HR Management & Compliance

WSJ’s Top Small Workplaces: How Teamwork Helps


In yesterday’s Advisor, we listed common traits of The Wall Street Journal’s 15 top small companies. Today we’ll explore one of those traits—teamwork—taking our cue from a unique BLR resource, Managing an HR Department of One.


For many of the top small workplaces, teamwork is an important part of the structure and atmosphere. Why is it so important? Here are 8 reasons why teams might boost the success of your organization, taken from the BLR resource manual especially for small companies—Managing an HR Department of One.


1. Team members have a shared concept/vision of where they want to go. They look to the future rather than dwelling on the past or focusing only on immediate demands.


2. Team members more easily set priorities and assign tasks that are meaningful. That’s because they agree on their overall purpose and goal.


3. Team members believe that they are making a specific contribution toward a valued result.


4. Team thinking lets people enjoy the feeling of belonging to a group. They are motivated by knowing that others depend on their work.


5. Team members develop a sense of responsibility to the group and feel more committed to goals they help establish themselves.


6. Members of a team benefit from learning from one another. And as individual roles develop and change, those opportunities for learning expand.


7. Members feel free to discuss and argue their points of view safely. They feel that others really listen and respect their points of view.


8. Because the team sets goals, priorities, and tasks, there is a way of evaluating and recognizing achievement. This makes work more satisfying.



Managers of small HR departments have found the special help they need in a unique BLR product—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine it at no cost or risk for 30 days. Click for info.



Should you be considering more of a team approach? One thing for sure, it seems to be working for The Wall Street Journal’s top small businesses.


Of course, teambuilding is just one of 100 challenges you face daily.


It’s especially challenging in a small HR department, where you’ve got to do it all, from succession planning to recruiting to recordkeeping to benefits. How can anyone possibly handle it?


We asked our editors if there was any special help directed right at the smaller—or even one-person—HR office. They say the program we quoted above, Managing an HR Department of One, is unique in addressing the special pressures small HR departments face. Here are some of the features included:


  • Tutorial on how HR supports organizational goals. This section explains how to probe for what your top management really wants, and how to build credibility in your ability to deliver it.


  • Feel like you’re all alone in HR? Take on a partner—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine at no cost or risk for 30 days. Click for info.




  • Overview of compliance responsibilities, through a really useful 2-page chart of 21 separate laws HR needs to comply with. These range from the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and FMLA to lesser known, but equally critical rules such as Executive Order 11246. Also included are federal and state posting requirements. (Proper postings are among the first things a visiting inspector looks for … especially now that the minimum wage will change repeatedly in the next 2 years.)


  • Training guidelines. No matter what your company size, expect to do training. Some of it is required by law. Some of it is just good business sense. Managing an HR Department of One walks you through how to train efficiently and effectively, for the least time and money.


  • Prewritten forms, policies, and checklists. These are enormous work-savers! Managing an HR Department of One has 46 such forms, from job apps and background check sheets to performance appraisals and leave requests, in both paper and on CD. The CD lets you easily customize any form with your company’s name and specifics.


  • If you’d like a more complete look at what Managing an HR Department of One covers, click the Table of Contents link below. Or better yet, take a look at the entire program. We’ll send it to you for 30 days’ evaluation in your own office with no obligation to buy. Click here, and we’ll be happy to make the arrangements.


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