Creative Business Solutions Network

Kerry McCoy	Phone- 805-965-7733 / 1-800-398-5170
HRxpress	Fax- 805-965-6005
www.hrxpress.net	kerry.mccoy@hrxpress.net

Kerry McCoy is one of the founders of HRxpress, a human resources outsourcing and consulting company located in Santa Barbara. Ms. McCoy has over 20 years of HR management experience in the print/software publishing industry, including remote site, subsidiary and international management. She has a B.A. from Wright State University, SHRM-CA senior certification, and a Professional Designation in Personnel Management from UCLA. As an active member of the Santa Barbara Human Resources Association, Ms. McCoy has been that organization’s president the Member of the Year. She is a frequent guest speaker and trainer.

Kerry McCoy, SPHR-CA

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.