Category Archives: General

The New HR Department-Ultimate Guide

One of my older, popular posts is from 2010 and talks about how to run a one-person or new HR department. I wrote it after attending a conference session on the topic, but at the time I had never been in a small or new HR department before. Now I have that experience and would like to share. I also realized that a very close tie-in is the group of HR professionals who have had to start the HR function from scratch (whether in a new company or an existing one), and I think this article is going to be very helpful for both of those groups.

In addition, there are amazing ideas included here for HR pros who feel like there’s just not enough time in the day to get everything accomplished (who out there can’t claim that one?). You’ll learn how to juggle multiple competing priorities and make the biggest impact with the fewest actions. You’ll learn how to balance the needs of an executive team with those of your staff, and I’m willing to bet you’ll take away a heck of a lot more.

Note: I have included more information in this article than some of the eBooks I’ve published(!). I plan to combine this information into a free PDF guide to share on the blog if there is any interest in that. There was just too much great content to cut any out, and I don’t want to shortchange those who took the time to share their ideas with us. Enjoy!

The New HR Department Ultimate Guide

Table of Contents

  1. Small/New HR Department Survey Data
  2. My Experience in a Small and/or New HR Department
  3. The Highlights Reel-Starting a New HR Department
  4. New HR Department Advice from the Trenches
  5. Additional Resources

Small/New HR Department Survey Data

In preparation for this article, I sent out a request for help to several hundred subscribers. The results below are for a question that asked the respondent to rank the following according to priority:

  • Developing a long-term HR strategic plan
  • Building HR’s credibility within the organization
  • Taking charge of your own professional development
  • Staying on top of legislative developments and requirements
  • Developing alliances/partnerships to fill any skill gaps

Check out the chart below. Click the image to make it larger.

New HR Department Priority FocusI had no preconceived notions about which area was the most critical, so I was surprised to see that developing alliances/partnerships made the top of the list of priorities. I’ve emphasized that in my roles for several years now, and I believe it has helped to shore up areas of weakness and provided invaluable networking opportunities as well.

I think legislative/legal updates fell to the bottom due to the “fun factor” (or lack thereof). It’s still going to get done, but we don’t have to like it. :-) To be honest, this felt like an unfair survey, because all of these are key areas to focus on; however, I was interested in finding out what others thought about which one made it to the top of the list.

Any surprises here for the rest of you?

My Experience in a Small HR Department

I’m a relative newbie to this world, but I know it’s where I was meant to be. What makes a small or new HR department different from other companies?

  • We don’t pick up the phone and call our corporate HR team. We ARE the corporate HR team.
  • We are comfortable with research and making judgement calls.
  • We constantly seek out opportunities for professional development–if you’re not growing you’re dying.

There are certainly more, but those three quickly jumped to mind.

Starting an HR dept in an existing organization? You should be able to answer these key questions if you plan to be successful:

  • What was the purpose for creating this new department?
  • Who made the decision? Who is going to support you as you learn about the organization and its key players?
  • What HR activities were being done previously and who was doing them?
  • What sort of culture exists? Do the leaders and staff have the same view of the culture?

managing an hr department of one

I had an amazing mentor, but like I said, I feel like I’m wired for this kind of stuff. I love the challenge and bouncing around to the different areas of HR on an hourly basis. There’s no substitute!

After doing a little research, I read this book last year and it had some great ideas and advice. It’s been around for a while and still makes the bestseller lists in the SHRM bookstore regularly. I admit that it’s pricey if you look at it only as a book; however, it’s much cheaper than a 6 hour study course plus travel costs to get the same content, so keep that in mind.

The Highlights Reel

I posted this short slidedeck on Slideshare as a way to share some of the ideas beyond the blog. It’s a “highlights reel” of the content and I hope it helps some people who otherwise would not find this article. If you’re waiting for the good stuff, skip down to the next section and you can get some tips and advice from people who do this stuff on a daily basis!

New HR Department Advice from the Trenches

I reached out to a few people I trust and also opened up a short survey for a handful of people who are (or have been) in this scenario before. Below you’ll see how real HR pros have confronted and overcome the obstacles facing someone in a new or small HR department.

Note: I want to apologize to anyone who submitted comments that were not included here. I had an overwhelming number of responses and had to limit myself to sharing the first few people who responded. As I said above, I plan to put this together into a free PDF so that anyone can read, print, or share the information. Look for that coming soon!

———-

Richard wrote a monster of a contribution. I had to pull out some of the content for space reasons, but I have his entire piece linked here if you want to check that out. It’s phenomenal and worth your time to read if you truly want the advice of a guy who’s “been there, done that.” Here’s the extremely shortened version. Be sure to read the full piece or you’ll miss the good stuff.

  • If you are setting up a brand-new HR department, or you are taking on one all on your own, build your plans for immediate impact projects, short-term (within the quarter) projects, and long-term projects. HR project management is serious stuff.
  • Your plans WILL be disrupted. Constantly. Build that into your timeline.
  • Don’t underestimate how much information your employees want.
  • If you are a soloist, and especially if you are relatively new to employment laws, make yourself a binder (electronic or hard-copy) of the most up-to-date info on the basics (FMLA, FLSA, ADA, and if you handle benefits, COBRA).
  • Do your best to not become the “office cop” – the hardest role you have is to watch out for things that can get the company (and people) in trouble without being the person that everyone avoids.
  • And finally, the top three skills you should use on a daily basis: talk, listen, and learn. Again, (I’ll say it one more time) check out the full content if you haven’t already so you don’t miss any of the details on how to implement this yourself.

Thanks again to Richard Sherman for pitching in and offering some great advice!

———-

Brian shared some very intriguing ideas for outsourcing the majority of the “HR” work to allow a small team to handle the critical roles of the HR function. I don’t know that I agree with all of Brian’s comments, but then again I’ve never been in a crunch tight enough to have to seriously evaluate something like this. It’s an interesting proposition if nothing else!

I would try to “outsource” process driven activities to as many internal partners as possible.  Payroll is likely already housed within Finance; perhaps open enrollment and qualifying life events could be something they tackle as well (the counseling portion still resides with HR).  Recruitment, orientation and onboarding? Give it to Marketing who can polish what you are selling to potential candidates and new employees.  Compensation is driven by numbers and spreadsheets; pull in someone from Accounting.  Training may be best handled by line supervisors and tenured employees.  Employee Relations can be farmed out to Legal.

With 1-3 bodies, you may only be able to effectively handle 2-4 areas even with the best time management skill set.  Pick the one thing each person can be an expert in and allow them to spend time in other areas that interest them.  Solve what you can afford through technology to avoid getting bogged down by process-driven activities; the rest needs to be shared responsibility where it makes sense.  Find that executive champion who understands HR and can go to bat when 3 bodies can no longer manage the workload. Brian Deming

———-

Make sure to visit with each manager and ask them what HR can do for them to help make their job easier. Learn everything you can about the business and ask to be included instead of waiting around to be asked to do something (you end up being a paper pusher or sheriff if you don’t).

Linda Haft

———-

In a small to non-existent HR department, strategy, talent, etc. isn’t important.  Most of the company is flying by the seat of its pants.  What is needed is benefits, knowledge of applicable laws, processes and procedures (performance reviews, requesting vacation time, requesting sick time, etc.), and guts.

The HR person has to have the guts to go to the company president and say “You can’t do that,” and be prepared to hear, “Sure I can; I own the company.”  Then you have to dig your heels in and insist.  Then you go back to your office, hold your breath and hope you didn’t just sign your own termination.

Donna Caissie, the ExtraOrdinary Assistant

———-

  1. Expand your network of HR professionals. These are the people you can call on to bounce ideas around, vent, etc.
  2. Smile before you pick up the phone to say hello. You will be the point person for many questions such as insurance, retirement, pay, etc. We all have had the one employee who has gotten on our last nerve, but always remember that without the employees you would not be needed. Smile before you pick up the phone and you will automatically position yourself to be in a better mood to deal with the annoying employee.
  3. Enjoy what you do. If you don’t, move on.

Bobbi Wilson

Additional Resources

Below you’ll find a few links to other helpful resources. I went through several dozen and discarded the ones I felt would not be value-add to this discussion on working in a new HR department.

Your Turn

Okay, do you have anything to add? What has (or hasn’t) worked for you? What advice would you give someone starting out in a small or new HR department for the first time? Let’s make this thing even better!

 

Recruiting Process-How to Share Job Openings with SmartRecruiters and MailChimp

Recruiting process improvement, at its finest.

That’s the thought that whipped through my brain earlier this week when I was able to conquer a problem with our recruiting process that has plagued me on and off for approximately 20 months. Here’s the gist of it:

I signed us up for SmartRecruiters back in April 2010. I really like the service (the basic tool is free!), and it was a drastic improvement over our previous system of collecting emailed resumes from interested applicants. Blah.

So I’m cruising along and suddenly have an epiphany. At the time I was using MailChimp to deliver my email newsletter for the blog, and I thought to myself, “What if I could tie our job opening feed from SmartRecruiters into MailChimp? Then people who come to our careers page and don’t see a job they are interested in can submit their email address to be notified of our new job openings automatically.”

The basic principle behind the technology (reading a feed of jobs and pushing out an email about new additions to the list) was sound, and I’d seen it work well for the website.

The key purpose: building engagement in our recruiting process

I wanted to increase engagement in our recruiting process and help candidates learn more about us at the same time. There’s a neat tool within applications like MailChimp that allow you to send automatic emails to someone at regular intervals (autoresponders). In my mind, here’s what that meant:

  • Person submits email and gets a warm welcome response immediately.
  • 2-3 days later, the person gets an email that goes over our basic hiring process and how it works if they should ever move into that phase with us.
  • 2-3 days later, the person gets an email that delves deep into our culture, what we believe, and how that plays a part in the hiring process. It gives them a chance to opt out if they see that we aren’t a place they would like working (on the flip side, it also can turn them into an even bigger fan if they turn out to be a great fit for our culture).
  • 2-3 days later, the person gets some general tips on how to prepare for an interview, what to wear, etc.
  • Et cetera. The only limit is your creativity, though you wouldn’t want to schedule so many that you’re becoming annoying.

Starting to get my drift? With a tool like this, I could get a lukewarm person very interested in working with us in under a week and without having any hands-on work after the setup. I’m building our brand and keeping our recruiting process lean at the same time.

Disclaimer: I’m all about a high-touch recruiting process, but when you’re the only HR person around, you have to get creative with how to manage the workload of recruiting. I can’t personally talk with every candidate who applies, and I think this is the greatest gift I can offer to someone, since it is valuable information and could help them in the event we have something open that fits their skills/interests. 

The problem

So that all sounds very positive and encouraging, right? However, when I started trying to test it out, I couldn’t make it work. I’m nerdy, but I’m not a full-blown geek, and even the tech support guys at SmartRecruiters seemed to be stumped.

So I shelved the idea and vowed to give it a few minutes every so often to see if I can figure out some sort of workaround. Approximately twenty months go by with no progress.

Then I accidentally found the solution. Continue reading →

Business Boot Camp (Book Review)

Business Boot Camp: Management and Leadership Fundamentals That Will See You Successfully Through Your Career

Most of you know that I transitioned into a more formal leadership-type role last year. That brought about multiple changes that are still affecting me today:

  • I’m more aware of my role as a leader and what it means to our staff/company
  • I’m on the path to becoming a  first-time manager in the next year or so
  • I’m coaching managers on leadership/management skills on a weekly basis

So when I picked up this book, I was really looking for a handful of ideas that would help me with all three of those areas. Read on to find out what I learned.

Business Boot CampWhat I liked

  • Delegation is normally seen as “get something off my plate” for most leaders. However, it’s truly a two-way street. In some cases, it can even be a type of coaching when it allows employees to improve their skills and knowledge through on the job training. And employees with managers who delegate well are more capable and enthusiastic because of their career growth opportunities. Note: this doesn’t mean handing off filing papers or something you hate as a means of delegation. That can be done, but it doesn’t apply to this coaching-type scenario.
  • Speaking of coaching… Coaching isn’t an ad hoc, spur of the moment type meeting. It’s a well-planned interaction with specific goals. Here’s a good quote to support that: “Coaching is about identifying the existing situation and the desired one and then helping the team member plot and travel the path to get from the first to the second.”
  • Strategic thinking is a critical skill for a leader. Actions are not made in a vacuum, and decisions should be made in a way that filters through these four key areas: increased organizational effectiveness, reduced costs, improved customer service, and/or positive contributions to the bottom line. If it doesn’t satisfy any of those requirements, then it might not be worth doing. There’s a quick litmus test for you.
  • One more that hit home with me–Your leadership image. How do people perceive you? No, let me ask the proper question: how do people perceive you when you’re facing a crisis? You don’t always have to know the answer or solve the problem single-handedly; however, you must maintain your integrity, confidence, etc. Over time, you’ll gradually become more confident in your responses to problems, but never forget that your team is watching you and will follow your lead (whether positive or not).

Wrap up

I would recommend this book for new managers/leaders or those looking to brush up on their skills. This book contains solid foundation concepts, and might even be a little basic for those with a more advanced role (though, like I said, I was able to pull a few new ideas to share). If you’re looking to hone your skills as a leader/manager, click here to get your copy of the book.

Click here for other book reviews.

AMACOM provided this review copy.

AMA Business Boot Camp
Reviewed by Ben Eubanks on
Jan 10.
Foundational business and leadership principles
This book focuses on some of the key principles and knowledge that strong managers and leaders need to know in order to be successful in a managerial or leadership role.
Rating: 4

Monkey Management-Don’t Take the Monkey

Don’t. Take. The. Monkey.

Ever had someone stop by your desk, tell you about a problem, and walk away, leaving the mess in your hands? They just gave you a monkey. And what’s worse is that you let them do it.

monkey-managementIf you’re not familiar, there’s a common phrase this relates to, which is “monkey on your back.” It’s a metaphor for an unwanted burden that it’s difficult to get rid of. When you accept someone else’s problems, you’re taking the monkey off their back and putting it onto yours. Don’t do it. Don’t take the monkey.

How to avoid monkeys

  • Take the time to tactfully, yet directly, ask, “What would you like me to do about this?” Often times, the person will back off. At that point it’s no longer a problem to be solved; it’s just an employee blowing off steam.
  • If the problem turns out to be a real issue but isn’t worth dealing with at the current time, simply let the employee know that the other priorities come before the issue at hand. They walk away with the monkey and nobody gets hurt.
  • Push back on the employee to handle the issue. Take a moment to agree with them that the issue exists, but explain why they are better suited to handling the problem and request that they return a solution to you. Again, they walk away with the monkey, leaving you to complete your work without the added stress.

I’m guilty of creating monkeys and also taking them on, so this post is based on pure experience (a surprising number of my posts are just me telling myself to stop being an idiot). I also found a great resource to go along with this if you want to check it out. Click here for a great one-page tool on “monkey management” and how to avoid taking on unwanted monkeys in the course of your day job.

If you’re interested in learning more about the HR side of project management, check out the HR project managment guide.

Okay, let’s be honest. Who else has created monkeys out there? How did you (or your manager) handle it? Do you accept monkeys from your staff?

Tweak It (Book Review)

Tweak It: Make What Matters to You Happen Every Day by Cali Williams Yost

Tell me if you’ve heard this one.

Bob heads home after a long day of work. He’s looking forward to seeing his kids and spending some time with his wife. 

He decides to jump onto his email when he gets home. You know, just to check. 

He sees an “urgent” message from a coworker, and he takes a few minutes to respond. Then another message comes in, and he’s already working, so he might as well respond to that one, too. 

Three hours later, he looks up and realizes that his wife and kids are in bed and he’s missed the entire evening with them. He resolves to look at that “work/life balance” stuff and heads to bed so he can get up early for work. 

Tweak It is the antidote for that guy (and the rest of us). Read on for more good info on work+life.

tweak-it-cali-williams-yostWhat I liked

  • When you’re in the throes of a work/life mess, it seems like everyone around you has it all figured out. Cali throws out a comforting number of “10-15%” with regard to those who are happy with their own work/life. The other 85-90% (AKA most of us) are still trying to find the right steps to take to make everything work in harmony. Next time you have a moment of panic, take a moment to remember that nine out of ten people feel just like you.
  • The “tweak it” method is fairly simple. First you get started. Then you pick a “tweak of the week” to focus on. Then you review and revise your plan and start it all over again.
  • One of the tweaks Cali recommends made me laugh. She recommends balancing “Batman” moments and “Robin” moments–meaning you should take times to chase your own dreams (Batman), but you should also make time to help others pursue their own dreams (Robin). In case you didn’t know it, I’m a Batman fan. :-)
  • A few other quick “tweak it” moments that I particularly agree with: younger workers need to take speaking/writing courses (desperately) and older workers need to take time to sit back and remember why they made their career choice in the first place. That’s a great way to rejuvenate the spirit and reignite the passion deep inside.

Wrap up

I just wanted to take a second to talk about my own approach to work+life, because it might offer some insights for those looking to make their own changes.

I use various tools for flexible work, but I also have a philosphy that helps with the time management side of things. I try to tie as many interests together as feasibly possible. It doesn’t always work and I can’t always make things fit like I’d prefer, but in many cases I am able to satisfy multiple needs with fewer overall actions.

For instance, when I run into a crazy situation at work, I will share it on the blog. It doesn’t really require me to create a new idea, but it helps to tie my work and online worlds closer together. Or maybe it’s time to hang out with the kids. I sit with them on the couch and read a book to review on the blog while they read their books or watch cartoons. I’m there and quickly available if needed, but I’m also working and making myself better. The last way is with book reviews like this one. I read many books to review here, but I also know that I will glean ideas and concepts to help me be better at my work as well.

Those are just a few ways that plays out, but it’s served me well thus far and I never feel like any part of what I do is truly out of “balance” with the others. However, I am vigilant, because I know all to well how easily things can quickly fall to pieces without constant attention.

The bottom line: we all run into work+life issues at some point in our lives. If you’ve ever had the thought that you can manage your work and life in a better way, this book is for you. If you’re interested, click here to get your copy.

Click here for other book reviews.

Thanks to Cali and her team for providing a review copy!

Tweak It
Reviewed by Ben Eubanks on
Jan 8.
Tweak your work/life to fit your needs
This book focuses on strategies for tweaking your current work+life setup to allow you to get things accomplished at work and home without stressing you out or forcing you to give up your dreams.
Rating: 4

Develop Your Own State of the (HR) Union Address

Every year, the President of the United States makes an address to the nation. The purpose of the annual “State of the Union” address is to give an account of the year’s events and discuss the priorities of the coming months. If communicated properly, this is an opportunity to reach a larger audience, share major goals, and get buy-in from the constituency.

state-union-addressSo why don’t we give it a shot?

I think every HR pro needs to have their own State of the Union address within their own company, department, or team (depending on your level of responsibility). This is strategic HR communication at its best, and it could become a valuable tool for your leaders to peer into the inner workings of the HR team while allowing you to share your key results areas as well.

The need is there

If this doesn’t prove that there’s an opportunity here, then I don’t know what will:

Although large U.S. companies spend about 36 percent of their revenue on HR, most annual reports fail to mention HR operations and how they contribute to the bottom line. Results of a two-year analysis of the 100 largest publicly traded U.S. companies by Mercer Human Resource Consulting show that only 20 percent of these companies discuss HR in their reports to shareholders. About one-quarter provide only limited references to the workforce, and some don’t mention their employees at all. (source)

How big is your “union?”

As I stated above, depending on where you are in your organization’s hierarchy, you might only be addressing your HR teammates. Or maybe you have the ability to snag an audience with your key senior leadership team, and you’re willing to put together a short presentation for that group.

Whatever the case, the size and target audience will be different for everyone, but the tips below will still help you in defining what to discuss.

What to say

If you’ve been reading here for long, you probably have a few ideas on what you could discuss with your leadership team. (And if you haven’t, feel free to subscribe for free updates.) Here are a few ideas to consider.

  • Take the opportunity to discuss a few key areas that will impact the organization in the coming year (benefits and PPACA, for example).
  • Discuss the threats, opportunities, weaknesses, and strengths of the current HR team.
  • Share your priorities for the year ahead with regard to employee relations, training, or talent management.
  • If you are not a manager or lead, ask if you can help your manager develop one for your own team.
  • Use the platform to generate early buy-in for your ideas. (Here’s a stealth communication tip)
  • Demonstrate alignment of the HR function with the overarching corporate annual goals.

What are you waiting for?

This is your chance to get in front of a key audience (whether it’s the rest of your team or another influential group) and share your message.

What are you waiting for?

HR Recertification Credits-Starting My Journey

A few months back I published a short guide for those looking to get HR recertification credits with their PHR/SPHR through HRCI (info here). To be honest, I was a little selfish. I knew that I was about to start a fresh cycle and wanted to start gathering information on free/cheap/easy sources of HR recertification credits.

More importantly, I was looking for ways to make sure that the credits I pursued enhanced my career prospects and professional development beyond merely checking the block on some mandatory training. If you’re going to have to get credits, you might as well make sure that they are contributing to your overall success for the long haul, right?

So now I’m just a few short months into this certification cycle, and I’m going to publicly share my recertification credits and how I’m getting them during this cycle. I hope to post a monthly (or quarterly)  update on any credits earned and how I gathered them. It’s going to be an accountability tool for me, and I hope it also pushes you to pay close attention to your own recertification credits as well. No more waiting until two weeks before your due date to start cramming!

So let’s get started with a few easy ones, shall we?

circular-recycle-arrows-hiHR Recertification Credits Summary

  • SHRM membership-“You earn recertification credit if you are a member of a national or international HR-related professional association or society. You do not earn credit for membership in a local chapter or association.” 3 credit hours per year, limit 10 per cycle
  • Write an HR blog-“Writing and publishing a fact-based blog post covering subjects related to the HR field.” .5 credits per post, a limit of six credit hours per cycle

I figured I would get the easy ones out of the way. I’m currently a member of SHRM and don’t plan to change that any time soon. I use their website for research, and I also get discounts with my local chapter for being a member of the national organization. I don’t use a lot of other services with them, but the membership counts either way.

In addition, I write three blog posts a week, so I’m very confident that I’ll be able to max out the 12 posts per cycle under the blogging section.

HR Recertification Credits Running Total

At this time I am confident that I will be able to get 9 hours from professional memberships and 6 hours from blogging for a total of 15 hours for this three year cycle. Look for more updates in the coming months as I delve into professional development, work projects, and more to gather my 60 credits!

Disclaimer: I haven’t submitted any of these credits to HRCI at this point and my information may change slightly when I do gather the info to submit. I’m just keeping this here (as I said) as an accountability tool for myself and others who need the little reminders to stay on task with their credits. 

What do you think? Are you interested in following along?Â