When you want to increase your workforce, knowing what the best ways are in order to find employees who will benefit your business can be difficult. After all, the positions which you are hiring for might be senior or middle-management roles. Hiring the right staff which will work at all levels is very important and, once they have been employed, it is important that they are effectively managed so that they deliver the best possible performance. Firstly, how can an employee be hired and what should be avoided?
The ways in which staff can be hired
1) The traditional way in which an employee is hired is through an interview. It is recommended that your interview skills are as good as can be. When you are knowledgeable about all aspects of interviewing, you will be able to get the right answers from the people who have been shortlisted. Such information which you can tell interviewees is what a business’s aims and objectives are, the salary which is being offered and what the role entails. Your questions can be based around this information so that you can judge each individual’s response on their merits.
When a small business hires an employee, they should tell interviewees that they may need to multi-task and complete other duties which are not in their job description. Unlike a large business where employees normally have a clear job description, a small company may require their staff to work in all areas. For example, a member of a sales team may have to cover reception when a colleague is sick. Finding out whether a person has previous experience in completing various duties will enable a small business to hire the right staff.
2) If HR will be responsible for carrying out the interview process, it is recommended that they receive training which will help them find the right staff. HR might not be able to judge a CV properly or how to understand a covering letter. Many training companies in the United Kingdom can help HR staff to better their skills with hiring staff. Therefore, the right people will be found. As hiring a new member of staff can cost thousands of pounds and take many hours, having the best HR staff at your disposal reaps many dividends.
3) If you are unsure about how you should interview potential employees, why not ask for outside help from an agency? By researching agencies which specialise in employing particular people, they will be able to utilise their experience so that the right person can be found on your behalf. After all, if the time which you have for holding interviews is minimal, isn’t it worth getting help from the experts?
How to manage your workforce
Once you have hired the right staff, you should demonstrate good managerial skills so that they deliver the best possible performance. However, if your managerial skills are not as good as they should be or you are not sure about what your responsibilities are, the success of your team will be impaired. Here are some of the many skills which you will need to have when managing your workforce:
– Create a Team Charter. Asking workers to complete specific tasks is very important. If employees are expected to be involved in carrying out particular duties which they are not equipped to do, they won’t deliver the type of performance which you want. A Team Charter can define a team’s purpose. A group of people without direction does not make good business sense and a Team Charter can help a team to focus on what they should be achieving. It is recommended that a Team Charter is written soon after a team is formed. Therefore, a team will instantly know their goals.
– Motivation is key. If employees become uninspired by the task which they have been asked to complete, they will produce poor results which do not benefit a company at all. Instead of getting staff to complete tasks in the same way, why not change your processes so that they are done in a different order? When staff underperform, why not arrange for them to complete their work in another office? Carrying out work in various surroundings can make staff feel more appreciative because they are seen as an integral part of a company.
– Communication is of paramount importance. Human beings are, essentially, pack animals. We like to be part of ‘the herd’ and this is also true when managing a team. Putting the time and effort into speaking with employees is imperative. Whether one-on-one meetings or group meetings are held, staff will be kept updated about anything to do with the running of your business. Many managers view temporary workers or those who are on a short-term contract as being disposable. Appreciating every single member of your team may seem like something which David Brent would say but it is very important. However, unlike the Wernham Hogg manager, you don’t have to play a guitar when holding team meetings.
Hiring the right staff is very important and so too is demonstrating good managerial skills. Making sure that HR staff know how to hire people which will benefit your business will save on the amount of time which is spent on finding the strongest workforce. Offering a ‘personal touch’ when managing is also vital as well as demonstrating other managerial skills because you will have a great and motivated team at your disposal.
