Hiring the right people in your business can make all the difference. When personalities and values align, they create a healthy, productive environment. But when they’re out of sync, it can lead to a toxic and unproductive workplace.
Timing is critical when hiring new employees. Bring someone on too early, and there may not be enough work to keep them busy. If you hire too late, your team could become overwhelmed, overworked, and spread too thin, with no energy to help the new hire adjust.
A business can only grow with a strong team, so with the right amount of workload and financial support, it may be time to expand. However, it’s crucial to ensure you hire the right fit at the right time so you don’t waste resources on someone not aligned with your needs.
When, how, and who to hire
As you begin hiring someone, various steps will need to be taken, and many outside circumstances will affect it. You may want to add someone new, but the job market could be competitive, candidates with the right skills might have salary expectations beyond your budget, and finding someone who aligns with your company’s culture could be challenging. While you cannot control the external factors, you can control the steps you take to source the right person for your business.
Let’s dive into them.
Identify why you need to hire
First, you must consider why hiring an employee is needed. Is it because:
- Current employees are overworked and need an extra hand.
- Is the business missing growth opportunities because it needs all the necessary team members?
- There’s too much time spent on admin tasks and insufficient time to complete the more significant projects?
Wherever your business stands, get clear on the pain points you are experiencing, why you are experiencing them, and if a new hire would solve the issues. A great way of analysing this is by looking at your direct competitors. Where does your business fall short of theirs, and why is it lacking?
To identify the need for a new hire, hiring managers or small business owners often:
- Ask current employees to record their weekly hours and projects over a month to see where the team spends most of their time and how a new hire could benefit them.
- Analyse and understand the potential tangible business return on investment of hiring someone new.
Additionally, there may be some other factors that may affect your hiring process as well. If one of your current employees is leaving or a hiring manager has requested a new hire, it could help you decide if you need more hands on deck.
Decide the role and expectations
Now that you know you need a new hire to move the business forward, you need to assess your current situation and what move makes the most sense.
- Would bringing in an independent contractor or hiring someone directly be best?
- Do you need someone full-time, part-time, or casual?
- Are you looking for someone to commit for a year or a season?
These questions will help you define precisely who you are looking for and what kind of help you need to improve your business. Figuring out the type of worker is crucial because different rules, tax implications, and costs will apply. As a business owner, you’ll need to consider the additional financial impact of hiring someone and how much you can afford to pay them, plus any benefits, equipment, insurance, and training you will need to provide.
Get legally in check
You will also need to ensure you are compliant and that your business and your employees are protected. You can do this by creating one of the following for your potential new hire:
- Modern Award: A legal document for employees that outlines the minimum terms and conditions of employment.
- Enterprise Agreement: An agreement made at the enterprise level between employers, employees, and their union, outlining terms and conditions of employment. More than one employer can also make it with a group of employees.
- Employee Contract: A legal document detailing the agreement between an employer and employee, outlining expectations and respective obligations.
If you’re a small business, you may want to seek professional advice on how to decide which one works best for your needs and how to create it. Once a new hire joins, they must receive the legal documents required so they are aware of their workplace entitlements before starting.
