ToolkitHR, as seen by an HR Pro

It’s an old saying, but it’s true: Businesses begin and end with their people. This is especially applicable to the relationship-driven home improvement industry. 

A new product from Home Channel News and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) called ToolkitHR is designed to help companies manage their human resources, avoid pitfalls and gain confidence in their HR decisions. Here’s how SHRM’s Brian Dickson, senior VP, professional development and strategic partnerships, looks at the new tool: 

HCN: What are the biggest HR problems facing small businesses today?

Brian Dickson: Among the top issues facing small business is finding the right people. Despite high unemployment, many businesses face a skills gap and cannot find employees with the necessary skills. In addition, businesses will struggle to replace the skills, knowledge and experience of employees from the Baby Boom generation as they retire.

HCN: Who are the actual advisors behind ToolkitHR?

Dickson: The advisers behind ToolkitHR are 18 certified HR professionals who collectively have more than 200 years of experience in the human resources profession. We are proud of the wealth of experience of our advisors and confident that HCN subscribers will be pleased with the thorough responses they receive to their HR questions.

HCN: Who is the ideal customer for ToolkitHR?

Dickson: The ideal customer is the independent owner who is looking to protect and grow the business by using HR best practices from the respected source in the field. SHRM's offerings will be especially useful to the independent owner. ToolkitHR will address the questions and concerns that an in-house HR person typically would have, but in a user-friendly, cost-efficient way that will provide remarkable value to users.

HCN: Has SHRM done this kind of thing before?

Dickson: This is an exciting new partnership for SHRM. We are pleased to offer SHRM's exceptional resources and HR expertise to hardware and home improvement businesses.

SHRM is the world’s largest association devoted to human-resource management. Based in Alexandria, Va., and representing more than 250,000 members in more than 140 countries, the Society serves the needs of HR professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession. 

For more information, visit ToolkitHR.com.