Dear HR Professional:

Recently, my sister-in-law Heather Wheat dressed up for a costume party as a 70s-era disco diva. The paisley dress, the platform shoes – every detail was perfect. Before we left for the party, I sidled up to her with a mock pickup line of, “Hey, baby, what’s your sign?”

“My sign?” she laughed. “You know it. It’s a plus sign!”

We both laughed. But it was true. Heather always said she was at her ideal weight – “plus 15 pounds.” Her husband, Phil, worked as the manager of the PLUS department store (“Priced Low – U Save!”). And when every one else had babies, Heather, of course, had twins.

But of all the places where a plus sign applied to Heather, perhaps nowhere was it more applicable than at work. Heather runs the HR department for a custom furniture manufacturer that employs about 100 people in three states. The company had grown dramatically in the past few years – but Heather’s staff hadn’t.

We traded e-mails recently (she didn’t have time for lunch, or even coffee).  “Just checking in,” mine said.  "How’s everything going?” Her response was succinct: “AAAAAAAAARRRGH!”

I immediately picked up the phone, and got her voice mail. I sent a text to her cell at the end of the day and got no reply. She finally called me when she was on her way home – at 8:30 p.m.

“Tough day?” I asked.

“They’re all tough!” she practically shouted. “I’ve got FMLA paperwork up the wazoo … reporting requirements from the new states we’re in … workers’ comp garbage to deal with … leave requests to get approved … and now the boss’s former secretary is threatening to sue him for sexual harassment!”

“Wow,” I gasped.  “Can you hire someone to help you out?”

“We don’t have the budget for that," she said. "I can’t even talk to a lawyer about this lawsuit without getting nailed for a four-figure retainer. And I’d love to bring in a consultant to make sure I’m filing the I-9s properly, and that our documentation is in order for that guy the boss wants to fire.

“Even if I had the money to bring someone in, I don’t have the time to take out of my day. I’m doing a million things, and I don’t even know if I’m doing them right.  Tanya, people are literally lining up outside my door!”

“Man, Heather,” I commiserated. “Sounds like you’ve got problems.”

“Are you kidding me?  I’ve got problems plus!”

I thought for a moment. “You know what?  When you said 'problems plus,' you just reminded me of something. I do some freelance work for a company that has a web site called HR Specialist: Premium Plus, that has all sorts of tools for busy HR pros like you.

“They just added a whole new bunch of really cool features. You can even sign up for a free trial. I’ll forward the URL to you tomorrow – it just might help.”

“That sounds great,” Heather said. "But could you do me a favor and send it tonight?”

Introducing:                                                                             

HR Specialist Premium Plus Online ...

                           HR Answers You Can Trust.

When you need fast, accurate answers to your questions, and don't want to have to slog through a time-wasting online search looking for the important stuff,  HR Specialist: Premium Plus Online can help you meet any HR challenge – and seize every opportunity to protect your organization from lawsuits, support employees and advance your career.

Employers know they can count on HR Specialist's compliance and training products to keep them out of legal trouble.

Your subscription includes:

1. Instant access to expert HR guidance.  Need time- and money-saving advice on progressive discipline, a specific FMLA situation, or how to put together a high-value compensation and benefits package without breaking the budget? Premium Plus Online provides instant help in more than 7,000 articles written by top HR professionals, employment law attorneys, and compensation and benefits specialists. Search archives from years of HR Specialist newsletters, including The HR Specialist, Employment Law, Compensation & Benefits and more.
2. Answers to YOUR employment-law questions.  Our “Ask the Attorney” service features the counsel of noted employment lawyer Nancy Delogu, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney with Littler Mendelson, the nation's largest employment law firm.
3. Trouble-shooting tools from HR Law 101.  In a single online source, HR Law 101 offers plain-English explanations of what all major federal employment laws mean … and how to translate those requirements into real-world HR policies and practices. With just a click, you can use more than 80 checklists and self-audits to identify any potential trouble areas.
4. Vastly expanded state law updates.  Now you’ll be able to access the latest legal changes at the state level – not just for your headquarters, but for any state where you do business.
5. Ready-to-use HR tools.  Quickly access dozens of sample policies, white papers, and our HR 101 database. Plus print “Memos to Managers” – memos you can use to demonstrate a “good faith effort” in keeping managers up to speed on sensitive employment law issues.
6. Customized employee communications.  More than 100 “Memos to Managers” help you keep supervisors in other departments up on HR law, regulations and best practices.
7. The Hiring Toolkit.  Be sure you’re hiring the best – and doing it the best way! The Hiring Toolkit provides detailed job descriptions, interview questions, and exemption tests for more than 200 positions.
8. The Employment Lawwyer Network.  Find a top employment attorney – and read up on the latest news – in the state or states where you do business.
9. One-stop access to ALL your HR resources. Read or download the articles from the current issue of The HR Specialist, Employment Law and Compensation and Benefits newsletters. Then click on related articles to find even more information on a topic.
10. Case In Point e-letter.  Written by employment superlawyer Mindy Chapman, each issue of this biweekly legal update focuses on a single HR case, helping you avoid your colleagues’ mistakes. You’ll also get subscribers-only access to the Case In Point archives.

Sign up for a risk-free 30-day trial today! You’ll not only get access to all Premium Plus services, but just for trying us out you'll receive an extra bonus report – 10 Employment Laws Every Manager Should Know!

Chances are, some of your supervisors are exposing you to legal liability right now. 10 Employment Laws Every Manager Should Know helps ensure that your management team (at ALL levels) knows what to do – and what to avoid. This Special Report is priced at $30.00 … but its value is almost beyond calculation.  And it’s yours FREE when you sign up for your no-risk 30-day free trial!

100% Money-Back Guarantee. Give us 30 days to prove our value to you. If Premium Plus ever fails to meet your needs – at any time, for ANY reason – contact us at (800) 543-2055 before your trial ends and your credit card will not be charged. Afterwards, if you cancel, you will receive a prorated refund. No questions asked.

I got another 8:30 call from Heather last night. “Please don’t tell me you’re still at the office,” I groaned.

“Nope – I’m on my way home from the boys’ baseball game,” she chirped. “That web site you told me about was a godsend. I downloaded a sample policy on social networking … looked up employment laws in two states where we’re thinking of expanding … reviewed our current policies in an online self-audit … listened to a podcast on unions … and read up on FMLA intermittent leave – a huge pain for us!

“I even e-mailed a question to their Ask the Attorney thing – and got a response two days later. This service is amazing – and when my free trial ends, I’ll definitely be staying with it.”

“Holy moly, Heather,” I said. "It sounds like Premium Plus Online has been a tremendous help to you.”

“Are you kidding me?" she said. "It’s been a tremendous help plus!”

Sincerely,

Tanya Parker