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

by Shawn Smith, Rebecca Mazin

The HR Answer Book is an easy-to-use problem solver for managers and human resources professionals struggling to adapt to new workplace challenges. Corporate executive Shawn Smith and author Rebecca Mazin address more than 200 of the most common employer questions relating to job functions such as recruitment and hiring, discipline, downsizing, compensation and benefits, training, and employee relations. As a result, the book equips you with the industry's best practices to overcome any hurdle and experience preventing success in your role. This updated second edition contains a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the human resources field for management instructors, including revised and expanded sections on FMLA, health insurance changes, compensation laws, salary reductions, and using social networking to recruit employees. In The HR Answer Book , Smith and Mazin also share bonus checklists covering: In the fast-paced environment of the twenty-first century, human resources professionals and department managers must try on new approaches to success. Whether used as a cover-to-cover resource or a quick reference for tackling specific challenges, The HR Answer Book offers the immediately accessible tools you need to thrive and help others--and your organization--do the same.

Genres: Historical Romance, Business, Human Resources, Nonfiction, Management

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2004

About the author

SHAWN SMITH is an attorney, corporate executive, and founder of Next Level Consulting. Her articles have appeared in numerous legal and business publications.

Reviews

[Nicole]

Resourceful, but not exhaustive.

[Julie]

I thought this was going to be better than it was based on the Amazon reviews. It had good info, but not enough, especially when it comes to small companies.

[J.P.]

Under-delivered. Chapters poorly designed. More of an informal conversation than a guide. Useful forms.

[Mike Walters]

This is a good book to have on your shelf as a resources. Definitely not a read cover-to-cover.

[Asia]

This book is a good introduction to the various function in HR and explains many laws and regulations related to HR in the US. Hence the parts about laws and regulations would not be applicable to HR practitioners who are not based in US. Nonetheless, it was enlightening to read about the laws in US and reflect if it will make sense to apply them in my own country. One function of HR that this book is missing is HR Development (Training and Development). It would be good to include this important HR function in their next edition.

[Magali Najarian]

Interesting book with useful information and templates but it's mostly focused on the US and American employment laws and services and since i work in Canada I couldn't use a lot of it. It's a short read so I would still recommend it. I was inspired by this book to come up with ideas and incentives for my employees to keep them motivated and comfortable at work so it definitely was not a waste.

[Addison]

Definitely a solid read for anyone just getting into HR or looking to refresh their understanding on all things HR related. There were just a few things that probably needed further explanation since it could have been interpreted the wrong way or didn't clarify completely, but still worth reading for any HR professional.

[Sai Wunna]

I think I have to read this book for my career because I want to be a HR professional. I believe this book will give me amazing critical thinking.

[Daniel Brown]

Overall very good book for people who want to know more about Human Resources!

[Bess]

I enjoyed this book as a detailed overview of many human resource functions. I found the templates to be helpful. Now that I am done reading, it has found a place on my desk, and will be useful as reference when creating forms. I also will use it when creating presentations and trainings for staff. For example, I liked the chapter on interviewing and appropriate and inappropriate interview questions.

The advice is practical and relatively up to date. It is a newer edition of the book, but sometimes it did come across a little dated. Technology is evolving quickly!

I think it would be particularly interesting for people outside of HR to read. As an HR professional, I still found it interesting and informative though. I recently took the SHRM exam, and I thought it covered similar material to the exam.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in HR, someone who wants a concise but comprehensive guide to HR, and someone taking on new HR projects (like writing an employee handbook), who would like a place to start. The book would also be helpful for someone running a small business who does not have traditional HR support.

It was a good read to start the year and review the essentials of HR!

[Debbie]

Thorough, top-level coverage of multiple topics found in Human Resources. Excellent book to use as a refresher or starting point in HR studies. It's exactly what it's intended to be, and provides a basis or starting point for researching out the various issues and topics that come up in the typical workplace.

[Azuree]

This book, although boring, was a good source of information for everything having to do with human resources. It talked about health benefits, hiring and firing practices, employee reviews and just about everything else a good manager should know.

[Donna]

LIBSCI 709.3

[Angela]

good beginner book. easy Q&A format. lots of tips.

[Missy]

This is one of the better business books I have read in the past year. It offers valuable, easy to understand information.

[Andrea Wang]

HR work is so boring........