How to Manage a Human Resources Department

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1

Define HR's role and pinpoint the organization's HR needs. Understand the role and function of the HR department by determining the human resource needs within the organization in accordance with the mission, goals, values, and objectives of the organization. Smaller businesses have different HR needs than larger corporations. New startup companies have different HR needs then mature organizations that have been in business for several years. Nonprofit organizations have different HR needs than for profit organizations or governmental public sector units. Nonunion environments have different HR needs than union environments.

2

Do strategic planning. After determining the role of HR and the HR needs of the organization, begin establishing a method of how the needs are to be met by putting in place a strategic plan. If the organization is in the startup mode, the HR strategic plan will consist of focusing on the recruitment of experienced well-trained personnel, development of employment policies, creating new hire orientation processes, developing job descriptions and coming up with compensation and benefits packages. If the organization is mature, HR's strategic plan will consist of monitoring performance, implementing training programs, community involvement, retaining employees, succession planning and facilitating rewards and recognition programs, coordinating employee events such as staff picnics, etc., conducting employee satisfaction surveys, making sure business unit HR needs are met.

3

Designate and select HR Staff. Depending on the size and type of organization, the HR department will consist of staff persons ranging from HR generalists, analyst, recruiters, clerks, administrative assistants, compensation and benefits manager, training manager, labor relations representative, project managers, HRIS administrators, risk management representative, payroll administrator, and HR director. Upon determining the organizational needs and development of a strategic plan, an HR staff should be selected and hired to implement the strategic plan and help internal business units with their HR needs. HR staff skills should be able to conduct HR audits maintain and keep employment records, be well versed in employment laws, write job descriptions, conduct job analysis, handle negotiations, interview applicants, write policies, and be well experienced in handling company mergers, layoffs, downsizing, project management and managing computer data related to Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS). Also their education should consist of bachelor's or master's degrees in human resource administration, or human resource management. Some staff may be required to have professional HR certifications.

4

Implement a method for record keeping and HR systems management. The HR department has many confidential records and files to maintain. These records can be kept electronically and or hard copies stored in a secure area. The HR Manager should be responsible for selecting a records management system for both hard copy records and electronic records. Popular electronic systems are People Soft, GreenTree and ABRA.

5

Keep updated and abreast of employment laws. The HR staff should continue to keep updated and abreast of employment and HR Laws in order to keep the organization operating legally. Important HR laws include the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Title VII, Age Discrimination (ADEA), Equal Pay Act (EPA), 1866 Civil Rights Act, Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ADA - Public Accommodations, Executive Orders 11246 & 11478, Drug-Free Workplace Act, National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), Byrnes Act, Worker Adjustment & Retraining Act (WARN), Rights of Servicement (USERRA), Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA), Immigration Reform & Control Act (IRCA), Health Maintenance Organization Act (HMO), Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), Health Insurance Portability (HIPAA), New Hire Reporting, Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Federal Bankruptcy Code, Jury Systems Improvement Act, Employee Polygraph Protection Act and Export Administration Act of 1977.

How to Get Personal Finance Help

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1

Write down all of your monthly expenses and income and begin creating a budget before you start to seek any outside personal finance help. Documenting all of your cash flow is helpful data that an outside resource can help you with. Without a clear picture of how much you are earning and spending, a financial planner will not be able to help you. Try to gather as much information as possible including credit card interest rates and balances, mortgage details and data on any personal loans.

2

Ask a friend or family member for personal finance help if you know someone who has control of their finances. As long as you feel comfortable opening up your books to this person, it never hurts to ask someone who is close to you. Even if they cannot help you with your personal finances, they may be able to recommend a financial planner to you. Try to avoid taking advantage of this resource and treat this as a professional relationship, if possible.

3

Search the Internet for blogs and websites that can help provide personal finance help. If you are not successful with a family member or friend, then look to another free resource online. There are a ton of personal finance sites that specialize in helping people get out of debt, find the best bargains and locate the best interest rates. While these websites may not give you all the answers you need, they may offer a solution on a portion of your financial woes.

4

Hire a certified personal financial adviser to get help. If you can't get free personal finance help or advice, then it is time to turn to a professional. Personal financial advisers make a living off of helping other people control their spending and income, so this is a logical place to look for assistance. Do some research on any financial adviser you are thinking of hiring to make sure they are legitimate.

5

Attend a class or seminar that can provide personal finance help. Check out personal finance seminars that are being held in your state or county. You could also check out online courses that are set up to help people get out of debt, control their spending and become financially independent. Be sure to check out any course or materials before you purchase them to make sure they are legitimate. See if the course or materials come with any testimonials or recommendations.

Tech Franchise 'Pays it Forward' to Get Veterans Back to Work

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By Kate Rogers

Air force veteran Mark Kelly, 50, knew he wanted to become a small business owner after retiring from the service after 25 years, but he faced an uphill battle when it came to establishing a career post service.

While the country as a whole is struggling with a stubbornly-high unemployment rate, veterans face an unemployment rate of nearly 13% upon returning from war, according to the Labor Department.

Kelly was given the unique opportunity to become his own boss as a franchise owner of  TeamLogic IT, in Colorado Springs, Colo.  this year. TeamLogic IT  is a Mission Viejo, Calif.-based computer services company, that has more than 50 franchises across the country, and will waive its $40,000 franchising fee this year for 10 qualifying veterans across the country to open up their own TeamLogic IT franchise.

To be considered, veterans should visit the “Franchise Opportunities” section of teamlogicit.com, e-mail  contactus@teamlogicit.com, or call Victoria Brox at 866-TeamLogicIT and identify themselves as a U.S. military veteran.

Kelly is the company's first veteran to be selected, and plans to open up his own TeamLogic IT business in Colorado Springs, with his wife, Dawn Kelly, who is also an air force vet.

"I like the idea and what the company is doing to help veterans to get into small business," Mark said.

Chuck Lennon, president of TeamLogic IT, said the offering evolved naturally, and was really spur of the moment. He found out through the International Franchise Association just how high the unemployment rate was for veterans and wanted to help lower the rate.

"I was blown away by the rate for returning vets," Lennon said. "Our franchises don't hire a lot of people, but I currently have a handful of veteran franchisees that are very strong."

The selected veterans will receive the same training as paying franchisees, and will travel to Southern California for a week of training with TeamLogic professionals  to learn how to operate, develop and grow their business, Lennon said. They also get free marketing for three months, and daily phone conversations and support once the franchise is up and running. The offer will stand through the rest of the year, and TeamLogic began reviewing applications earlier this month.

"We wanted to someway be able to thank vets for the work they've done," he said. "Especially for an officer who has perhaps spent 20-plus years in the military."

Kelly works with veteran organizations LifeQuest Transitions and Veterans of Foreign Wars and plans to work his connections to help other unemployed vets find work within his factory. He said he also plans on offering LifeQuest Transitions free IT services once his franchise is up and running.

"It's paying it forward, the same way TeamLogic is paying it forward and helping us out with this opportunity," he said. "We want to help other vets as our company grows."

 

How to Set Educational Goals

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1

Be specific. Don't generalize your educational goals. Instead of saying that you want to graduate from college in 3 years, say how you will graduate in 3 years. This makes it easier to follow steps and know where you should be at any given time during those 3 years.

2

Make your goals achievable. Don’t make your goals account for more time than you actually have. If you have to work full time to support your family and you have small children, it may not be achievable to set a goal of graduating in 3 years. However, if you set a goal of 4 years for graduation, it’s likely that you may achieve that goal.

3

Set goals that are realistic in nature. It may not be a good idea to say that you want to be an astronaut if you hate math and science. Make sure your goals are in line with your capabilities or what you are willing to do. If you are not willing to do what it takes to achieve your goals then you probably will not accomplish them. If you want to be a doctor, realize that it will take you quite a long time to complete your education versus if you wanted to be a teacher. Knowing this ahead of time will save you from having to neglect your goals or from falling off track.

4

Write your goals down. Don’t just keep them in your head because you’ll end up changing or forgetting them every five minutes. Put them in a visible place so that you are constantly reminded of what you are supposed to be accomplishing--post them on your wall, on the refrigerator or in a planner.

5

Tell someone else your goals. This way you always have someone riding your back asking you how is [your goal here] going. With someone else familiar with your educational goals, you will feel compelled to complete them as you previously stated.

6

Research your educational goals before you set forth on your journey. If you want to be a teacher but the college you intend to go to is the worst in the state for primary and secondary education, it may be a good idea to change what school you want to attend.

 

How to Change Jobs or Career

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1

Don't look for a job...the conventional way. You will soon find out that sending out 200 resumes will probably generate little or no results. The second 200 will probably not do much better and falling into a pattern of rejection is tough on the pride as well as the wallet.

2

Not applying for jobs in the conventional manner is only half the learning process. Now you must market yourself. You are a product. You are highly trained with a vast array of skill sets and believe it or not, they are transferable. It is time to hone those skill sets and experience and market yourself as a product that company needs.

3

Research and Development: You must transform yourself. The way you think about yourself and the way you approach the job market. To do this you need to define yourself, who you are and what you want. You should consider where you want to live, what you want to do, and any other goals that you have. These should be specific and written down on paper. "I'd like to be a college professor" is a lot vaguer than I would like to teach economics at the freshman and sophomore level". The more specific you are the more focused and confident you will be.

4

Be genuine. Be enthusiastic about your goals. Talk to people about what you are going to do...what you really want to do, not what they or society thinks you should do. If you are excited enough about your goals, you will excite others about them to and they will want to help.

5

The Proposal: Take the time to determine who the decision maker is. Make your proposal to the person that has the power to accept it. You have found the need that you can fill, so use your network to discover who can make it happen for you. That is who you discuss the job with.

6

The Sale: Your proposal should be "an offer they can't refuse". You should have determined what you can do for this company. It should be part of your proposal. You are now a salesman. The easiest way to do this if you are not a natural is to write a detailed job proposal, then an outline that you can use in a meeting, explaining how the company will benefit by hiring you or using your service

Emboldened GOP wants to abolish state income taxes

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By SEAN MURPHY

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A year after Republicans swept into office across the country, many have trained their sights on what has long been a fiscal conservative's dream: the steep reduction or even outright elimination of state income taxes.

The idea has circulated among academics and think-tank researchers for years. But it's moving quietly into mainstream political discourse, despite the fact that such sweeping changes would almost certainly mean a total rewiring of tax systems at a time when most states are still struggling in the aftermath of the recession.

"I think there's going to be more action that way," especially as Republican governors release their budget plans, said Kim Rueben, an expert on state taxation at the Brookings Urban Tax Policy Center.

Last year, GOP lawmakers in many states quickly went to work on a new conservative agenda: restricting abortion, cracking down on illegal immigration, expanding gun rights and taking aim at public-employee unions.

Emboldened by that success, the party has launched income tax efforts in Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Carolina. But it's not clear how all those states would make up for the lost revenue, and Rueben said she's not aware of any state in modern history that has eliminated an income tax.

Nine states already get by without an income tax, mostly by tapping other sources of revenue. Nevada and Florida rely on sales taxes that target the tourism industry. Alaska has taxes on natural resources, and Texas imposes substantial property taxes. The other five states are: New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wyoming.

But in the rest of the country, income taxes pay for bedrock government services, including roads and bridges and schools and prison systems.

In Oklahoma, Republican Gov. Mary Fallin says gradually cutting the top income-tax rate of 5.25 percent will make the state more attractive to businesses, help spur economic growth and ensure Oklahoma is competitive against neighboring states such as Texas. Although the personal income tax does not apply to corporate earnings, supporters say company executives and employees will prefer to live in a state that doesn't tax personal income.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is pushing this year to consolidate four personal income tax brackets and to phase out corporate income taxes. She promises to seek more tax cuts in the future.

Missouri has a bill to reduce income taxes and offset the lost revenue by raising the cigarette tax.

And Maine's GOP-controlled Legislature voted last year to lower the income tax from 8.5 to 7.95 percent, taking 70,000 low-income citizens off the income-tax rolls.

Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter has suggested reducing the individual income tax rate from 7.8 percent to 7.6 percent, the same as the corporate income tax rate, and then gradually lowering both to 7 percent. But business groups have said they would rather get help eliminating the personal property tax businesses pay on their equipment.

In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich's 2010 campaign included a pledge to phase out the state's personal income tax, though without a timetable for doing so. Thus far, the state's fiscal situation has stymied the governor's efforts to achieve his goal, other than implementing a previously scheduled income tax cut.

As one way to compensate for the lost revenue, the Oklahoma governor and others have suggested eliminating other kinds of tax breaks and incentives, specifically transferrable tax credits offered to certain businesses. But that would still fall woefully short in Oklahoma, where the income tax provides more than one-third of all state spending.

Still, 23 Republicans in the Oklahoma House have signed up as sponsors of a measure to abolish the income tax over the next decade without raising any other taxes.

"Our goal is to transform Oklahoma into the best place to do business, the best place to live, find a quality job, raise a family and retire in all of the United States. Not just better than average, but the very best," state Rep. Leslie Osborn said.

Lower taxes appeal to many voters, but some wonder how the state could get by if lawmakers abandon a major source of money.

"I personally would favor paying less taxes, but to me, it's like where are we going to make up the difference?" said Steve Schlegel, a bicycle shop owner in Oklahoma City. "I already feel like government is underfunded at the moment."

Roger Garner, a letter courier, said he would accept higher property taxes if it meant eliminating the income tax.

"Get rid of it," Garner said. "Florida doesn't have it. Texas doesn't have it. We don't need it. If something is needed, we can figure out a way to pay for it at the local level."

Conservatives say the lost revenue will be made up by increased economic activity — more businesses paying corporate taxes and more employees paying property taxes and spending money. But economists warn those predictions are unrealistic.

Without creating an alternative funding system, "it's clearly irresponsible to propose taking action against the income tax," said Alan Viard, an economist with the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative think tank.

Former Oklahoma Treasurer Scott Meacham, a Democrat who helped negotiate a series of small income tax cuts, urged state leaders to be careful tinkering with the state's economy, which is currently enjoying double-digit revenue growth and has one of the 10 lowest unemployment rates in the country.

"If you look at our state's economy, it's doing very well versus virtually any other state, whether they have a state income tax or not," said Meacham, who is now a member of the board of directors for the State Chamber, an association of Oklahoma business and industry.

Voters, he added, "ought to be very concerned, especially in an election year, when the politicians are telling them they know what's best for them from an economic standpoint."

In neighboring Kansas, Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has a sweeping plan to overhaul income taxes that calls for offsetting income tax cuts by canceling a scheduled drop in the sales tax. But it would increase the tax burden for the state's poorest households. And he faces resistance from within his own party over concern that the sales tax increase was supposed to be a temporary fix back in 2010.

A similar debate is unfolding in Oklahoma, where the plan calls for reducing the income tax from 5.25 percent to 4.75 percent by eliminating the personal exemption for every household member, including children, as well as the child tax credit and earned income tax credit.

An analysis by the Oklahoma Policy Institute shows those steps would raise taxes for 55 percent of Oklahomans, mostly low-income families and those with children.

"We have grave doubts about this proposal," said David Blatt, director of the institute. "We see stumbling blocks in every direction. You either decimate state services or shift the burden onto those that can least afford it."