I’ve been talking to my good friend and long-time business associate Claire Bentley from Bentley HR recently about the trials and tribulations of taking on your first employee.
It’s such a pivotal moment for any business but it can easily seem as though there are a million hoops to jump through to be certain that you’re going about things in the right way.
Claire has helped a number of my clients with this over the years so I really value her advice. And she proved just how incredibly helpful she is by putting together this quick starter guide for you.
Claire Says:
Employing others to help you grow your business can be a daunting step, that raises so many questions. Things like … should I take on contractors? Or shall I hire my own Employees? And what about casual workers?
Just like any other business decision, it’s really important to plan this properly so that you can make the right decision for you and your business.
Top tips for the planning stage would be:-
What does this role need to achieve?
Don’t worry about writing lengthy job descriptions about exactly how you want them to open the post, but you should broadly define the role’s purpose. Why are you employing them? What is it that you need them to achieve in their role and which KPI’s will measure their success for your business?
Ascertain how much support you require
Is there enough for them to do to justify a full-time role or would it be easier or perhaps less risk to start with somebody part-time? Is the work actually consistent enough to support a regular salary or would it be better at this point to hire in some ad-hoc support or an external service provider?
What sort of skills and attributes will the person doing this role need?
Spend some time thinking about this and write down your wish-list. Once you’ve defined this you’ll find that you’ve created a Role Profile.
Market the role
There are so many different options here. Networking, LinkedIn, Job boards. Each one has its merits and depends on what ‘type’ of worker you’re looking for. Be clear that your job advert is a piece of marketing though. It needs to make the right person or people want to come and work for you so make sure you promote what’s on offer.
Assess the candidates
This is when you go back to your Role Profile. Write some set questions designed to prove how good a match each person is for the skills and attributes that you’re seeking.
Make your choice!
What do you need to put in place for them?
The next stage is to ensure you have everything in place to protect your business and to smoothly integrate your person of choice.
This is when you need to think about things like:
• If they’re a contractor, you should have a Contract for Services in place.
• If they’re an employee, you should have a full Employment Contract in place, including associated documents to make you compliant.
• And either way, you need to ensure you have covered your obligations under GDPR!
Where do you start?
Don’t panic if this is starting to sound too onerous. There is help for new employers out there! Claire can provide an end to end service to guide you right through from the planning stage to somebody’s first few days in your business. She can also provide a simple New Employers’ Pack to provide you with all the documentation you require. You can contact Claire at claire@bentleyhr.co.uk for a free consultation.
