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The Essential Handbook

The Essential Performance Review Handbook: A Quick and Handy Resource For Any Manager or HR Professional

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The Essential Performance Review Handbook turns the writing of such appraisals from a tedious paperwork chore to a powerful management and motivational toola valuable new way of thinking about an old task.Robert Bly, author of 101 Ways to Make Every Second CountThis book should be required reading for all employers and their supervisors.Henry P. Baer, former chair of the labor & employment law practice, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLPAre performance reviews at your company like fruitcake--you get it every year whether you want one or not? It doesnt have to be like that. Because everyone wants to know how theyre doing, how they measure up, and what their chances are for advancement and rewards. And they want to do things right.The Essential Performance Review Handbook will help you understand why performance as an important business tool.Motivate personnel and increase productivity.Help achieve your company goals.Improve manager-employee communication.Reduce your risk of legal liability.Whether youre a manager or a HR professional, this is an indispensable resource to help you create confident, motivated, and productive employees.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2008

268 people are currently reading
550 people want to read

About the author

Sharon Armstrong

12 books2 followers

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5 stars
101 (22%)
4 stars
145 (32%)
3 stars
153 (33%)
2 stars
43 (9%)
1 star
11 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for Matt McLain.
130 reviews18 followers
December 23, 2021
It is important and helpful to know labor laws. We are all employed (hopefully), and we should know how to navigate the rights, boundaries, and fair expectations of employers, employees, and co-workers. This book helped to remove much of my workplace ignorance surrounding things such as unlawful terminations, various paid time off options, and just how much goes into maintaining employee records.
2 reviews
June 22, 2019
Essential!

The title of this book is perfect! The content is essential to people new to HR and a great reminder to those who have been in the field a long time. I keep it close by for easy reference.
Profile Image for imane.
496 reviews417 followers
April 23, 2025
📚 ملخص كتاب: "دليل الموارد البشرية الأساسي" 👥

يُعد "دليل الموارد البشرية الأساسي" من أهم الكتب التي تقدم نظرة شاملة عن إدارة الموارد البشرية وكيفية التعامل مع الأفراد داخل المنظمات. يقدم الكتاب مجموعة من الأدوات والإستراتيجيات التي تساعد في تحسين الأداء التنظيمي وزيادة فعالية فرق العمل.

🔑 أهم النقاط في الكتاب:

1️⃣ استراتيجية التوظيف 🧑‍💼
يوضح الكتاب كيفية اختيار الموظفين المناسبين من خلال عمليات توظيف دقيقة، حيث يتناول كيفية كتابة إعلانات وظائف جذابة، وعمل مقابلات توظيف فعالة، واختيار الأشخاص الذين يتوافقون مع قيم وأهداف المنظمة.

2️⃣ التدريب والتطوير 📚
التدريب المستمر للموظفين هو أحد الأسس الأساسية للنجاح في أي منظمة. يناقش الكتاب أهمية التطوير المهني المستمر ويشرح كيفية تصميم برامج تدريبية تساهم في رفع كفاءة الموظفين وتحسين أداء المنظمة.

3️⃣ إدارة الأداء 📈
تعد إدارة الأداء من المهام الأساسية في الموارد البشرية. يتناول الكتاب كيفية تحديد الأهداف الواضحة للموظفين، وتقديم التغذية الراجعة بانتظام، واستخدام أدوات تقييم الأداء لتحقيق التطور المستمر.

4️⃣ إدارة التعويضات والمزايا 💰
إدارة الرواتب والحوافز هي جزء أساسي من إدارة الموارد البشرية. يناقش الكتاب كيفية تصميم برامج تعويض تنافسية تضمن جذب أفضل الكفاءات، وفي نفس الوقت تحفز الموظفين على الأداء العالي.

5️⃣ حل النزاعات وحل المشكلات ⚖️
في بيئة العمل، لا مفر من حدوث بعض النزاعات بين الموظفين. يشرح الكتاب أساليب حل النزاعات بطرق سلمية وفعالة، وكذلك كيفية التعامل مع المشاكل العمالية بشكل يتسم بالعدالة والإنصاف.

6️⃣ الثقافة التنظيمية 🌟
الكتاب يركز أيضًا على بناء ثقافة تنظيمية قوية تشجع على التعاون والإبداع. فهم القيم المشتركة وأهمية التواصل الفعّال يعزز من روح الفريق ويؤدي إلى نتائج إيجابية.

🌟 الخلاصة:
"دليل الموارد البشرية الأساسي" هو مرجع هام لكل من يعمل في مجال الموارد البشرية أو أصحاب الأعمال الذين يسعون لتحسين الأداء الإداري والتنظيمي. يتيح لك الكتاب فهماً عميقاً حول إدارة الموظفين، بناء فرق عمل قوية، وتنفيذ استراتيجيات فعالة في إدارة الموارد البشرية.
Profile Image for Jo.
82 reviews4 followers
February 5, 2024
For those who are taking on any type of HR job without HR training or IO Psychology training, this book is a great general overview of the field and what to expect on the job. Each chapter covers an essential aspect of managing employees, like technology, medical insurance requirements, other insurance benefits, diversity, and a lot more. It seems the tips from this book are mostly framed around HR managing in large organizations, compared to smaller organizations/practices. However, the advice can be applied to smaller organizations, so it is still very useful. Overall, this was an informative book that provided me with a foundational framework to approach an HR position.
Profile Image for Georgia.
242 reviews57 followers
May 8, 2017
Having known little about the world of HR, I found this book helpful and very well organized. Lots of helpful structures and questions. Perhaps obvious for those who have been in the field for a while.
17 reviews
November 21, 2020
Decent book to understand the business from the HR point's of view.
Many examples were (ofcourse) specific to the American job/hr-market.

Probably the book is not deep enough for HR professionals though.
Profile Image for Jaime Bayona.
210 reviews4 followers
April 24, 2020
Está ok, el título del libro lo dice todo. Es una guía práctica y rápida para iniciar en RRHH. Tiene buenos consejos y guías.
Profile Image for Ana Valeva.
22 reviews2 followers
June 6, 2020
Apart from the fact that the legal part is associated with the US market only, all other tips are omnipresent for the HR profession.
Profile Image for Kimby.
15 reviews
September 23, 2020
Good guide for people who are in the profession. I was more so looking to learn about the profession so this wasn't overly helpful for me but will come in handy in the future.
Profile Image for Htrang.
42 reviews1 follower
August 16, 2021
Sach chi N cho muon, rat la bo ich. Ngan gon, suc tich
1 review
April 1, 2022
A helpful resource for those new to HR, however some elements are a bit outdated unfortunately at this point.
Profile Image for Vince Evans.
26 reviews
May 28, 2022
I have to wonder if HR 101 might have been a more appropriate title...good info for someone new to the field.
Profile Image for Nkwa Yellow-Duke.
10 reviews1 follower
June 9, 2022
A novel for those that need help with job security.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Natalie.
89 reviews
October 16, 2022
It's a good starting place and overview to HR functions. I guess my review may change over the long run depending on how much I refer to it in the coming year.
Profile Image for Laura Boulay.
11 reviews
June 10, 2024
The book is outdated and it tries to cover too much but ends up saying nothing.
Profile Image for Corey Nelson.
165 reviews19 followers
November 5, 2019
Picked up this book hoping to get a better feel for what it is like to be in the HR department these days as it is recently updated. Keeping up and experiencing all the aspects of managing people for 30 years, I did not learn a lot of new things. It is a good book for newer managers.

I like that technologies now available and the realities of a “buyer’s” staffing market in how offers can best attract the best people is covered.
Profile Image for Drika.
5 reviews2 followers
February 25, 2017
I've been an HR professional for more than ten years, and I can honestly say that this book is a great primer on human resources for all levels of management. The topics are discussed in a clear, jargon-free, and concise manner. In my opinion, this book should be required reading for line managers, supervisors, and department heads. Even if you're a seasoned HR professional, not only are there a few gems in this book, it's a much needed break away from the textbook-style books on the subject.

The chapters I found the most valuable were: optimal staffing, performance evaluations, benefits, managing a diverse workforce, and the 21st century workplace. The chapters on benefits and performance evaluations alone are worth the cost of the book. It's a great, quick read and will serve as a reference to many.
Profile Image for Kevin Eikenberry.
Author 25 books29 followers
October 28, 2020
Most all managers and leaders do performance reviews, and most don’t look forward to them.

This practical and broad ranging book may help.

About the final third of the book is a compilation of sample forms that an organization could adopt or adapt, but the first 130 pages applies to all leaders and managers –whether new to performance reviews or even those who have been doing them for years.

Read more...
16 reviews
May 30, 2023
Recently, I was reading “the Essential HR Handbook, 10th Anniversary Edition" by Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell.
I must say it is an invaluable resource for both managers and HR professionals.
The book contains a wide range of HR topics, from recruitment and onboarding to performance management and employee relations. It serves as a quick reference guide, allowing you to find the information you need promptly.
I believe the best way to grow is to learn and explore each aspect and departments of your organization.
Profile Image for Thamer Altowerqi.
6 reviews8 followers
December 28, 2012
I chose this book to cover some aspects of HR which haven't been covered in the Master. it could be a good starting book for those who want to know more about HR specially if they are working in HR without education background in the same field. Most of the examples based on the US organisation which kept me away of the idea sometimes (the legal section for example). In general l, I found it useful for the sake of my objective (to know more about some other aspects of HR)
Profile Image for Oliver.
58 reviews2 followers
July 17, 2019
It covers all aspect in a very-very-very basic fashion. Like if someone never ever heard about HR. For that purpose, it is excellent. It outlines what are the main topics, and what are the main questions to consider. I think it is most useful for newcomers to HR to get up to speed with the lingo, or for small companies who have no HR function.
Profile Image for Jitka Egressy.
Author 6 books31 followers
March 15, 2015
Basic info. Not bad for begginers. But should cost half...
Profile Image for Brian.
195 reviews
December 30, 2015
It's not the most in-depth book on HR practices but should suffice for managers who would like a basic idea of what goes on in the HR world. I'll keep it on the bookshelf nearby in my office.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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