By Barry Rubenstein

In previous columns I touched upon the business partner-aspects of HR as well as the impact of training in HR. In thinking about the term “human resources” I want to focus on the latter part of the term. In order to be successful, HR people must have vast resources available to them.

Let’s see what tricks we need to have up our sleeves…

Relevant Employment Law Updates
Strong HR people can understand and interpret complex employment laws. In addition, HR people must be aware of relevant updates and make certain that your company is in compliance with said laws. The following 3 examples, by no means an exhaustive list illustrate this point:

1. HIPAA legislation has changed the way we look at private health information.
2. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has had a significant impact with respect to 401k programs and reporting.
3. Sexual Harassment laws/guidelines change periodically and must be paid attention to closely.

Workforce.com is a resource that is free and provides useful information regarding employment law updates.

On the workforce.com website, navigate to the Legal Resources section and get the “legal links for the HR Generalist” information. This provides governmental web addresses that are extremely useful. Bookmark the websites for quick access!

The CCH (cch.com), BNA (bna.com) and HR Comply (hrcomply.com) are premium sites that are great sources of information for HR professionals.

Updated Salary Information
In order for any company to remain competitive it must be aware of compensation trends. I suggest an annual compensation review of all positions within your company. This project provides rich data that assists you in being certain that your employees are being paid in a way that is commensurate with the marketplace.

As far as salary resources are concerned, participation in salary studies is an great vehicle for gaining/keeping up to date with respect to salary trends.

Free resources such as salary.com provide important baseline information and can be utilized for this purpose.

There are several other “premium” resources that are of great value. Economic Research Institute is a valuable source of salary data that is available for a fee.

Deep understanding of HR trends
An HR professional brings extraordinary value to the table when they are avid readers. Whether it be newspaper articles, online resources, discussions with colleagues etc., HR professionals need to understand trends so they can position their company accordingly. Since HR has moved to the forefront of business partner-relationships, it is crucial to follow the trends, plan for them and, when possible to anticipate trends that will effect your company today and in the future.

Benefit Information
Benefit administration is a critical role for HR. If your company engages a benefit broker (a company that identifies insurance carriers, negotiates rates etc.) it is important to make them work for you. In other words, since benefit brokers are paid a fee to identify carriers etc., they should, at a minimum, do the following for your company:

1. Provide annual information regarding best available rate plans
   I suggest that benefit brokers take all company benefits “out-to-bid” prior to every renewal date. This ensures that your company benefits will be cost-effective and comprehensive
2. Act as the company’s first line of defense when it comes to troubleshooting a benefits problem.
   Have you ever had the experience of waiting on hold with an insurance carrier for 45 minutes or more only to get a representative who really can’t help you? If you have, it’s time to utilize your benefit broker more efficiently. Benefit brokers have direct lines of communication with the various insurance carriers. As such, they can get issues resolved much more quickly than the average person.

Networking
While everyone knows that networking is important, it is often put on the proverbial back-burner! Involvement and active participation in HR-related networking groups is crucial for long-term success.

In summary, the “resourcefulness” of the Human Resources professional is critical to the success of your company. Seek out quality resources and share them among your colleagues as you continue your successful HR journey!