What Startups Need To Know About Employing Staff

Posted on May 15 2015 - 9:40pm by Editorial Staff

It might put you off to know that the majority of startups don’t do that good a job of hiring staff the first time round. How hard can it be to find someone who’s got what it takes to help your company grow? Very, apparently! If you want to avoid the mistakes that most startups make when hiring, then use this guide. Here’s what startups need to know about employing staff:

Don’t Take on Too Much Responsibility

At the end of the day, you need a team to help you get everything done. You can’t do too many things without burning out; taking too much responsibility in your business will be your downfall. You may not have that much work on to begin with, but if all goes well you’ll get busier and busier. Thinking you can do everything yourself so you can avoid hiring is a silly move. Do you really want to lower the quality of your work because you’re doing too much? Hiring other people when you have a lot of work on is an absolute must. You just need to make sure you’re hiring the kind of staff who will help you to move forward! Although hiring comes with responsibilities and financial worries, it will be worth it if you do it right.

Know Exactly Where You Need Help in Your Business

Make sure you know, without question, exactly where you need help. This means you can match the perfect employee with the role available. Most new hires fail because their skills just weren’t up to scratch, so don’t let this happen to you! If one of your weak spots is social media, then hire somebody who knows all about using social media for business to stay on top of it all for you. The job role should be clearly outlined and it’s up to you to ensure the employee can fulfill this role in the best possible way.

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Bear Laws and Regulations in Mind

The laws and regulations of hiring will vary depending on where your business is set up. Make sure you’re fully aware of these so you don’t get into trouble and do everything legitimately. Peninsula know all about laws and regulations and can be of help to employers who don’t. If you don’t stick to the laws and regulations, you could end up in a lot of trouble. You must be prepared to pay your employee the national minimum wage, give them the correct amount of holiday, and treat them right. This means providing them with the correct equipment and training needed to do the job. It’s also providing them with things such as clean water to drink and fresh air.

Check Out Potential Employees Properly

You need to be sure that the people you hire are going to help you to focus on growing your business. The only way to do this is to make sure everything they are saying is backed up by evidence. Don’t just take what they say and accept it – anybody can lie in an interview. You need to be suspicious; your business is on the line! Your gut feeling isn’t always right. You might instantly like a person to later find out that they lied about a qualification. Check out your potential employees by running background checks, checking out their references, and even by looking on their social media. You should get a good idea of what they are like as both an employee and a person this way. If they enjoy trolling people and other companies, or constantly post negative things, you know that they aren’t going to fit in.

Remember Your Company Culture

Your employees should all get along and be able to work together well. This is why you should remember your company culture and ensure everybody you hire fits in. Make sure you know the kind of people you’d like working for you before you start the interview process. When hiring staff in future, consider having other members of staff in on the interview process to tell you whether they think they’d be a good fit. You don’t just want to make sure they suit the role, but the company as a whole too. Other members of staff will help you to do this.

Keeping Your Employees Happy is Essential

Although your customers are very important, you need to realise just how important your staff members are too. They must feel satisfied in their jobs, and you shouldn’t give them more work than they can handle. Stressing out your employees is a fast way to lose them. You can bet that when your employees aren’t happy, it’ll show in their work. The way they interact with customers can suffer too. If you keep your staff happy, you’ll keep your customers happier by default. Here’s a few idea to keep your employees happy and satisfied in their jobs:

  • Let them know how they’re doing. Give them regular reviews and tell them where they can do better as well as where they are spot on.
  • Give them regular breaks.
  • Offer bonuses when deserved.
  • Arrange staff parties for special occasions.
  • Encourage positivity.
  • Offer health services.
  • Give room for promotions and progression within the company.
  • Be a good boss, not a friend.
  • Listen to your staff and help resolve problems.

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Some startups go for young people as their first employees. This has both upsides and downsides. Young people fresh out of education, or still in education, won’t have bad habits. You can teach them how to work with you exactly the way you need it, and they’re unlikely to object. However, you may need to train them and micromanage them more than somebody with a lot of experience. That being said, you can’t pigeonhole everybody. It’s up to you to conduct the interview process in a way that will help you find the best person for the job. They might be 18 or 50! Don’t just people on their ability based on the way they look. You might be surprised!

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Editorial Staff at I2Mag is a team of subject experts.