Reduce your fear of hiring staff.

By Angela Stevens and Ashley Holden, ETC Recruitment Consultants

If you want to grow your business it’s important to build a team. Hiring an employee can be daunting, time consuming and a costly expense to your business, so you need to enter the recruitment phase with your eyes wide open.

Take your time when recruiting a new employee and don’t settle for second best. Interview extensively, complete reference checks and provide tests and scenarios to ensure you hire the best person for your business. Protect yourself by knowing about industrial relations and awards and have excellent contracts drafted with adequate protections in place. There are many low cost resources available but get advice from professionals as well.

Although you may put in every measure to find the right person, sometimes things don’t work out. Either it is not the job they expected or they are not the right fit. Accept the risk and know it’s all just a part of owning a business and hiring staff. It’s no different to accepting the risk of a marketing campaign or taking on a lease.

If your staff aren’t performing well or leaving prematurely, you need to ask the question why? As a boss, get feedback from your staff on how you perform. Are you providing them with training or professional development to keep them engaged? Have you set goals for your staff and appraise them regularly? Everyone likes to know what is expected and how they perform against those measures.

Building a productive team with a cohesive culture is the foundation of a successful business, but getting the first team member can be daunting. Swallow your fear, do your homework and be brave. In the end, your attitude toward hiring can take your business to a whole new level.

If you have a vacant position and would like assistance hiring new staff, ETC offers a free recruitment service. Contact ETC on 6648 5400 or visit etcltd.com.au.