Free Resources 
for Business Owners, Managers, HR Professionals, and Job Seekers
Library of Internet Resource Links
Over the past few years of using the Internet to research information for our consulting practice and personal interests, your "HR Manager To Go" has found and bookmarked a number of interesting and useful sites. Frequently, clients and colleagues ask us to share some of these resources. We hope that providing the web site links on this page will prove to be a valuable and time-saving service for you. When you find another particularly useful HR-related or business-useful site that is compatible with our site, please let us know and we will consider adding it to our list.
While we attempt to verify each link, we cannot be responsible for the content of any website associated with these links. Please report any non-working or improper link to: Info - at - hrmanagertogo - dot - com.
You may want to bookmark this page and check back on a regular basis, as more links and information are added frequently.
Site of the Month
Each month, one site is featured here (and sometimes several related sites), which we hope you will find as interesting to review as we did -- and perhaps useful for you to bookmark or revisit in the future. When the featured site changes to a new one, you will be able to find previous Sites of the Month again, listed under their applicable categories on this page.
InnovationTools, known as the world's largest website focused on business innovation, creativity and brainstorming, offers some unique articles and resources for managers and HR professionals:
NOTE: When a new Site of the Month is published, the above site can be found again on this Free Resources page, in the sections below under:
Resources for Managers and HR Professionals
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Associations
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Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM):
Bay Area Human Resources Executive Council (chapter of SHRM):
PATCA - Association of Consultants:
The International Association for Human Resource Information Management:
American Society for Training and Development (ASTD):
Not-for-profit professional association offering compensation and benefits courses and certifications:
Almaden Business Association
Compensation and Benefits
BenefitsLink -- Free benefits compliance information and tools:
Information on managed care and "report card" on HMO's in California:
Links to information on government pay and benefits:
Per diem and mileage rates plus links to travel and government information sites:
Health Care Consumer Advocates who attempt to intervene with insurers, managed care organizations, and providers on behalf of patients. They don't bring lawsuits, or threaten legal action, but use mediation and negotiation:
Links to employee benefits regulations, publications, benefits library, and research:
Employee benefit articles, tips, links, and reference resources:
Free resource for employee benefits information and Employee Benefit News online and a weekly benefits newsletter:
Frequently asked questions and answers to help military reservists and their employers understand reservists' rights to pension and health benefits, if they are called to active duty, are available at:
Payroll research site with information on both state and federal Forms, Rates, Publications, Unemployment rates, Labor Laws, Local Taxes, important dates to know for filing forms, articles, and links to other payroll sites:
Government Links Note: Keeping informed about laws and government procedures is an essential starting point. When it's time to implement policies or take employee actions, your "HR Manager to Go" can provide guidance, project assistance, and/or coordination with legal counsel.
State of California Links
Links to State of California main web site:
California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH):
The California Family Rights Act (CFRA) information and resources:
California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA):
California Employment Development Department (EDD) For Employers/Small Businesses
(Information on Unemployment, State Disability Insurance, Work Sharing Programs):
California Employment Development Department (EDD) publications (download forms and procedures for Unemployment and State Disability Insurance, plus other state benefit programs):
California established the Paid Family Leave (PFL) insurance program in 2004, also known as the Family Temporary Disability Insurance program, for which most CA employees are eligible. It is being administered by the State Disability Insurance (SDI) program, with similar procedures and new forms. California employers can download the required forms from EDD's web site and learn more about this new benefit:
California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) Opinion Letters for wage and hour questions:
California Franchise Tax Board (State tax forms and publications; tax information):
California Labor Code:
California AB 1825: California established a new law requiring Sexual Harassment prevention training for supervisors in companies with 50 or more employees (including temporary and independent contractors). This new law, which became effective on January 1, 2005, requires covered employers to provide at least two hours of "classroom or other effective interactive training" to all supervisory employees every two years. The full text of the law can be found at:
Contact your "HR Manager to Go" for more information about this requirement and to learn how we can provide on-site training workshops for your supervisors and employees on this and other important topics, customized for your company's industry and unique requirements.
California Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC), with links to wage orders and regulations:
California Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC):
New workers' comp claim form, which replaces previous versions:
California Unclaimed Property (Real people have money coming back to them!):
California Department of Consumer Affairs:
Contractors State License Board:
California's child labor law and work permit procedures for students under age 18:
Detailed regulations:
Sample of the form that must be obtained from the school and completed every school year:
And an interesting poster with short summaries:
Tips for employers about young workers' safety:
U.S. Government Links
Federal web locators, with links to agencies and government information:
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC):
U.S. Department of Labor - Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Opinion Letters regarding wage and hour issues, including interpretations of how to properly classify and pay employees:
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
(which has taken over functions of the Department of Justice Immigration services):
All U.S. employers must complete and retain a Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States, including citizens and noncitizens. The updated form for 2009 must be used. All prior forms are not allowed.
HUD and FHA Refunds and Unclaimed Property:
IRS Forms (W-2's, W-4's, tax forms, etc.):
IRS Small Business resources:
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL):
Social Security Administration (SSA) online:
Social Security Number verification -- free checks to ensure successful processing of annual wage report submissions:
Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):
OSHA Forms 300 and 300A required as of 1/1/2002 for mandatory record keeping:
http://www.osha-slc.gov/recordkeeping/RKforms.html
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the Federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related disease and injury. NIOSHis part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
http://www.cdc.gov/ - This site includes health-related and travelers' health updates and links, including SARS and West Nile Virus
Department of Labor (DOL) Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Information:
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA):
Post Office locator and maps:
VETS-100 - Department of Labor veterans' employment reporting forms and compliance information:
Joint Reporting Committee site for federal Employer Information Report EEO-1 forms and information (Reminder for employers with 100+ employees or for Affirmative Action employers with 50+ employees: The filing deadline for the 2002 EEO1 survey is September 30, 2002):
Links to information on federal government pay, benefits, and news updates:
General Services Administration (GSA) with information on buying or selling to federal agencies:
Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection, with links to consumer information regarding fraud and a multitude of other informational topics and links:
Resources for understanding and implementing the requirements of Section 508, which requires that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities:
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996) links to information and resources:
Assuring health insurance portability for employed persons; Curtailing health care fraud and abuse;
Enforcing standards for health information; and
Guaranteeing the security and privacy of health information
Links to many sites and resources for compliance with and understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):
Looking for some useful statistics, to back up your recommendations or a hypothesis? Wondering about wage rates and earnings in other locations? Or the cost of doing business, hiring employees, or the current CPI? The federal government compiles statistics on a more fields than you might realize and makes them available on the Bureau of Labor Statistics web site at:
Unsure of who to contact in the federal government? To identify and contact your Congressperson, check out the "Write Your Representative" web site:
To identify and contact Senators, you can search and sort by name, state, or party on this web site:
Links to Information on All States in the U.S.
Links to each state's web site:
Links to data about each state and related web sites:
Find elected officials' names and how to contact them: includes the president, members of Congress, governors, and state legislators. SHRM's government affairs pages also provide links to legislative issue summaries and alerts and contacts for national and local media:
Links to Foreign Government Web Sites
Foreign government resources on the Web:
Global HR / International Resources 
SHRM's "International HR" section offers many useful links:
SHRM's new certification program, the SHRM Global Learning System (for GPHR certification, similar to SPHR), with courses and reference materials, similar to those for SPHR certification:
SHRM's Global Forum:
American Council for International Personnel:
This site has lots of international law links:
Legal information for 230 countries with lots of links:
"Finding Foreign Law Online When Going Global - Things to Think About":
Not-for-profit professional association offering compensation, benefits, and total rewards courses and certification for Global Remuneration Professional (GRP®):
Also refer to:
Legal Resources 
Legal Technology Resource Center:
Internet legal resources, with a great search engine:
American Arbitration Association - Dispute Resolution Services:
Uniform guidelines for selection, to comply with federal laws:
ADA and Job Accommodation Resources:
Immigration law info and links:
State Bar of California Member Search:
American Bar Association Labor and Employment Law links:
California Courts Self-Help Center - Loads of information, useful links to legal resource sites for personal and business issues, and a search tool:
More links to employment law decisions and "Cites and Sites"
Northern California Association of Law Libraries - Links to sites on many legal topics:
Links to many business and personal legal topics, including FAQ's for employment law (Note - keep in mind there are many differences in federal and state regulations and rulings):
Foreign and international law links:
Sarbanes-Oxley legal requirements:
SEC FAQ's updated in November 2002:
Legal updates on “What Public Companies Need to Know About Sarbanes-Oxley” can be found at:
Real estate law resources:
Extensive list of employment law topics, government forms, and useful links:
Nonprofit Services for Employees and their Families
The American Red Cross:
Links to national human services nonprofit groups:
Directory of Human Services for Santa Clara County, California, with search database of more than 600 nonprofit community resources and services available:
California Non-Profits - Links to nonprofit associations and information:
BenefitsCheckUp — a free, confidential service that identifies federal and state assistance programs for older Americans, to help older adults quickly identify available programs to improve the quality of life:
The National Council on Aging:
Information and support for those dealing with loss, grieving, care giving, terminal illness, crisis intervention, and grief education:
Information about Nova, a federally-funded employment and training agency, which provides low cost job training and employment programs in Silicon Valley, California, with services for employers and job seekers:
Bay Area Volunteer Information Center provides resources for Bay Area nonprofit organizations and information for potential volunteers about the wide range of opportunities open to them, about volunteer opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Volunteers are needed to do just about anything from repairing computers to picking fruit to making sandwiches. Time commitments can range from a few hours for a single project to as much time as you have available. Offers a chance for employees to give back to the community, to try something new, learn new skills and meet new people.
BBB Wise Giving Alliance - Better Business Bureau Alliance reports on nationally soliciting charitable organizations that are the subject of donor inquiries. These reports include an evaluation of the subject charity in relation to the 23 provisions of the voluntary standards for charitiable solicitations.
GuideStar and Philanthropic Research, Inc., a public charity, founded to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice with information about the operations and finances of nonprofit organizations; allows corporate and individual donors to compare charities, monitor their performances, and give with greater confidence. Access information including an organization's IRS Form 990, without cost; access to some data requires a subscription.
California Attorney General's web site offers information to assist in evaluating solicitations and choosing wisely when responding to charities and commercial fund-raisers who must register with the Attorney General's Registry of Charitable Trusts and report financial activities annually. By searching the database, you can see if a charity is registered and reporting its activities as required by law. You can also see if a commercial fund-raiser working for a charity is registered and what kind of fund-raising activities are being reported by searching the commercial fund-raiser database.
Source of grantsmanship training and grant information:
Information for and about nonprofits:
The Foundation Center with information for grantmakers and grant information:
Center for Excellence in Nonprofits:
Sit with a meta-index of nonprofit links:
Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. The agency's programs currently reach 7 million people in more than 35 countries. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided over $1 billion in assistance to people in 81 nations.
AmeriCares is a non-profit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, which provides immediate response to emergency medical needs, as well as supporting long-term humanitarian assistance programs for all people around the world, irrespective of race, creed or political persuasion.
Nonprofit site with information and services about Grief And Depression , Grief Counselling , Grief Recovery , Mental Health Depression and an array of other products and services.
Other Business Resources
Entrepreneurs' Guide "How To's:"
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action (AAP) Compliance Information:
Free Annual Reports:
Harvard Business School Management Update Newsletters:
Marketing resource guide for consultants and entrepreneurs:
Telecommuting, teleworking, and virtual office resources:
Resources for adult learning:
Snappy Reads Library -- a selection of articles and book reviews about developing higher performing, agile, learning organizations:
Profitable Service - Turning Service Problems into Service Profits: Absolute Customer Service's site offers tips, assistance to help companies profit from service, and a comprehensive program for turning Tech Support and Customer Service problems into service profits:
"Stanford Knowledge Base, an information source for thoughtful leaders" provides news, "hot topics," current thinking, and research articles about a variety of timely topics for managers in today's fast-moving and global business environment:
Jim Collins, author of "Good to Great - Why some Companies Make the Leap ... and Others Don't," has a web site with many timely topics for managers in today's business environment.
Meeting Management and Corporate Retreat Facilitation: "The Secrets of Facilitation: How to Make Meetings Masterful," an article by Kristi Royce, of KLR Consulting, demonstrates her consulting talents as a master of managing corporate retreats and facilitating successful meetings.
Looking for an article or information about a business topic, news of the world, health, home & garden, or the most popular articles others have found interesting? This site categorizes and links to a huge assortment of articles, by subject, alphabetically by publication, and "most popular" in each section.
InnovationTools, known as the world's largest website focused on business innovation, creativity and brainstorming, offers some unique articles, tools, and resources for managers and HR professionals:
Recruiting Resources for HR, Managers, and Job Seekers
Recruitment Sites for Job Searches and Posting Job Openings
We have utilized a number of these job-posting sites over the last few years, but not all of them. The sites listed below are just some of the many available that could be a potential resource for our clients seeking candidates, as well as our colleagues who are searching for positions. Use of these sites is not endorsed by us or recommended as appropriate for a specific opening, as some sites work well for one job or industry and not as well for others.
We have a successful track record in developing and placing Internet ads, locating and screening the best qualified candidates, and managing the entire recruitment process for our clients; and would be happy to assist you in this regard or to answer your questions about use of the Internet or recruitment in general.
Prospective Employer Research:
Job/Company Research
Job Hunting and Recruiting Advice:
Most job search sites, as well as these advice sites, include loads of useful links and articles about careers, job hunting, research, and recruiting that could be useful to job hunters and hiring managers alike.
Search engines are a great way to look for news and online articles about prospective employers and to find their web sites. Here are just a few of the many easy-to-use research sites:
Job Search Sites:
Job openings and resume-posting sites for all types of positions (often including tips and tools for job searchers):
Job openings for HR Professionals:
Browse these links to thousands of human resource jobs in numerous locations:
Links to Biotech jobs:
http://biotech.deep13.com/Geography/NorthernCA.html
Links to jobs with federal and state government agencies, including forms and tips for applying to work for the government:
Employment information fact sheets and links related to government jobs:
Education and Teaching Profession job listings and career resources:
Academic and Nonprofit job listings:
Overseas jobs and jobs with multinational companies:
Resource tools and job postings for students and recent college grads:
Telecommuting, home office, and self-employment jobs, opportunities, and resources:
Relocation Services and Data
Employee Relocation Council:
ExpatSpouse.com - A tool designed to support individuals who are on international assignments and to help HR assist expatriate families. Includes an online global community of expatriate spouses and families:
More U.S. per diem rates and links to state and city travel per diem data:
Relocation/cost-of-living comparisons:
Temporary housing services for Northern California, with useful City Guides, Total Chef, and Concierge services for each region. Includes services from shopping to dining, schools, tickets to a concert, reservations for restaurants, gift buying, and prepared meals for the week:
Research and Statistics
Favorite Research Search Engines (There are too many others to list them all):
BizMiner Business Research:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Hoover's Business Research:
Human Resources Research Organization:
LinkSV provides connections and research information about Silicon Valley companies:
National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) is the national repository of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States:
Online Encyclopedia Research:
Standard & Poor's research and reference links for financial information and ratings:
Statistical data mining, research and statistics (with free online Electronic Statistics Textbook):
Web Pages that Perform Statistical Calculations (StatPages.net )
What Is? Technical definitions and IT-related terms and links:
World Wide Web Virtual Library - Statistics:
Online almanac with millions of useful facts on a variety of subjects:
Online phone books to find white page and yellow page directory information, in many locations:
Internet page with some particularly interesting and thought-provoking facts and statistics. If you are not feeling particularly thankful right now, please click on this link and I bet you will feel better in less than five minutes:
Other Useful Web Sites
Do Not Call Registry 
For relief from telemarketing interruptions: Telemarketers will not be allowed to call your telephone number, after October 1, 2003, if you have listed it with the "National Do Not Call Registry." Registering your home and mobile phone numbers is free and easy on this web site. Links for filing complaints and answers about this federal program can also be accessed from this site:
Education 
Academic Advising Resources on the Internet provides links to many education-related sites:
One of my daughter's web sites for teachers, with useful computer user information:
Another web site related to my daughter's work on Intel-sponsored projects for computer education for teachers; includes useful computer tips:
Links to university and college web sites:
Distance Education on the Web:
ASTD Learning Communities:
Family Education Network:
Free source for literary analysis and better understanding of classic and contemporary Literature Profiles, Metaphor Analysis, Theme Analyses, and Author Biographies:
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Internet and Computer Use Tools and Tips 
Everything Computers, from the radio call-in show, has "real-world answers to real-world computer problems" and lots of searchable resources, including web site related links:
ZDNet has loads of information, free software downloads, links to technology sites and product information, newsletters with product evaluations, and free email and voicemail:
Access to Email - If you have a POP email account, you can usually access your regular email account through these two free, Web-based email sites without time-consuming registration or signing up for a special account:
Mail2Web - Pick Up Your email from any computer, anywhere in the world, for free. You may attach up to 3 files not more than 10MB each. You do not register to mail2web and they do not capture or store any user information. They also offer a great voicemail service, which needs to be set up in advance. It was an invaluable time- and money-saver on recent trips:
Pop3now - You can access your POP email account for free without registering by clicking Login. You can attach a maximum file size to 400 KB. Registering allows you to access and manage up to 5 email accounts from 1 secure window, without a new email address.
Free Email - Everyone's heard of Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail, but here are some free email accounts requiring registration, which will send secure emails.
HushMail - A free Web-based service that lets you send and receive email in total security.
Ziplip - The free service enables files up to 500KB. Also provides ability to send "secure" email. Simple sign up.
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Bookmark Managers - Free online bookmark managers allow you to access your Favorites/bookmarks from anywhere and from any computer, after importing/uploading existing bookmarks. You can add comments and share individual pages or entire folders, including a direct link to a page or folder, where recipients find a list of your links and descriptions. Each of these has slightly different features and benefits:
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Virus checking programs and protection sites - It pays to be vigilant in guarding your PC. Sometimes one software program works better or more quickly than another. When having unusual performance problems with your PC and/or online usage, it may help to run one or more of the free trial quick virus scan programs, even if you are using another detection program. Each site offers useful and often different definitions, scans, and solutions for computer viruses:
Quotations and "truisms" about computers, the Internet, and technology:
Free quotation searches by author and topic:
Language Resources
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Quick reference word "look-up," in Dictionary or Thesaurus:
Word definition searches from online-dictionary web sites, spell-check tool, and translation of words to/from other languages:
Dictionary or Thesaurus word searches, other language resources, and translation tools
Many more free on-line translating dictionary links, to/from numerous languages:
Online English grammar help:
The Grammar Lady Web Site includes insightful FAQ's, humorous articles about correct language use, and ways to have fun with language:
Travel
Airport Delays (Air Traffic Control System Command Center):
U.S. Traffic and Road Closures:
Travel Watch (Travelers' news service):
Lots of airline links -- Airline telephone numbers and web sites:
Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets:
Currency Conversions:
Insider guides and travel links:
Fodors travel news and advice:
Frommer's budget travel and newsletter
Last minute travel deals:
Orbitz - Often beats fares on other sites; hosted by several airlines:
Travelocity - Have had good experience booking air, hotels and car rentals:
More travel deals:
Lonely Planet, gives insights about destinations with searchable guidebooks, worldwide travel news updates, and travel Q&A's:
SuperPages for travel information, shopping, Yellow Pages, other resources, and searches by city names:
Travel news, tips, tours, and links, primarily for European travel (and his informal travel guidebooks are very useful):
http://www.ricksteves.com/
Online Highways provides links to travel, recreation, and leisure guides for many states, regions, and cities in the U.S.:
Time zones, dates, and customizable calendars for worldwide locations, including international holidays:
Virus Hoax Warnings and Chain Letters
Check these first before forwarding warnings and folklore -- and stop those chain letters please!
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Latest virus and hoax descriptions:
Weather
Web Site Hosting and Tips for Creating a Web Site 
Creating your own web site is a time-consuming process for the average individual or small businessperson. Hiring an expert (web designer, graphics artist, and/or marketing specialist) is advisable, particularly if you plan to sell products on the Internet or want your site to have a multitude of special features. It is still an interesting challenge for those of us who decide to take it on ourselves, with the help of software templates that include many easy-to-use features. I have shared some of my "learning experiences" -- also called trials and tribulations!) with several colleagues recently; and decided that some of the resources that took forever for me to find would be a useful addition to this page. I will add others when found, so your suggested additions will be welcome.
Site with ratings and ranking of web hosts and their specs, plus a variety of other links (keep in mind that you may not need to pay for top-rated sites' features if you don't plan to use all of them):
Guide from a hosting site that explains various web hosting terms and features:
Beginners' Guide to Web Hosting:
Glossary of Web Hosting terms and definitions (21 pages of things a novice web site owner may need or want to know):
Web Monkey is a resource for all aspects of web site development, from coding and design to promotion and marketing:
Links to free clip art sites:
Your "HR Manager to Go" can help!....
For confidential and timely assistance, Contact
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Library of Internet Resource Links
State of California Links