Our Approach
We use various evaluation techniques to provide multiple perspectives on the effectiveness of your HR systems and practices. We may interview selected managers, employee focus groups or individuals, and review HR files and documents. We can do a basic compliance review or full-scale human resources review; our reviews are tailored to your needs.

You receive a comprehensive report that is separated by topic. It includes a narrative of our findings, recommendations for corrective action, and in some cases materials, forms, and other documents to save you the time and trouble of developing them yourself. It also includes checklists so you can assess your progress as you move through completing any necessary follow-up activity. We even prioritize it for you in a succinct executive summary.

[Top]

Your organization receives:

• An outside objective assessment of a manager's potential

• A game plan for coaching a manager in his/her career

• An objective resource tool to assist in staffing decisions

[Top]

SMS Helps Every Step of the Way
SMS can help you develop, implement, and maintain a complete performance management program. Since performance appraisals are logical extensions of job descriptions, we can also review your job descriptions to be sure they identify essential job functions and corresponding requirements for each position.  If you don’t have job descriptions, we can develop them for you.

We approach performance management as a process, not an event. It goes far beyond the mere development of appraisal forms. The process first requires employees and managers to agree on what is to be accomplished and how to measure it. Then the process monitors and communicates results--helping employees achieve desired objectives and develop strategies for overcoming performance deficiencies that may be identified.

Elements of a comprehensive performance management process involve: Accurate Job Descriptions, Performance Planning and Goal Setting, Performance Feedback, and Performance Measurement.

[Top]

This indispensable document promotes consistent, positive relations with employees by keeping them informed of your employment policies, procedures and expectations. It also helps you comply with federal and state legal requirements. Equally important, it preserves management's decision-making discretion.

Major benefits of having a HR Policy Manual or Employee Handbook include:

• Ensures that personnel practices comply with regulations

• Enhances employee communications

• Explains what you expect from employees and what they can expect from you

• Helps employees see your organization's policies and procedures as consistent, objective and, above all, fair

Our Approach
We start by learning about your overall human resources philosophy, employee relations goals, present personnel policies, and current situation. In subsequent stages, we review policy options with you to decide which to incorporate in your handbook; prepare a first draft in language appropriate for your organization and employees; review it with you and revise it based upon your feedback; and present a final draft for your legal counsel to review prior to distribution.  We can even help you present the handbook to employees to promote consistent understanding and application of policies. In the end, you have a formal document which authoritatively defines and communicates your organization's personnel policies and practices, as well as its expectations of employees.

[Top]

Our Approach
We pride ourselves on being able to assess the needs of your organization and design a system that will work for you!

SMS uses several approaches to determining the relative worth of your organization's jobs. Whatever system we use, we price a sampling of benchmark jobs--using data from local, regional and national governmental and industry sources--to determine the range of compensation for similar jobs.

At the base of any formal program is the need for clearly defined position descriptions, which we develop as part of the project if not already available.

Our comprehensive program can provide position descriptions, job evaluation plans, job grades and ranks, benchmark job prices, recommended pay grades and salary ranges, performance appraisal systems, and policies and procedures for implementation and maintenance. You end up with a Total Compensation Guide that will take the mystery and guess-work out of managing your wages and salaries.

Our programs do not come pre-packaged; we will put together a program that will work for you!

[Top] 

No need to leave vital human resources areas unattended due to a temporary lack of HR support. Your company's performance requires that staffing, compensation, benefits, compliance, communication, rightsizing, employee relations, training and development, and other vital HR functions continue without a hitch. Even a temporary void could impede your business.

SMS Human Resources Contract Services offers many benefits:

• Provide vital HR assistance when staff time or skills are limited or unavailable.

• Eliminate the need to hire additional full-time employees to satisfy a temporary need.

• Provide assistance for special HR projects.

• Allow you more time to find and hire the "right" HR people.

• Provide your organization with a different perspective on HR policies and practices.

Our Approach
We start with a client meeting to learn about your organization and human resource strategies.

Based on your needs, we identify SMS human resources professionals with the skills and experience to meet those needs. Our staff may serve as an extension of your own leadership and HR team, or we may manage your entire HR function. We can even help you recruit and hire the right person for the job and eventually replace ourselves!

Our Guarantee
Our consultants are SMS employees; therefore you have no liability for independent contractor misclassification. Once the assignment begins we guarantee your satisfaction.

[Top]

[Top]

Why should you consider our hotline service?

• Solutions: quick response to HR issues and problems.

• Expertise: experienced human resource executives to provide advice on any and all matters related to HR management or administration questions.

• Compliance: quick response to legal and or compliance questions.

• Economics: more cost effective than hiring additional staff or contacting an attorney.

• Response Time: our gold standard is to respond immediately or within 2 to 3 hours, however, and depending on the issue we may do so within 24 hours; resolve urgent problems quickly and efficiently to avoid potential liability.

• Reference or Verification: eliminate guess work or needless confusion about issues. You'll gain expertise to validate your resolutions or response.

• Training: a quick up-to-date learning tool for your management team.

• Increase Productivity: reduce Manager's time resolving HR problems; providing more time to focus on business objectives.

Companies with limited or no human resources staff are able to respond to situations and employees quickly and authoritatively on all human resource matters because of the partnership and client commitment that is included with our hotline service. We treat your issues and questions as if they were our own and take a vested interest in ensuring you receive the information you need to make informed decisions on how to manage your business and your employees.

[Top]

Major benefits of our Management Training and Development Programs include:

• Increases manager commitment to shared goals

• Helps managers deal effectively with conflict rather than to avoid it

• Encourages managers to solve problems systematically

• Improves recruiting and interviewing skills of managers and supervisors

• Increases overall managerial skills of managers and supervisors

Employees like to feel valued. One way they know they are valued is by the employer investing time and money to enhance their soft skills as well as their on-the-job skills.

Our Approach
We talk with you first so we can collectively determine your needs. Our training programs are not lecture style; they are highly interactive and focus on applications that can be used immediately. Some of our workshops have pre-seminar reading materials that encourage participants to think about the topic and its significance. Workshop materials and planning assignments build on life experiences, linking seminar learning with day-to-day work.

Our Delivery
Our programs are designed to provide participants with an active, participative experience, guaranteed to build confidence and skills. We can tailor most programs to your organization's immediate needs and goals, including customized case studies and role-playing exercises. Additionally, our clients can "mix and match" several topics or modules, to create a program that meets the audience's interests and skill level.

We are flexible in delivery; the length of our programs can most often be tailored to your schedule and budget. We can offer multi-day workshops, full or half-day programs, and in some cases “mini” programs.

We realize our clients don’t always work a 9 to 5 schedule, so we are able to accommodate your needs with early morning or evening programs, and in some instances, weekend programs.

Following is a sampling of some typical programs we offer; please keep in mind we can tailor these to meet your needs:

• Ethics Awareness and Creating a Culture of Ethics

• How to Motivate and Retain Outstanding People

• Combating Negativity in the Workplace

• Team Development

• Measure of a Leader and Leadership Skills for the 21^st Century

• Negotiation and Conflict Management Skills

• Making the Right Choice: Interviewing and Selection Skills

• Performance Management, Coaching and Counseling

• Handling the Problem Employee

• Dealing with ' Tudes

• Delegation and Empowerment

• Time Management

• Coaching and Mentoring for Success

• Legal Issues for Management, including Effective Documentation

• Career Assessment and Planning

• Excellence in Customer Service

• Diversity in the Workplace

• Harassment Prevention

[Top]

Our Approach
Meeting with your senior management, we determine areas for evaluation. Then we develop a survey instrument that meets established criteria. We function as the survey administrator and work with each department--in each location--to distribute, instruct and collect survey results. We also conduct one-on-one interviews with selected managers and supervisors, to clarify organization practices and gain more in-depth understanding.

Our Delivery
Presentation of the results can include in-person delivery to your management team as well co-presenting the results with you to your employees. We provide you with a written report, customized to your needs, that displays the results in a format that is easy for you to interpret and use as a road-map for making any identified necessary changes. We can also provide you with a summary to present to employees.

[Top]

Our Approach
First, using various data-collection tools, including employee surveys, plus in-depth and focus group interviews with all your key people, we conduct a thorough assessment of your organization. Then we identify strengths and weaknesses, being sure to zero in on critical organization and operational issues. Key management processes and methods are also analyzed. Finally, we evaluate alternative organization structures and recommend the one to implement.

Our comprehensive report provides you with position descriptions, managerial assessments, current/proposed management responsibility charts, current/proposed organization charts, process improvement recommendations and implementation plans.

[Top]

We can work with you in setting up a system to make those hard choices of who needs to go, and who will stay. Not only do we offer an outsiders viewpoint, we can help to ensure that the choices you make limit your legal liability and reduce the chances of a human rights or other complaint.

We can offer one-on-one counseling, or present our program to a group of employees. Our program is a simple, realistic approach to finding a job. We don't complicate the process by forcing the employee to take a test in the form of an introspective self-evaluation or participate in an uncomfortable role-playing situation. We talk in plain language, and speak from both local research and the personal experience of being an unemployed job seeker.

We can create a program to fit your needs and the needs of your employees.

SMS Helps Every Step of the Way
SMS can help develop the right program for your organization.

It is always a very difficult decision for managers to make when they know that they have to lay off an individual or group. To offer outplacement assistance is a way to “ease the pain” a bit. It shows the employee they are in this transition period through no fault of their own, and that they are cared about, even though they may think otherwise. It shows fellow employees the same. Outplacement services can also assist the employee and give them the tools they need to find a new career in a faster amount of time than they may have been able to do by themselves.

[Top]