The HR Answer Book: An Indispensable Guide for Managers and Human Resources Professionals Book

	Foreword	ix
	Preface	xi
1	Employee Selection: How Do I Find, Attract, and Select the Best?	1
	Finding Your Candidates	1
	Conducting the Interview	15
	Preemployment Testing and Screening	21
	Making the Job Offer	25
2	HR Policies: Why Do We Need Them and What Should They Look Like?	29
	The Employee Handbook	30
3	Performance Management: How Do I Evaluate Performance and Conduct Meaningful Performance Reviews?	41
	Developing a Performance Management System	42
	The Performance Appraisal Process	46
	Conducting the Performance Appraisal	55
4	Training and Development: How Do Successful Companies Improve and Enhance Workforce Skills?	60
	Orienting the New Employee	61
	Continuing Employee Development	64
5	Employee Relations and Retention: How Do I Keep Good Employees and Maintain Working Relationships at All Levels?	75
	Fostering Effective Workplace Communication	75
	Structuring Reward and Recognition Programs	83
	Maintaining Work-Life Balance	87
	Resolving Workplace Conflicts	93
	When Employees Leave: Conducting the Exit Interview	96
6	Compensation: How Should Employees Be Paid?	98
	Wage and Hour Laws	98
	The Compensation System	104
	Variable Pay: Bonuses and Incentives	113
7	Benefits: What Makes a Benefits Package Competitive?	117
	Legally Required Insurance Programs	118
	Benefits That Provide Economic Security	121
	Benefit Days: Holidays, Sick Days, and Vacation	125
	Health Insurance	127
	Employee Assistance Programs	136
	Retirement Benefits	136
	Other Benefits	141
8	Regulatory Issues: What Are the Major Employment Laws and How Do I Comply with Them?	143
	Laws Prohibiting Discriminatory Practices	143
	The Family and Medical Leave Act	158
	Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1979	162
	Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986	165
9	When Bad Things Happen to Good Employers: How Do I Handle Volatile Workplace Issues?	169
	Electronic Mail, Internet, and Computer Usage	171
	Violence in the Workplace	175
	Substance Abuse in the Workplace	179
	Monitoring Other Workplace Dishonesty	184
	Conducting Employee Investigations	188
10	Termination and Discharge: How Do I Fire an Employee Legally and Humanely?	194
	The Termination Process	195
	Post-Termination Compensation and Benefits	200
	Other Post-Termination Matters	206
	Resource Guide	209
	Tools and Templates	219
	Index	235