Every business is built on it’s employees. You’ve got your idea, found some investment, and started a new business. Now you need to operate it effectively, and you can only do this by building a good team and managing them properly. This article will give you a step by step guide on how to hire new employees, and get the most out of them.
Hiring
Hiring new employees can be a long and difficult task, but getting it right at the beginning will save you a lot of problems a few years down the line. Here are some of the key traits you should be looking out for when interviewing potential candidates.
The most basic thing is whether they are qualified for the job. It goes without saying that you need an employee who has the skills for the role you are offering. However, this does not mean you should only consider applicants with direct experience in your field. Look instead at transferable skills that could be applied to their new role. Consider qualifications and previous experience, and be sure to ask them what they achieved in these previous positions.
Once you have narrowed your candidates down to those who are qualified, the next thing to consider is compatibility. You don’t need your employees to be best friends, but they do need to get on. If your employees your employees have a good working relationship with one another, and are happy at work, you will see an increase in efficiency.
Training
Now you’ve hired your employees, it’s time to train them. If you implement a successful training programme from the outset, you can hit the ground running and really grow your new business. Lots of companies nowadays are moving towards online training because it saves time and money. While it does have it’s benefits, training staff using only online methods is not always the best option. Being trained in person gives employees the option to ask questions, however it does mean that they are often at a loss when they try to implement their training on their own. It is best to use a combination of in-person and online training, teaching the employees, then letting them practice on their own.
However you decide to train your staff, you need to ensure it is engaging as well as informative.
Everybody in their place
Once you have a team of well trained employees, you need to assign roles to everybody. Being crystal clear about exactly what everybody’s responsibilities are is very important. If there are blurred lines between responsibilities, there may be disputes between employees about workload, leading to a drop in efficiency. Almost every successful company will use an organisational chart, or Org Chart, for short. Org Charts are a kind of flow-chart that clearly defines the structure of your business and how each role relates to one another. There are plenty of websites, like Pingboard, that can give you extensive information on Org Charts.
Be open to your employees
Finally, be open to your employees. You may have started the business and created the product, but they will be handling the day to day operations of the company. They will often be able to identify issues that you have missed, and perhaps understand how to solve them as well. By listening to your employees and acting on their advice, you can streamline your operation and maximise profits.
