Contact Information

HR How-to Series Provides Key Information in an Easy-to-Read Style for Human Resource Professionals and Small Business Owners

(RIVERWOODS, ILL., April 3, 2003) — CCHKnowledgePoint, a leading provider of human resources information and software, today announced the immediate availability of three new titles in its popular HR How-to series: Discipline, Safety and Harassment Prevention. These new books offer an authoritative and practical look at complex workforce issues that have been known to keep employers and human resource specialists awake at night.

"The HR How-to series has been well accepted by HR professionals because of its realistic and matter-of-fact presentation of information on topics that HR professionals confront every day," said Tanya Rose, marketing manager. "Discipline, safety and harassment prevention in the workplace are areas fraught with legal and moral pitfalls. These books help employers fully understand the issues and address them in constructive and legally compliant ways."

Written by CCH human resources law analyst Joyce Gentry, JD, Discipline provides all the information necessary to implement an effective employee discipline program, including how to create a policy that suits the culture of a particular workplace, how to understand legal limitations on the right to discipline, how to document disciplinary actions and how to manage employee challenges to a discipline decision. The author explains what HR professionals can do to foster fair treatment in the workplace (see attached checklist) and how to practice positive discipline. Positive discipline emphasizes behavior improvement through progressive steps in the discipline process.

"Organizations make a huge investment in their employees at every level," said Gentry. "Just as they would not get rid of a piece of office equipment without first trying to fix it, organizations should make every effort to modify problematic employee behavior in order to maximize their investment."

Safety was authored by Lisa Milam-Perez, JD, CCH employment law analyst, and addresses virtually everything human resource professionals need to know to ensure a safe and healthful workplace. From the legal side of worker safety to recruiting with safety in mind, from creating a safety mindset in employees to best practices for safety programs, from preparing to handle disasters to workers’ compensation and OSHA, Safety is a reference that no HR manager or employer should be without.

"Physical safety and security is the most elemental human drive and that basic need holds true at the workplace, too," said Milam-Perez. "How well an organization can satisfy its employees’ need to feel safe has a direct impact on retention rates, productivity and the bottom line."

Explaining that employees have the legal right to work in an environment free from discrimination and harassment, author Marjorie Johnson, JD, CCH employment law analyst, covers how employers can take reasonable measures to prevent and eliminate inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Because the costs of harassment can be so great, employers need to protect themselves by understanding what constitutes harassment, how to develop and implement a workplace bias-free policy, how to conduct anti-harassment training, how to respond to a harassment complaint, and special concerns and challenges for managers and supervisors.

"Human resources can and should enforce policies that set higher standards by prohibiting all types of conduct that may be offensive to a member of a protected class," said Johnson. "Any time offensive conduct is allowed in the workplace, the employer risks morale problems and turnover, as well as the potential disruption and expense of a harassment lawsuit."

Each book in the HR How-to series costs $39.95 and contains 200–225 pages. Readers of the HR How-to series can depend on it for readability, thoroughness and a common-sense format. Each book includes the following sections and features:

• "What you need to know" section — Presents essential issues in a quick fact format with additional content written in plain English and demonstrated through "stories" to help readers apply the concepts to familiar workplace settings.
• "What if?" scenarios — Explore gray areas and provide insights into challenging, real-life situations. Scenarios include best practices information.
• "Worst case" scenarios — Explain what others have done wrong and how to avoid the same situations and results.
• Strategies for communicating information to your workforce — These sections include samples, case studies, graphical representations, mnemonics, and more.
• Checklists — Include information summaries, step-by-step processes, self audits.
• Quizzes — Fun tools for measuring information retention.

For more information or to order any or all of the HR How-to books, contact CCH at 1-800-248-3248 or visit the CCH Online Store at onlinestore.cch.com. Single copy price for each book is $39.95 plus applicable tax, shipping and handling. Quantity discounts and school adoption pricing are available.

Books about Work-Life Benefits, Employee Retention and Wage/Hour are currently available in the CCHKnowledgePoint HR How-to series. The next three books in the series will release in July and address privacy in the workplace, conducting an internal investigation and complying with workers’ compensation, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.

The CCHKnowledgePoint brand leverages CCH’s authoritative human resources content and KnowledgePoint’s innovative technology to provide integrated solutions that meet HR professionals and frontline managers’ essential needs. CCH INCORPORATED, a provider of employment law information and software, is a Wolters Kluwer company; Wolters Kluwer acquired KnowledgePoint in 2000. For more information about CCHKnowledgePoint products and services, please visit www.cchknowledgepoint.com or call 1-800-339-0104.

-- ### --

nb-03-56

EDITOR’S NOTE: Editorial review copies of the HR How-To books are available upon request for members of the press. Contact Sheri Cardo, 800-727-1133 ext. 1334 or scardo@knowledgepoint.com, or Leslie Bonacum, 847-267-7153 or bonacuml@cch.com.