Getting the right person for your business.

right person

So your business is doing well and you are busy, VERY busy. That’s a good thing, right!?  You being busy, looking after your customers generally means profits for your business; as long as you have your pricing correct and your expenses on a tight leash.

So the next step is to decide how busy you want to be and how big you want your business to get. Staffing will take your time and effort and come with a plethora of different emotions, skills and admin tasks. So you have to ask yourself, do you want to take on staff, give them your current job and you learn a new part of the business – Human Resources (HR)? Taking on staff will mean that you will do less of what you are doing today and will instead start on a journey to learn about recruiting, on boarding, monitoring, paying  and managing staff. You will have to learn about staff retention, inspiring staff and also firing staff when needed.

Which brings me to the purpose of this blog. WiseClick Business Services is often asked to help in different areas of HR. I thought a list of my tips might help some of you when / if the time arises.

Recruitment

List and advert online. Sell the position like you were selling your goods or services, you want to get the best possible applicants. Include qualifications or licenses required and examples of the tasks involved, remuneration and an email address. I always put a note NOT to call on the phone. I like to go through applicant details quietly when I have the time.

Also think about people that you have met through your business, you may be already dealing with someone that would be perfect for the position.

Filtering Applicants

Sort applicants into piles of similar skills and details then start with the most desirable pile. Call each one and conduct a phone interview, this saves time and you start to get to know who you are dealing with. If you bomb out on the first pile then you can go to the next one.

Bring the top applicants in for further testing. We give our applicants a practical test BEFORE they are interviewed – saves time again.

During a final interview ensure you ask questions that will let you know their personality and their outlook on life, some skills can be taught if the applicant has the correct personality. Ensure they do most of the talking, also ensure you let them know what is expected of them and give a full job description and salary during the interview.

So you think you have two to three possible  new employees? Guess what! People ‘lie / exaggerate’ on their CVs and during interviews. CALL THE REFEREES ON THEIR CV!!! It is also well worth a call to their previous employers just to check the dates they worked for them.  That is perfectly OK to do, you are not asking for a reference just confirming dates.

Staff Induction

Ensure you have a clean workspace for the new starter and all paperwork printed ready to go (below). Block your calendar out to spend time with them, you want them to know that they are important to your business. Make them feel welcome. You can start off with introductions to their new colleagues (a contact sheet of names and titles will really assist the newcomer as well), some workplace health and safety to break the ice. We like to use a tick sheet to make sure we don’t forget things to show new staff.

Staff Induction is where WiseClick gets involved and we like to help out. Below is a list of the types of forms you might need on day one for your new staff member. Contact our office (92071088) if you need help with any of the below.

  • OHS Induction Form
  • Staff Information form (personal details, next of kin, email, bank details, superannuation details, position details)
  • Medical Form
  • Email and IT Security Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • TFN Declaration
  • Fair Work Information Sheet
  • Job Description
  • Award and Pay Rate
  • Employment Contract (we have samples, I have seen problems down the track if this is not included for new staff)

Ongoing Management

I only have my experience to help you with staff management, some quick tips below:

  • Monitor new staff, tell them how you want the job done (even if they have done with another company no doubt you will like to add your spin to it).
  • Don’t just set and forget! This style is not fun for the staff member and when they do the exact opposite to what you want don’t blame the new person.
  • Expect to explain things up to three times. A part time or full time role is a LOT to take in for our mere human brains.
  • For the best possible outcome, write a procedure for each position before you employ staff or have your existing staff member update the procedures they should have had and been following before they left you. If not double check what is current, write it yourself, test it yourself then give it to the newbie in writing and go through at least once with them to find out how they read it differently than you do.
  • If you haven’t managed to write any procedures beforehand then get them to take dot point notes as you explain the way YOU want each task completed. These dot points will later become your procedures.
  • Continue to monitor, explain, reward and review staff behaviour and skill levels.

There is SO much that I have missed in this blog but I am already at least triple my expected word count. Keep it short and simple – not so easy!!

I hope this has helped in some way, Cheryl

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