Strategic Planning

Recruit managers as allies before pitching that HR project

04/01/2005

Issue: Persuading top execs to approve new initiatives that will enhance HR’s stature at your organization.
Risk: Your reputation, your career … your credibility.
Action: Enlist a network of …

Do your ideas pass the bottom-line test?

04/01/2005

To propose the most compelling time- or cost-saving ideas, first analyze them like the CEO does.

Show how HR helps forward the big boss’s goals

03/01/2005

Issue: Learn the top brass’s priorities, and then match them up with your HR projects.
Benefit: By showing how your work helps the big bosses meet their goals, you become …

Earn kudos for leading the charge for a security upgrade

03/01/2005

Issue: Companies that lack any kind of security system run a 4.5 times higher risk of burglary and vandalism.
Benefit: Small-scale security systems have become more affordable and easier to …

Turn to temporary managers to fill gaps and cut costs

02/01/2005

Issue: Temporary managers and executives can fill a short-term void and save money in the long run.
Benefit: Filling the right positions with interim replacements can enhance your reputation as …

Trim your 401(k) expenses by knowing what’s ‘average’

02/01/2005

Issue: Paying higher-than-average administrative costs for your organization’s 401(k) plan.
Risk: Smaller companies unwittingly shell out bigger fees.
Action: Don’t take 401(k) fees at face value; shop around and …

New Web site targets companies that have sent jobs packing

01/01/2005

The AFL-CIO is providing a new online soapbox for employees who’ve seen their jobs moved overseas. The union has launched a new Web page that lists 200,000 U.S. employers who have …

What are your services worth? More than you think

12/01/2004

Issue: The 2003 upturn in HR salaries picked up pace in 2004.
Benefit: Such robust pay growth provides more bargaining power with your boss and on the open market.
…

Take the first step toward your 2005 promotion

12/01/2004

Issue: Performing an HR department audit to gauge your organization’s compliance and lawsuit risks.
Benefit: Head off legal action, streamline your HR processes and earn kudos from the boss for …

Prepare for HIPAA’s final phase: the security rule

11/01/2004

It’s back … Just when you thought you’d heard the last word about complying with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the final compliance phase is just around the …