Employing staff: Effort = Reward

Employing staff in your small business has many benefits but there is also the possibility of many issues, challenges and problems that can happen in this area. Managing staff is a big challenge for business owners, whether small, medium or large and it’s vital for business owners to be across all the key steps in the recruitment process.

Planning for staff should be integrated with other aspects of your business, such as business planning, cash flow forecast and workforce planning.

Before hiring one or more employees you should invest some time in planning how many staff you can afford and what the skill set needs are. It is important to consider your current turnover, workload, and HR policies plus the employment type you require and if you will offer flexible work arrangements.

Effort equals reward and spending time to create a good relationship from the start greatly reduces staff turnover. Sole business owner, Leah Calnan from Metro Property Management implemented a staff management plan and reaped the rewards.

Leah has this advice to other small business owners looking to attract and keep great staff:

• Make training a priority: “The more you train your team, the better they can be,” says Leah. This year, as part of her commitment to training, Leah invited team members to take part in a training session with her own business coach. “They learnt to be more confident in their decision-making skills,” says Leah. “It was a real success”.
• Be open with your team: “Run your business as transparently as possible,” Leah says. “That could be as simple as an open plan office, or it could mean giving your staff some perspective about your business.”
• Keep an open mind: “I’m always looking outside the box for ideas,” says Leah. Look for ways to share knowledge with peers in your industry. Conferences and networking events provide a good opportunity to do this.

Key pointers and help to get started can be easily found on Business Victoria.