HR for Small Business For Dummies, UK Edition

Packed with practical tips and advice on how to handle tricky people situations in the workplace, this friendly guide shows anyone without a ton of HR experience how to correctly—and legally—utilise HR practises within a small business. From hiring to firing, managing performance to leading change—and everything in between—HR For Small Business For Dummies ensures you and your organisation are prepared for whatever may come knocking on your human resource department's door.

Written by a team of authors that runs PlusHR—an organisation that provides outsourced HR services to small- and medium-sized companies—HR For Small Business For Dummies offers a thorough and accessible understanding of what HR is, how it works and what key UK legislation you need to know to resolve issue-led HR problems. Throughout the book, the emphasis is on communication and how you may need to tweak your strategy as your business grows, while special attention is given to how an owner's personal style of leadership and management impacts everyone within a company.

• Build a recruitment strategy and establish successful HR practises
• Understand your legal and financial responsibilities as an employer
• Minimise your growing or shrinking pains—for you and your people
• Avoid the pitfalls of discrimination, bullying and unfair dismissal

If you're an SME owner, director or practitioner who needs to know more about HR issues and how to best resolve them, HR For Small Business For Dummies cuts through the clutter and offers practical, day-to-day guidance on running an effective HR department.

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting Started with HR 5

Chapter 1: Getting into the Business of People 7

Chapter 2: Recruiting Your First People 25

Chapter 3: Working Together 47

Chapter 4: Managing Your Pay and Benefits 63

Chapter 5: Parting Company 75

Par t II: Maturing in Business: Moving from Managing People to Good HR Practice 93

Chapter 6: Setting the Ground Rules 95

Chapter 7: Keeping Things Fair 117

Chapter 8: Managing and Rewarding Performance 137

Chapter 9: Creating a Great Team 157

Chapter 10: Setting Up HR in Your Business 175

Part III: Growing People and Teams 189

Chapter 11: Leading Your Growing Business 191

Chapter 12: Getting the Structure Right 209

Chapter 13: Training and Developing Your People 229

Par t IV: HR and the Law 247

Chapter 14: Hiring People 249

Chapter 15: Managing People 269

Chapter 16: Managing Pay, Benefits and Taxes 287

Chapter 17: Parting with People 305

Part V: The Part of Tens 323

Chapter 18: Ten HR Jargon Busters 325

Chapter 19: (Nearly) Ten Tips for Managing Poor Performance 329

Chapter 20: Ten Great Interviewing Ideas 335

Chapter 21: Ten (Or So) Signs of Employees Who Are Ready for Promotion 343

Index 347

Marc Bishop is the Managing Director and partner of PlusHR Limited, an organisation specialising in providing HR management and administration services to small and medium companies. Sharon Crooks is a former associate and director of PlusHR who now operates her own consultancy, Jade HR Solutions.

Learn to:

• Develop your employees to grow your business and lead change
• Pay the right rates for jobs and reward employees fairly
• Manage employee performance by setting clear expectations
• Implement key HR legislation to avoid pitfalls

Don't be daunted by HR! Here's what you need to know

Human Resources concerns keep many a small business owner awake at night. With this book as your guide, you can fearlessly navigate the complex HR landscape and enjoy a good night's sleep. Discover how to manage employees, lead change, develop policies and deal with tricky people situations, all whilst complying with all laws and regulations.

• The people business – understand how people fit into your business, what being an employer involves and how to attract the right people
• Hiring and firing – see what should be included in a legally binding job offer and what procedures must be followed when terminating employees
• Money and more – explore employee reward systems, know how to provide benefits and learn to respond to pay queries
• About rules and fairness – know when you need formal rules and HR policies, develop an Equal Opportunity Policy and handle grievances correctly
• As good things grow – learn to incorporate strategic planning, recruiting, training and shaping structure as your business grows
• Following the law – manage the hiring process, keep essential records, deal with unions and set up a pension scheme

Open the book and find:

• How to establish your business culture
• Tools for choosing the right employees
• Ways to protect your business when people leave
• Your legal responsibilities regarding benefits
• Tips on creating policies
• Suggestions for rewarding performance
• Creative ways to use contracts
• The ten best interview questions