HR Magazine Guide to Managing People

242 Pages·2007·3 MB·English

Guide to
ManaGinG
PeoPle

Guide to
ManaGinG
PeoPle
Society for Human Resource Management
Alexandria, Virginia
USA
www.shrm.org
Edited by
Lauren Keller Johnson
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information regarding the
subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that neither the publisher nor the authors
nor the editor is engaged in rendering legal or other professional service. If legal advice or other
expert assistance is required, the services of a competent, licensed professional should be sought.
The federal and state laws discussed in this book are subject to frequent revision and interpretation
by amendments or judicial revisions that may significantly affect employer or employee rights and
obligations. Readers are encouraged to seek legal counsel regarding specific policies and practices
in their organizations.
This book is published by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM©). The
interpretations, conclusions and recommendations in this book are those of the authors and do
not necessarily represent those of SHRM.
©2006 Society for Human Resource Management. All rights reserved.
This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in
part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the Society for Human Resource Management, 1800
Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world’s largest association devoted
to human resource management. Representing more than 210,000 individual members, the Society
serves the needs of HR professionals by providing the most essential and comprehensive set of
resources available. As an influential voice, SHRM is committed to advancing the human resource
profession to ensure that HR is an essential and effective partner in developing and executing
organizational strategy. Visit SHRM Online at www.shrm.org.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
HR magazine guide to managing people / edited by Lauren Keller Johnson.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-58644-091-6
ISBN-10: 1-58644-091-8
1. Personnel management. 2. Personnel management--United States. I. Johnson,
Lauren Keller. II. Society for Human Resource Management (U.S.) III. HRMagazine.
HF5549.H656 2007
658.3--dc22
2006032771
Edited by: Lauren Keller Johnson Index by: Lauren Keller Johnson
Cover design by: Matt Hlubny Interior design by: Matt Hlubny
Printed by: _____________ Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Introduction
Section One: Recruiting Talented Employees 5
Try “Peer Interviewing” to Find the Perfect Candidate for Your Team 7
Put Substance before Style during Hiring Interviews 11
Did You Know? 16
Focus on Career Progression to Find Win-Win Hires 17
Discovering the Thinking behind a Candidate’s Career Choices 20
Be Honest When Selling Potential Hires on Your Business 21
How to Interview a Technical Candidate—when You’re Not a Techie 24
It Takes More Than a Reference Check to Weed out Liars 27
Quick Tips for Recruiting Talented Employees 31
Section Two: Managing Diversity 33
Savvy Managers Tune in to Cultural Differences 35
Cultural Differences Influence Expectations of Managers 40
Understanding Culture’s Impact on Work Style 43
Watch Out for the Minefield of Hidden Bias 44
Did You Know? 47
Showing Good Faith toward Muslim Employees 48
Aim for Quality Relationships to Keep Young, Diverse Workers 51
Quick Tips for Managing Diversity 55
Section Three: Motivating Workers to Excel 57
Practice the Five R’s to Motivate Workers 59
How Motivating Are You? 64
You Don’t Need Cash to Show Appreciation to Your Employees 65
Raise Expectations on Productivity—and Watch Your Workers
Exceed Them 67
Turn Your Disengaged Workers into “Bright-Eyed” Contributors 71
Did You Know? 75
Create an Environment Where Employees Choose to
Be Accountable 76
Contents | v
Create an Environment That Promotes Confidence, Trust, and
Satisfaction to Motivate Employees 79
Quick Tips for Motivating Your Team 83
Section Four: Strengthening Your People’s Skills 85
Leave a Lasting Legacy: Be an Effective People Developer 87
Training: Make It Stick—and Pay Off 91
To Transfer Training to the Workplace: Use It or Lose It 94
Hands-On Employee Development: A Good Bet to Retain
Your Best Workers 96
Learn What Motivates Your Employees to Help Them Develop 99
Four Career Paths 103
Quick Tips for Strengthening Your People’s Skills 104
Section Five: Assessing Workers’ Performance 105
Make Performance Appraisals Part of Your Weekly Routine 107
Fine-Tune Performance Appraisals to Make Them Effective—
and Less Arduous 109
Not-So-Difficult Solutions for Not-So-Easy Performance Appraisals 113
Tips for Handling Tricky Performance Appraisals 117
A Step-by-Step Guide to Performance Documents 118
Your Performance-Document Checklist 122
Sample Employee Performance-Document 123
Watch What You Write When Documenting Employee Performance 126
Quick Tips for Assessing Workers’ Performance 131
Section Six: Addressing Problem Behavior in Your Team 133
Step in Quickly When an MVP Goes off Track 135
Absenteeism: Enforce the Rules without Legal Hassles 139
Your Absenteeism-Abuse Worksheet 143
Missing in Action: Handling Job Abandonment 144
Don’t Tolerate Outrageous Behavior 148
Beware of Those Who Bully Bosses 151

vi | HR Magazine Guide to Managing People
Cope Creatively with the Punctually Challenged 153
Did You Know? 156
Don’t Get Caught in the Legal Wringer When Dealing with
Difficult-to-Manage Employees 157
Quick Tips for Addressing Problem Behavior in Your Team 164
Section Seven: Managing Contingent Workers 167
To Make the Most of Your Temps, Manage Them 169
Job-Sharing: It Has Benefits for Employees—and Employers 172
Your Job-Sharing Checklist 175
A Few Rules for Successful Internships 176
You May Want to Hire Older Workers as Interns 178
Did You Know? 180
Use Internship Programs to Groom Strong Job Candidates 181
Did You Know? 184
Quick Tips for Managing Contingent Workers 184
Section Eight: Communicating Effectively 185
Focus on Five Key Strategies to Improve Communication Skills 187
Choosing the Right Communication Skill 193
Learn How to Listen Effectively to Enhance Employee Relationships 194
How Effectively Do You Listen? 197
Be the Bearer of Bad News—Without Getting Burned 198
Seven Strategies for Being Seen as a Fair Boss 202
Hone Your E-Mail Messaging Skills to Improve Communications 207
Your E-Mail Checklist 211
Quick Tips for Communicating Effectively 212

Index 213
About the Authors 219
Additional Books from SHRM 227
Contents | vii

Guide to
ManaGinG
PeoPle