Whether you have staff already or are considering your very first hire, the decision to onboard new staff requires careful consideration. You need to be absolutely certain that the the real need is indeed for another staff member. There are many other things that feel like you need more help, but if you look closer, you’ll find other solutions. For example, oftentimes clients say that they feel really busy and can’t keep up. Their first thought is for more people. But feeling busy, even really busy, is not always a genuine need for more staff.
That’s why I’ve put together these 8 questions to ask yourself before hiring a new staff member. They will help you clarify your needs for your business and indicate if you are in fact ready to onboard new people.
- Have you systemised your work processes?Are the major processes in your business systemised? Or are you dealing with each task as it comes up? If you have no systems in place, you’re far from operating at your maximum efficiency. This is not the time for you to hire. This is time for you to get systemising.
- Are you managing your calendar?If you don’t have your calendar and appointments under control, then do that first. If you can better manage your time, you may find that there is in fact not so big a need for you to hire. Ensure your week is planned in advance and that you have a system for booking and confirming appointments.
- What skills do you really need?It’s important to understand the skill deficit that you are trying to fill. Are they skills that you or your current team don’t have? Consider what the top 3 skills are that the new staff member should have.
- Do you fully understand the costs involved?Apart from the obvious costs of wages and superannuation, hiring a new staff member also presents other costs. Firstly there’s the initial cost of acquiring the new staff member. Then there’s the time you or your team will spend training/onboarding them and the time it will take to get them“up to speed”. Other costs might include equipment they require, additional software user costs, increases to your insurance premiums etc. Itemise all the costs you anticipate you will incur in setting up a new staff member.
- Do you know your employer obligations?There are legal requirements you must meet when you employ staff. Do you understand what you as an employer are required to do by law? There are requirements for record keeping of salary and wages as well as workers compensation. Are you familiar with the different types of employment- casual, part-time and full-time and what impact each has? You should visit the business.gov website for all requirements:https://www.business.gov.au/people/hiring/taking-on-an-employee-checklist
- Are you willing to make time to nurture staff and their role?You may be thinking you need more help and someone to take a load off, but acquiring staff always creates a certain amount of work as well. The hiring process is only just the beginning. Taking on staff requires a certain level of commitment and time from you to nurture them and their role to really get the most out of them. Do you really want to do that?
- Could you outsource instead?If the commitment to nurturing staff is not for you, or you want to avoid the employer obligations, then consider outsourcing. Could you outsource the skills you need rather than taking on an employee? Outsourcing may seem more expensive at first, but you will save on the time on other things such as not needing to spend time managing staff.
- Have you established your business vision and values?These two things alone are essential for employees to perform at their best. Having a clear vision and articulated values also helps you better understand the skills you really need from a new staff member. Vision helps you understand the direction and priorities. The values help you decide what type of person will fit in your business. Being able to communicate both the vision and values to your potential employees also helps them better understand what you’re about. They can then match it to their own value system. This way it’s more likely you’ll find a good fit for the role you need to fill.