Human Resources for the Non-HR Manager

Human Resources for the Non-HR Manager appeals to anyone interested in management issues. The book explains why human resource issues are increasing the responsibilities of front-line managers rather than the HR department. Chapters present the basics of HR including the fundamentals of hiring, performance appraisal, reward systems, and disciplinary systems, so that any manager--regardless of his or her background or functional area--can approach these parts of the job with confidence. The book also covers the latest developments in equal opportunity law and describes the manager’s responsibilities in controlling sexual harassment and managing diverse employees, including older workers and employees with disabilities. Each chapter’s material is firmly grounded in the current HR academic literature, but the book’s friendly, conversational tone conveys basic principles of good practice without technical jargon.

Designed to make the material more accessible and personally relevant, the book includes the following special features:
*Manager’s Checkpoints--a series of questions that help the reader apply the material to his or her own organizational context;
*Boxes that describe real-life examples of how companies respond to HR challenges;
*For Further Reading--references to articles published in outlets that bridge the academic-practitioner divide;
*Manager’s Knots--presented in a question-and-answer format, these describe typical managerial problems, take the reader into some of the gray, ambiguous areas of HR, and suggest ways to apply the chapter material to real-life managerial dilemmas.

Carol T. Kulik (she/her) is a Bradley Distinguished Professor at the University of South Australia, UniSA Business, Australia. Her research focuses on motivating organizations to become gender equality frontrunners, engaging mature-age workers, and empowering employees to negotiate better working arrangements in the next normal.