Anyone who has managed HR for a private business knows how challenging this job can be. HR in a small to mid-sized business is not one position, but a series of roles, each with its own set of problems.
HR managers must manage hiring, training, firing, health and retirement benefits, COBRA, payroll, tax structuring, etc. They must negotiate government regulations regarding sexual harassment training, OSHA, and ERISA. In a private company, they must often do this alone, or with just a small group of key employees — all without the benefit of advanced training and a team of lawyers.
Most comprehensive HR manuals are written by academics for Fortune 500 companies. The other HR books tend to have little practical application. This poses an enormous challenge for an executive with too many responsibilities and not enough time.
I have started over a dozen companies. One of them is now part of a Fortune 1000 company. Another was franchised nationwide. In my thirty years of business ownership, I have worn pretty much every hat — from coffee maker to CEO. I have made many mistakes. I have enjoyed some success. I have learned from both.
Working HR is the kind of manual that I could have used over the years. It is a functional, practical guide, designed to help HR executives save time and money. It gives quick access to important information that will help executives conduct business more effectively. It hits the highlights, the key factors to improve job performance in the shortest time, with the least amount of effort. This book can be read from cover-to-cover, or it can be used to pinpoint specific areas of opportunity with a functional focus.
