HR Starter Guide: HR Starter Guide, #1

By Rick Cuellar

Embark on an HR Odyssey: Unveiling the Blueprint to Revolutionize Your Business

 

In the dynamic tapestry of modern business, one function has undergone a metamorphosis like no other: Human Resources (HR). Over the past decade, HR has evolved exponentially, driven by technological advancements, intricate employment laws, an amplified awareness of performance management, employee engagement, and the pivotal role of workplace culture.

 

Businesses with strong HR functions are required in order to provide the lifeblood necessary to build the type of employee engagement and workplace culture that will give you a competitive advantage. Yet there are countless mistakes businesses continue to make, damaging their HR departments, losing a ton of money and time, and limiting their own success.

 

Steering Clear of Common Missteps: Embark confidently on your HR voyage, avoiding the pitfalls that ensnare many.

Crafting a Legal Fortress: Erect a formidable legal framework, warding off the specter of expensive lawsuits.

Empowering Accountability and Engagement: Forge a path where accountability fosters engagement, nurturing a workforce that's primed for excellence.

Amplifying Performance Management: Elevate performance management, transcending routine evaluations with a framework that resonates.

Weaving an Unparalleled Culture: Unlock the secret of sculpting an award-worthy workplace culture, fueling your ascendancy.

Navigating the Tides of Termination: Skillfully navigate the intricate seas of termination, averting disruptions that jeopardize your progress.

Acing the Recruitment Symphony: Conduct a symphony of recruitment, harmonizing the selection process to resonate with exceptional candidates.

Leveraging Cutting-edge HR Tech: Unearth advanced HR software solutions, elevating your HR function into the digital age.

 

HR is no longer a behind-the-scenes player; it's the architect of thriving organizations. Rebuild your HR, usher in a new era, and embrace serenity.

Ricardo Cuéllar is a senior HR Executive who helps small business owners and their management teams simplify the world of HR, address their most difficult people issues, and optimize their work culture, so they can go back to building strong companies that are the backbone of the American economy.

 

Are you content with mediocrity, or are you ready to harness the full potential of your business? The choice is yours, and the tools are within reach. Turn the page, embrace the wisdom within, and set forth on a voyage that will reshape your business landscape.

 

Don't merely dream of success, grasp it with both hands. Seize your copy of the HR Starter Guide today and become the architect of your legacy. Your journey to revolutionizing your business begins now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rick Cuellar
• Release date: Dec 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223418597

Book preview

HR Starter Guide

A Comprehensive Quick Start Guide for Business Owners, Executives, and HR Professionals

Ricardo Cuellar

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Copyright © 2023 IME Publishing Group

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED no part of this book, or its associated ancillary materials may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information of storage or retrieval system without the permission from the publisher.

PUBLISHED BY IME Publishing Group DISCLAIMER AND/OR LEGAL NOTICES

While all attempts have been made to verify the information provided in this book and its ancillary materials, neither the author or the publisher assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions and is not responsible for any financial loss by consumer in any manner. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional. If advice concerning legal, financial, accounting or related matters is needed, the service of a qualified professional should be sought. This book and its associated axillary materials, including verbal and written training, is not intended for use as a source of legal, financial or accounting advice. You should be aware of the various laws governing business transactions or other business practices in your particular geographical location.

EARNINGS AND INCOME DISCLAIMER

With respect to the reliability, accuracy, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, completeness, and/or suitability of information provided in the book, Ricardo Cuellar and IME Publishing Group its Partners Associates Affiliates Consultants and/or presenters make no warranties guarantees representations or claims of any kind. Readers’ results will vary depending on a number of factors. Any and all claims or representations as to income earnings are not to be considered and average earnings. Testimonials are not representative. This book and all products and services are for education and informational purposes only. Use caution and see the advice of qualified professionals. Check with your accountant, attorney or professional adviser before acting on this or any information. You agreed that Ricardo Cuellar and IME Publishing Group is not responsible for the success or failure of your personal, business, health or financial decisions relating to any information presented by Ricardo Cuellar and IME Publishing Group or Company products/ services. Earnings potentials is entirely dependent on the efforts, skills and application of the individual person. Exercises and ideas in the information materials offered are simply opinion or experience, and thus should not be misinterpreted as promises, typical results or guarantees (expressed or implied). The author and the publisher Ricardo Cuellar, IME Publishing Group (IME or any IME Representatives) Shall in no way, under any circumstances be held liable to any party (or third-party) for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of books, materials and or seminar trainings, which is provided as is, and without warranties Ricardo Cuellar / IME Publishing Group.

Any examples, stories, references, or case studies are for illustrative purposes only and should not be interpreted as testimonies and/or examples of what reader and/ or consumers are generally expected from the information. No representation in any part of this information, materials and/ or seminar trainings are guarantees or promises for actual performance. Any statements, strategies, concepts, techniques, exercises and ideas in the information materials and/or seminar training offered are simply opinion or experience, and thus should not be misinterpreted as promises, typical results or guarantees (expressed or implied). The author and the publisher (Ricardo Cuellar, IME Publishing Group (IME) or any IME Representatives) Shall in no way, under any circumstances be held liable to any party (or third-party) for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of books, materials and or semi- nar trainings, which is provided as is, and without warranties Ricardo Cuellar / IME Publishing Group.

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Table of Contents

Dedication

A Brief Introduction

First A Little Background

How to Use This Book

The People Within your HR Department

Intro to Employment Law

It’s All About the Handbook...or is it?

Accommodations and Leaves of Absences

Harassment, Retaliation, and Discrimination

You’re Fired

Recruitment, Hiring Decisions, and Job Offers

Performance Management and Accountability

Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS)

Culture is Everything

The End

About the Author

Dedication

For Zoe and the family that loves me.

A Brief Introduction

This book is for all the small business owners, entrepreneurs, and executives who may manage human resources in their business. This book is perfect for aspiring business owners, HR professionals, or managers who have no expertise in HR but are forced to lead HR and want to ensure a solid start. If you need help with human resources, this book is the perfect quick start guide. I’m not referring to the Harvard guide or the McKinsey report on human capital and people ops. This is the hands on, I may or may not want to deal with HR, but I have no choice, survival guide.

This type of book is especially important for those of us with limited time, which is most of us. HR textbooks often have hundreds of pages that teach the pie in the sky, ivory tower, version of HR. But this is far removed from the day-to-day life of most small business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders. That stuff has it's place, but if you are a struggling small business owner, you simply don’t have time for it. Your time is better spent on revenue generating activities, not bogged down in business school HR jargon. So now that you know what type of book this is, let’s begin.

First A Little Background

I can’t say I ever aspired to build a career in HR. In fact, like most people, I had no idea what to major in during my undergraduate years in college. It’s kind of funny looking back on it, but I seem to recall having a crush on this girl I knew from high school who I ran into on my college campus. She was enrolled in a business program and majoring in human resources. She is the first person who I recall ever introducing the idea of human resources as a viable career choice and even bringing it to my awareness. Prior to that, I really did not know what HR was about and I can’t say I particularly cared for it even once I knew about it.

If you keep up with popular culture, this won’t be a shock. You can either act like Toby from the Office or like George Clooney’s character in Up in the Air, ruthlessly firing people. Then in the business world there aren’t exactly amazing role models in the HR space, you won’t exactly find a Steve Jobs of human resources. Sorry if I just offended half the HR nerds and SHRM zealots out there.

Fast forward a couple of degrees later, a stint in the military, and a fancy HR graduate degree from a top business school and you’d think I was always meant for this. I’m not sure I agree. In fact, after working in HR for what will soon be twenty years, I still wonder if I’ll do this for the rest of my life. Maybe if you’re reading this book, you will have contributed towards a new career as a writer of HR books. Tragic corporate tales from the front lines of HR, coming soon to a Kindle near you!

In all seriousness, I’ve grown to become passionate about HR. At least that’s what people tell me. I’m inclined to think it's more like a prisoner who has spent 20 years in a cell who is asked to talk about his cell in an interview. You better believe I’m going to know every nook and cranny in that room. I don’t know that this makes me passionate, any more than it makes me a good eyewitness. All jokes aside, I know I am good at HR and I suppose I’m passionate about it too.

One key to my success has notably been that I have a gift for spotting areas that need improvement. As you might imagine, this is not a gift any of my previous girlfriends have been fond of. However, in my HR career, this has been a gift that keeps on giving. I am passionate about finding unique solutions to ignored problems, which my bosses appreciate but my colleagues find annoying. I can’t promise to give this gift to you, but stick with me through this book and soon you’ll find my guidance will help you identify gaps in your own business.

At every stage of my career, I’ve quickly pushed boundaries and challenged the status quo, using my gift to spot areas that need improvement. I have done this at every company I worked for and will continue to do so. My skills in this area have vastly improved, due to working for several years as a consultant responsible for auditing HR departments and sifting through their unique challenges. Meanwhile, my rise to being the head of HR at a variety of companies that had underperforming HR functions helped solidify my skill set in this area. I come to you now as an HR veteran who has seen just about every combination of HR departments and can safely say I know what makes them work and what makes them fail.

This guide will be my attempt to help anyone that will listen to what you need to put together the starting blocks for what could be a world class HR department. These are the starting blocks and it will be equally important for me to guide you on what to prioritize early on, as much as to tell you what to ignore.

For those of you curious to learn more about my professional background and why I give the guidance I do, let me give you a basic rundown of where my experience comes from. First, you should know that I am a bit of a rule breaker. Early in my career I recognized the basic truth that if you want to quickly move up in your career, you must learn to job hop effectively. Not only is that the tried-and-true method to earn more money, but it allowed me to spend two to three years at a time nailing down a role, exploring one industry before I moved on to the next highest-level role. You do this enough times over a career while earning degrees and absorbing everything the professional HR associations throw at you and you become a master of your craft.

The above strategy allowed me to quickly move from an individual contributor role to a manager, then a director, and finally to join the executive ranks. I’ve headed up HR teams supporting multi-national companies with 16,000 employees and built HR departments from the ground up in start-up’s as an HR department of one. Along the way, I was fortunate to work side-by-side with some amazing entrepreneurs and senior leaders. We tackled HR issues from the mundane to establishing high-level strategies responsible for significant revenue contributions. I owe much of my career success to these individuals who trusted me with leading their HR functions and giving me the opportunity to master my craft. It was through these experiences that I soon learned that often I’d be hired to fix or turn around HR departments that were failing.

These entrepreneurs and small business owners recognized they had made some mistakes as their business grew over the years. Many of them found themselves in a similar situation that is all too common for young businesses. It is all too often that HR is neglected, doesn’t get a budget, or is non-existent until things break. Problems fester. This may include people leaving for competitors, compliance issues leading to lawsuits,