when implementing HR metrics. Your department will be more than the hiring/firing/benefits information department; you’ll be an essential component of your company’s strength.

#2: Delight Employees with the Unexpected

When it comes to measuring employee satisfaction, statistics show (and you probably know) that happy employees stay longer and are more productive. So what makes employees happy? Benefits, compensation, and work/life balance are the most important factors in overall job satisfaction. Our Special Report reviews Best Practices of several companies that took innovative approaches to areas such as childcare, 401(k)s, and work/life balance.

#3 Keep the Lid on Healthcare Costs

You know what a challenge it can be to balance healthcare that both your company and employees can afford and appreciate. Your company will likely be working on cutting the costs of a healthcare program. But where do you start? Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2009 outlines the benefits of several different approaches, and offers case studies of companies that have successfully implemented cost-saving plans.

Disease management is another area that engages employees and ultimately benefits the company by reducing costs and preventing catastrophic claims. Our report outlines how to encourage employee participation and how the company can benefit from such a program. Some companies are saving millions by implementing disease management programs. See how much one company saved in just one year.

Wellness programs have caught on in recent years, and are likely here to stay. If you don’t already have one in place, our Special Report will give you a checklist of the basics and how to offer them to employees. This is one of those great win-win areas for a company (healthy employees are happy employees, and happy employees are more productive), and of the areas where you can see a real impact on the workforce. See how one company started a wellness program as a “feel good” benefit for employees, only to see it offer a greater return on investment than they expected.

What about dental benefits? Traditional plans are complicated and create bureaucratic headaches for both employees and the plan administrator at your company. Newer plans give employees more flexibility while balancing the cost to the employer.

Prevent Healthcare Fraud and Related Costs: Sad but true, some employees will take advantage of health care coverage. Learn how to prevent and uncover bogus claims and fabricated bills by staying connected to the healthcare process:

Audit Coverage: make sure the healthcare policy is only covering those who are eligible.

Talk to your Provider: Make sure you’re both aware of the warning signs of healthcare fraud

Reward Whistleblowers: Offer incentives to employees covered by your healthcare plan. It’s in their best interest to prevent fraud because it helps keep their healthcare costs down.

#4: Create a Safe Workplace

It sounds like a simple concept, but it may be more of a challenge than you think. Look at the potentials for danger to you and your employees, and you’ll see that safety has many meanings:

Prevent Workplace Accidents: Every day, about 9,000 U.S. workers get hurt on the job. Some die on the job, and others die of work-related diseases. Your company wants to reduce the risk of injury or death at work, and so you should consider these options:

• Establish Management Leadership and Employee Involvement
• Create Safety Committees
• Conduct a Worksite Analysis
• Conduct Safety Training

Preventing Violence in the Workplace: This is a safety issue that many companies don’t really take into consideration, but violence in the workplace is a growing problem. Our guide offers several best practices to help you recognize the early signs of violence and stop it before it escalates:

• Post a policy
• Form a dedicated management team
• Track incidents
• Act consistently
• Conduct Violence Prevention Training
• Plan your Response

Preventing Domestic Violence: Thousands of domestic violence incidents spill into the workplace each year and can affect employee morale, productivity, and performance — and can put other employees at risk as well. See how other companies are handling this issue. Techniques include:

• Educate employees about domestic violence and provide resources
• Train managers to recognize the warning signs of domestic abuse
• Implement security measures to protect employees
• Refer victims to your employee assistance program (EAP). If you don’t have one, consider developing one.

If an employee has been the target of domestic violence and their performance is suffering, consider alternatives to termination, such a flex time or a leave of absence.

#5: Hire Right

You know that hiring the right person is essential to the success of your business. With the changes in the demographics of the American work population, companies are scrambling to find qualified workers to replace experienced, retiring Baby Boomers. The worker pool is shrinking, and the race is on to get the best employees.

For effective and efficient hiring, you’ll want to take key steps to ensure your company gets the workers it needs:

Develop a Hiring Strategy: Don’t wait until the day an employee gives notice to decide what/how/who you need to fill that position. A tight labor market means you need to be ready. Consider:

Match your strategy to your company: Does your company have the time and money to train an employee from the entry level, or do you need a fully qualified person to jump in and hit the ground running?

Determine what you’re looking for in a candidate: What makes a person a good candidate for a job in your company? Go beyond the basic job description and make a list of the background and characteristics that would help a person best fit each job. Just be careful that you don't develop a profile that could be construed as discriminatory.

Develop a Budget: Work with management to set a budget for hiring. Take into consideration the hiring tools you will likely need, and the projected cost of each.

Choose your Hiring Tools: Which sources work best for you: newspapers? Web? Placement agencies? You’ll have to consider:

• Cost
• Time constraints
• Availability of qualified applicants

Top 10 Best Practice in HR Management for 2009 details one company’s hiring strategy and how it measured its success.

#6: Create an Ethical Workplace

It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s also the legal thing to do. You can help your company on both fronts by taking some key steps:

Establish a Code of Ethics: It sounds like a daunting task to some, but a code of ethics puts your company, your employees, and your clients on the same page so everyone knows what to expect.

Develop the Code: Look at who you are as a company, and how you approach your business. Write it down. Ask employees for their input. Look at what other companies have done. After you have a draft in place, print it up and have everyone look at it. Can everyone live up to the promise?

Promote the Code: Once you have the code in place, make an event of it. Unveil the final version at a staff meeting. Place the code prominently throughout the company. Ask employees to sign an agreement to follow the code. Make it part of your company’s culture.

Review the Code: Businesses change; and in time, so may your code. Review it annually to make sure it’s still a good fit.

Many companies have had great success developing and implementing a strong code of ethics. Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2009 shows you how one company created an ethical code that works, and offers a point-by-point checklist of what you can do to make your ethics code better. This special report also addresses another key ethical issue: compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In the wake of the Enron, WorldCom, and other corporate scandals, your company needs to protect itself from ethical disasters.

#7: Conquer Your Compliance Challenges

It’s a moving target: HR management laws are always changing — sometimes in small ways, sometimes in more complicated ways. You need to stay on top of those changes. Make sure you’re up to speed on:

• USERRA regulations regarding employment, reemployment, benefits, and more
• FLSA and new overtime regulations
• HIPAA guidelines for security
• FTC rules on disposing of confidential consumer report

#8: Make Your Policies and Practices “State of the Art”

Your company needs to keep pace with current technology, and decide how to address the use of different technologies on the job:

Internet Use: You know there can be a fine line between tool and toy when it comes to Internet use. How will you regulate the use of the Internet at your company? Whatever you do, provide employees with a clearly worded policy. Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2009 outlines best practice tips for Internet Policy Planning.

Cell Phones: Almost everyone has them; many employees use them as a work tool. But cell phone use also raises issues involving safety, security, and privacy. Check state and local laws to make sure employees are aware of the laws in your area regarding cell phone use while driving, for example.

Camera Phones: Camera phones can be a convenience — or a liability. Security and privacy issues abound when it comes to the use of camera phones; are your trade secrets safe? What about confidential company documents? Camera phones are just one more security area that merits close company scrutiny. Put a policy in place to protect your company. Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2009 has detailed tips for developing and effective camera phone policy.

Blogging: Blog topics can range from mundane to ridiculous to dangerous. What type of guidelines do you have in place for employee blogs? Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2009 raises issues you may not have considered about how employees spend their time away from work. Are they blogging about the company? Find out what safeguards you can put in place to keep your company's confidential information confidential.

Identity Theft: A lot of identity theft happens, sadly, in the workplace, when employees steal personal information about co-worker, customers, or clients. There are steps you can take to help prevent this type of insidious behavior. Our special report outlines steps your company can take to protect your company and employees from identity theft.

#9: Prepare for the Worst

It may be a local storm, or a nationwide emergency that affects the operation of your business. Whether the emergency is small or large, the key to keeping things running smoothly is planning. As an HR manager, you need to think about:

• Compensation: Will you pay staffers who can’t work because of the emergency? If so, will you modify their pay?
• Benefits: Do your vendors have disaster plans?
• Work/Life: Are your employees prepared for a disaster? Will you be able to reach everyone in an emergency?

These are just the starting points. Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2009 reviews the guidelines for preparing an emergency plan, and shows you how one company dealt with the challenges of Hurricane Katrina.

What about the Avian Flu? News reports indicate that the Avian Flu continues to spread to bird populations around the world. Our special report gives you 15 ways you can prepare for a potential pandemic.

#10: Strive for the Best

HR managers are becoming key players in the success of their companies. You can play a valuable role in your company's future:

Align the HR Agenda with Your Company’s Needs: Listen to what your management is saying, and work together to make sure you're giving your company what it really needs.

Build Credibility and Influence: If you have a strong understanding of your company's culture, you can ask the challenging questions to help your company stay productive. And don't be afraid to suggest innovative solutions to longstanding problems. Your vision can lead the company forward.

Sell the HR function: Your company has customers, and so do you. Your customers are your company's leaders. Make sure they know what HR really does, what you have to offer, and how managers and employees can use HR resources to their best advantage.

Think like a Strategic Partner: The more you approach HR as an internal business, the more successful you are likely to be. And that success can only benefit your company.

Be a Key Player

As an HR manager, you play a critical role in the success of your company. HR Daily Advisor will keep you up to date on the developments, big and small, in HR laws and practices that affect you, your company, and your employees. Stay informed with HR Daily Advisor. And tap into the resources of our special report: Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2009 — yours FREE when you become a Charter Subscriber to HR Daily Advisor.

Sign up today for HR Daily Advisor, and prepare to be more informed. Let us keep track of the latest Human Resource Management news and bring it right to you. I look forward to sending you your first issue — and your FREE copy of Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2009.

Sincerely,

Managing Editor

HR Daily Advisor

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