Online personal loan calculator uk

Essential bookmarks: start your Web research with these 10 sites - includes related article on recruitment-related Web sites

Pretend, for a moment, that you are a busy HR executive. There are already too few hours in the day to accomplish all that needs to be done as part of your job. So, when the time comes to venture onto the World Wide Web-to research a policy, to track down a government regulation, to recruit a potential employee-you don't have a lot of time to waste scouting the thousands of web sites with HR-related services and information.

Maybe that scenario doesn't require a very long stretch of imagination.

Yet, many HR professionals end up wasting a lot of time scouring search engines and clicking through web sites that may - or may not - contain accurate and up-to-date information. Despite the array of HR-related World Wide Web sites, we find that there are certain sites we come back to again and again, for current, reliable information, presented in a logical manner.

Here is a list of 10 of these essential HR sites. You can make your use of the Internet more efficient by using these as starting points when conducting research on the World Wide Web.

Our criteria for inclusion on this list: In addition to containing valuable and accurate information, the bulk of the site has to be available for free use by anyone on the Internet. Also, sites must be refreshed on a regular basis, to include timely information.

* SHRM Online (http://ww.shrm.org/). Forgive the immodesty, but the Society's web site does rate as one of the best sources for free HR information on the Internet. Daily news updates in the HR News section (http://www.shrm.org/hrnews) ensure that the site reflects the latest HR information. Other online publications - including HRMagazine (http://www.shrm.org/hrmagazine), Workplace Visions (http://www.shrm. org/issues/visions), Mosaics (http://www.shrm.org/diversity/) and Washington Insider (http://www.shrm.org/government) - contain up-to-date analysis of the current and future trends. HR-related job openings from around the world are posted thrice weekly (http://www.shrm.org/jobs/). Member exclusives include an extensive library of research papers (http://www.shrm.org/whitepapers) and a bulletin board area (http://www.shrm.org/hrtalk).

* Department of Labor (http://www.dol.gov). Next time someone challenges you to name a government program that works, respond by saying "the Internet." Not only is the Internet as we know it a result of initiatives launched by the federal government, but some of the most informative sites on the Internet are operated by government offices.

Put the Department of Labor web site at the top of that list. The DOL home page includes legal guidance, statistics and management advice. Offices within the Labor Department also offer useful web sites, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://stats.bls.gov) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (http://www.osha.gov).

Social Security Administration (http://www.ssa.gov). Another excellent web site provided by the federal government, the SSA page includes resources for employers, such as wage reporting guidelines. Information on employees' Social Security benefits makes this site a valuable link for your HR intranet.

* Cornell University's School of Industrial I and Labor Relations (http://www.ilr.cornell.edu). The online Catherwood Library provides an electronic bookshelf of labor-related government documents. It also offers Work. Index, a directory of Internet sites relevant to the field of industrial and labor relations.

* InsideHR (http://www.insideHR. com). The most valuable features of this newcomer, presented by the Research Institute of America, include news updates, a best practices library and bulletin boards. Registration is required, but the site is free. InsideHR's fee-based companion service, HR Wire, is also useful.

* Law Journal Extra's Employment and Labor Law (http://www.ljextra.com/practice/laboremployment/labcol.html). Updated virtually every day, this web site contains analysis of major court decisions involving personnel and labor law. It's particularly strong in reporting cases in the New York/New Jersey area.

* HR Live (http://www.hrlive.com). The cornerstone of JWTWorks' HR Live is the weekly Layoff Updates, which reports on layoff actions around the country. Unfortunately, while the information contained in sections such as "Vital Stats" and "Reports" is useful, it's also in need of an update.

* The Riley Guide (http://www.dbm.com/jobguide). With thousands of sites featuring some form of recruitment advertising, how do you know where to turn when you want to hire via the Net? Start with the Riley Guide, which catalogs recruitment web sites and news groups by geographic location and industry. Special sections feature web sites dedicated to international recruiting and resources for women and minority group members.

* JobSmart's Salary Surveys (http://jobsmart.org/tools/salary/). More than anything else, people write to us asking where they can find salary information on the Internet. The Bay Area Library in Oakland has managed to find hundreds of salary studies online and provides links to them from its site. While you are unlikely to find the entire contents of a salary survey online (such studies are expensive to produce, so publishers are loath to give the results away), you will be able to see executive summaries and sample tables that may provide you with the information you need.

* The Salary Calculator (http://www.homefair.com/homefair/cmr/salcalc.html). The original "cool" HR-related site, the Salary Calculator is powered by statistics provided and updated quarterly by the Center for Mobility Resources. Users can compare cost-of-living expenses for hundreds of cities across the country.

BOOKMARK THESE SITES THE EASY WAY

You can easily add these URLs to your bookmark list by downloading a file containing links to all of the sites contained on this list.

How do you do that? Point your web browser to http://www.shrm.org/cyberspace/hrmarks.htm, and save the file on your computer by going to your "File" pulldown menu and select the "Save as" option. Be sure to note the file name and directory you assign to the files, then follow these instructions to import the bookmark list.

For Netscape users: Go to the "Bookmarks" pulldown menu and choose "Go to Bookmarks." From the Bookmark screen, select the "File" pulldown menu, and select the "Import" option. Click the file you just saved (hrmarks.htm). The bookmark file will then be added to your existing bookmarks, under the heading "Essential HR Bookmarks."

For Internet Explorer users (including America Online subscribers): Go to the "File" pulldown menu and open the file you just saved (hrmarks. htm). Then, go to the "Favorites" icon and select "Add to Favorites." Select the file to link to the web sites.

You can submit questions to this column by writing Mike Frost at frost@shrm.org. Or, you can fill in a form available on the HR Cyberspace home page (http://www.shrm.org/cyberspace).