
Q. I don’t know what I don’t know about HR.
Where should I start?
A.
We recommend starting with an HR audit. This is a review of all of your
policies and practices that relate to Human Resources to find out where
there might be gaps in protection, gaps in administration, or areas
where you may not be competitive. With the results of an audit, you can
pinpoint where your urgent areas are and address them in order of
priority. A typical complete audit will address hiring, required
postings, materials for new or departing employees, timekeeping and
payroll practices, meals and breaks, position classifications, general
policies, forms and documents, employee files, workers’ compensation
administration, compensation and benefits, performance management,
health and safety, training, and any other applicable HR topic.
Q. How much will it cost me to outsource my HR administration?
A.
The great thing about HR is that it is modular. Almost all parts of HR
administration can be outsourced, but you can control your costs by
choosing only the areas you want to outsource. Expect to pay around $150
per hour, or negotiate for a monthly retainer, which will even out your
cash outlay whether the hours got up or go down. What you need to keep
control of are areas where employee relations are face to face and/or
require your own judgment, for example, employee selection, performance
evaluation, discipline, and employee recognition.
Q. Do I need an Employee Handbook, and can’t I just use the one I got from
a friend and modify it?
A.
No law requires you to have an Employee Handbook (and by the way,
California law DOES require that you have a written safety plan). But
having an Employee Handbook can build some protections around your
organization by spelling out your policies and what will happen if they
are violated. We highly recommend you have a Handbook. As for using one
you got from a friend, it you know for sure that it was written in the
last six months, it was reviewed by an employment attorney, it was
designed specifically for California, and it is designed for a company
your same size and industry type, then you might want to take a chance
and use it as your model. However, at the very least we would still
recommend that you have it reviewed by a professional before it is
issued.
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