Your business is growing. While the extra sales are more than welcome, it does come with one caveat: the extra work involved. At some point, the extra work becomes too much to handle for a single person. As a result, you need to bring in help.
Hiring an employee can have a massive positive impact on your business. Not only can it increase productivity and relieve stress from your own workload, but it also presents the possibility to add services and benefit from specialist skills.
If you get the hiring process wrong, however, an employee can end up having a negative effect on your company. It could lead to damaged business relationships and your finances being ruined.
To avoid any issues, here is a guide to hiring the right employees – and keeping them happy once they’re part of your business.
Hire an employee or freelancer?
Before you decide to proceed, you have to answer an important question: Do you actually need to hire an employee?
Yes, your workflow may have become too much to handle. Yet this doesn’t mean you have to resort to securing a permanent hire. This is particularly the case when freelancers are available. You can enlist the services of a freelancer as and when they are required. This means you’re not tied to paying a regular wage – plus, you avoid forking out for other associated costs with hiring the traditional way.
Search for the right candidate
If you have settled on the idea of hiring an employee, you now have to begin the search for the right individual.
To ensure you appeal to the best candidates, consider the following points:
- Know exactly what the job role entails. Define all of the responsibilities and requirements of a prospective employee, and list these as part of the job description.
- Create a checklist. You’re going to receive a bundle of applications, so having a checklist – where you can quickly view if a candidate meets all necessities – helps to trim the fat in an efficient manner.
- Carefully review applications. It’s not all that rare for someone to pump up their CV in an effort to look better to employers. Carefully analyze the applications to see if what’s stated is too good to be true.
- Take your time. Don’t rush into simply hiring the most convenient option. Take an extended period of time to find the ideal person for the role.
The interview process
When it comes to the interview process, it’s essential you pick out the right questions to ask candidates. This will supply you with the right insight into the character and true ability of those battling for the position.
If you’re unsure about what questions to ask, there are handy guides available.
Arranging payments
When you’ve sealed the deal and recruited the right employee, there are various different aspects to sort out. This includes arranging payments.
Fortunately, sorting this out is easy – if you utilize the right software, that is. For instance, Zenefits is a software specialist that makes payroll a breeze. You can integrate it with your accounting platform of choice, which means you can effectively leave payments to complete automatically.
Establish the rules
Before an employee starts working at your business, it’s vital you have a set of rules in place. This means the employee knows exactly how to act in the workplace from the outset, ensuring there’s no confusion later on.
As for what the rules should cover, there are various different points to incorporate. Is there a specific dress code? What type of disciplinary action is taken for misconduct, such as continual lateness? Can the employee take specific company assets – like a laptop or tablet – home after work?
Keep motivation levels up
Once an employee is up and running, a key component is to keep them happy and motivated. If their morale begins to drop, this can lead to various concerns. Their performance can go astray, and they may even seek alternative employment.
So what can you do to keep motivation levels up? One effective way is to maintain constant communication. Keep the employee in the loop about any business developments, and also provide them with positive feedback when it’s warranted. You can even supply incentives to keep employees happy. For example, rewards for the completion of a project can help them stay on the right track.
Furthermore, look into the possibility of offering additional training. The chance to further develop their skills and job position stops an employee from feeling like their professional career has stagnated.
