Taking on Staff – What You Need to Know

There comes a time in most businesses, which are doing well, when extra hands are needed to cope with all the work. In other words, taking on staff. For many small company owners, this can be a daunting prospect because there are all sorts of new requirements and responsibilities that come with it. From the recruitment process itself to making sure all the necessary paperwork is in place.

On top of that comes ongoing development and support and being able to react appropriately if something goes wrong. Here’s what you need to know.

Staff meeting

Recognizing the need

So, you launched your own business a while back, it’s turning in a profit, but you can’t cope with all the work that’s coming in. Sound familiar? Well, maybe it’s time you took on a worker or two. Or maybe not. Making the decision to hire someone into your business is a big one and shouldn’t be taken lightly. With it comes new financial and professional commitments, which will add a new dimension to your business.

You need to be thinking, ‘do I really need to an employee or can I cope for a while longer on my own?’ Also, if you decide it is the right thing to do, what kind of worker do you need? An accounts person, an office manager, someone more junior? These are all fundamental questions that you will need to address as you look at your business plan to see if it all makes sense and adds up financially. Getting people in for interviews will be easy as many people are looking for jobs, whether they’re looking for nursing jobs or cleaning jobs – people need work.

 

Human resources

From the moment you decide that you need to recruit, the human resources process will begin with recruitment. You need to prepare a job description, put together the terms and conditions and decide on the salary. Then, you need to attract candidates – where will you advertise the position? Social media and sites like LinkedIn are good places to include, along with specialist recruitment platforms.

Then you need to have an interview and vetting procedure in place before you finally make an offer to the most suitable candidate for the job.

It’s a lot to think about, and there are rules and regulations in place to make sure that both businesses and individuals are protected when it comes to human resources. You need to be across these.

If you’re feeling like your skills need a boost in this area, why not check out some online learning options for HR management. If you’re still wondering what is CIPD qualification? The experts at Avado will be able to help you understand how this qualification can benefit your HR team and your overall enterprise.

Ongoing staff support

Ongoing support

When you’ve taken on a member of staff, you’ll also need to be confident about their ongoing management. Offering training and support, for instance, and considering any flexible working needs. You will also need to think about personal development – are you able to give them a career path in your company structure? And what happens if disciplinary issues arise? How will you deal with those? You may also want to hire in the services of an external human resources provider.

Taking care of your staff matters in taking your business to the next level. Do it right and it’s all ROI-positive.