| Human resource professionals and trainers face a constantly-changing environment even in the best times. McGraw-Hill has the answers you need to the most pressing issues that many of you face every day, from keeping employees engaged during tense times to essential planning for the future. Our editors and authors have worked together to address what matters to you most and to help you keep moving forward. I hope you find the information here helpful and find even more solutions and inspiration in the books recommended here.
-- Judith McCarthy, Publisher, Consumer Group, McGraw-Hill Professional
How valuable do you think HR function is to an organization? HR is becoming increasingly important because human capital is the single best competitive advantage a company can have in today's global marketplace. The war to get and keep the best employees continues even in a soft market, because specialized skills are always in demand, and self-directed employees are a must in today's flatter organizational structures. To that end, books on hiring (such as Hiring Great People and Perfect Phrases for Hiring ), engagement (such as The Art of Engagement and Engaging the Hearts and Minds of Your Employees, and leadership development (such as Coach Wooden's Leadership Game Plan for Success) have become staples for the HR professional's bookshelf.
What role do you think HR Managers/Trainers play in today's organization as compared to a few years back? Quality training has become more important because proficiency in using the Internet and Web 2.0 technologies is vital to most companies' success. In addition, having a strong learning culture in place allows organizations to respond more effectively to future challenges and marketplace shifts. Over the past decade, HR managers have been working toward obtaining a "seat at the table." Being perceived as a valuable branch of the executive team has become the goal, and to do that HR must focus on supporting the company's bottom-line goals and actively helping to set business strategy. Happily, research from Watson Wyatt's WorkUSA 2002 study indicates that companies with effective HR practices deliver shareholder returns that are three times higher than those of companies without such practices. Transform HR (August 3, 2009) shows how every company can reach that goal. What do you think are some of the top 3 problems facing HR Managers/Trainers today? The most critical concern among HR professionals is the rising cost of providing health care coverage/matching 401K for employees; this issue is addressed in Managing Human Resources, 8e. Another key issue is the use of technology -- specifically how HR can improve employee communications, but also how it will continue to be used in transactional HR functions. The cutting of training budgets is also a challenge; global competitiveness demands development and use of e-learning and other training technologies, but too many companies are skittish about investing in these alternatives in the current climate. Forthcoming books like Using Virtual Worlds for Training will demystify the use of these technologies, and show that they are in fact cheaper, easier and more effective than traditional training. How do you see HR changing in the future? In the next year there will be an increased focus on hiring and retention. Companies know the talent is out there, but that finding and keeping organizational superstars is harder than ever, as Human Resources Management explains. HR managers will probably also play a larger role in mergers and acquisitions; HR will need to be consulted to see if the corporate cultures will match, after several high-profile mergers have failed for exactly that reason. Finally, HR will continue to strive to be integrated into the upper levels of management, and to do this well they need to think strategically and communicate effectively. HR Toolkit (April 1, 2010) provides them with everything they'll need to become a credible activist within their organization. | 
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