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The Training Session

January 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The training of your employees in the way that things are done at your particular business is a very important part of making your business run smoothly.  Well trained employees are less likely to get frustrated and quit before they even know the ropes, and more likely to incorporate themselves into the daily workings of your business properly.  Creating the proper atmosphere for learning is important, as well as keeping the material relevant to what you want to teach.

If you are planning to train a large group of employees it is a good idea to start out with what all of the employees need to know.  Maybe a video presentation or a talk from your Human Resources representative on hours, time off, break time, lunch time, benefits, etc.  Laying out in clear terms what is acceptable and what is not will alleviate problems later.  Having done that, it is probably a good idea to break the training session up into groups.  The training can then be concentrated on each different department or job.  The employees need only learn what is needed by them.

One of the most important parts of the training session is the question and answers.  Listen to the questions, ask some yourself.  Let your employees know that at any time if they have further questions they will be directed to the proper channel and make sure the question is answered.  Make sure that everything you have gone over is either accessible on the employee’s desktop or hand out a folder or packet with all the necessary information, as well as contact names and numbers.  Make sure the contact people are aware that they may be contacted.

Proper, thorough training benefits the boss as well as the employee.  The employee feels confident that he has learned what he needs and the boss gets confident employees right from the start.

Filed Under: Human Resources, Training Tagged With: ,

Hiring Tips

January 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

All bosses know what they are looking for in new employees.  Once you are actually meeting with the person, you have already seen a resume and have spoken to the prospective employee via telephone.  Make sure that by the time you are asking a person to come in to speak with you for an interview you have chosen the right person.  Check the resume thoroughly.  On line job sites have people post their resumes so that prospective employers can search through them, learning the skills that an employee possesses and seeing if they want to pursue this relationship further.  Read through the resume.  Make sure that what the person stated is true, and that it can be verified.  If references are given, call them.  Make sure that the person represented on this application is truly who they say they are.

Continue to get to know the person when you call to set up an interview.  Make the call yourself.  You can have an impression of the person through their voice and the way they present themselves.  Did you like their voice?  Were they articulate?  Were they able to answer your questions without hesitation and with confidence?  The answers to these questions will help you decide if indeed, you want to have the person come in for a face to face interview.  If you found anything questionable on the submitted resume, straighten out.  Ask the person to clarify any misunderstandings or explain something to you.

When you do see the person face to face, read their body language.  All employees on interviews are nervous.  This could be the career they have been searching for.  Put the person at ease and you will get much more information than if they feel intimidated.  Give them the opportunity to ask you questions.  You may learn exactly what they are looking for in this business relationship.

Filed Under: Hiring, Human Resources Tagged With: ,

Terminating An Employee

January 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Every boss hires new employees with the thought that this could be a long-term working relationship.  The boss is hoping this is the case, as is, in most cases, the employee.  Both parties are willing to work through the rough spots, to get to that place where the employee is comfortable with the work and the boss is confident in the employee.  Sometimes this takes longer than other times.  Some employees need more training, a little more help to get them started working on their own.  If their work is good and you are happy with their performance, this does not seem like such a big investment to you.

There are those employees who just never seem to catch on.  You are beginning to think that this may not be the right job for them.  You obviously hired this person because you felt they were good for your company.  Maybe there is another position they are better suited for.  Unfortunately when all avenues have been exhausted it may be time to terminate your relationship with that employee.  It may just not have been a good fit.  Obviously he or she is not the right person for the job.  They may feel the same way.  Maybe this is not what they expected this position to be, or it is just too different than what they are used to.  They have tried, but nothing seems to be clicking.

It happens.  At times like these a boss has to do the one thing he probably enjoys the least, let the person go.  Be the consummate professional.  Sit the employee down and let him know you feel he or she tried and that you hope he or she realizes that you did too.  However, you feel at this time that this is not the right position for him, it is not working out for you and you think he should look elsewhere for employment.

Filed Under: Employee Relationships, Human Resources Tagged With: ,

Making The Interview Count

January 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You already know you are interested in an employee.  You have seen his resume and are impressed with his qualifications.  You have made the phone call and you have spoken to him.  You liked the way he handled himself on the phone and you have decided to meet with him face to face, that final step to see if he is the employee you are looking for, the all important member of your team.

While there are certain things you can count on, he will be nervous, he may stumble a little, but you will get to know him a little better.  You can overlook the awkwardness that comes with nerves.  You realize that putting him at ease will make this interview a lot easier on both of you.  Making him nervous will only cause him to lose confidence and you will not get to know exactly what he has to offer.  As well, you will come off as a rigid boss, and perhaps one he would rather not work for.

The face to face interview is the last piece of the puzzle.  If all goes well, you will offer him a position with your company.  If it does not go well, he will leave and you will feel as though you have wasted valuable times.  If you have interviewed dozens of people for positions you probably have a good routine.  You know the obvious, he has the qualifications you require, you liked the way he looked on paper and you have spoken to him.  During the face to face interview, make sure you cover everything you will require of your future employee.  Make your business practices well known.  Converse about how he will be an asset to your company.  Remember, as much as you are learning about him, he is also making his final decision, and if he is what you are looking for, let him know it.

Filed Under: Hiring, Human Resources Tagged With: ,

Negotiating The Contract

January 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Not all businesses require their employees to sign contracts.  Whether or not you actually have a signed contract between you and your boss, there is an implied contract.  If you have been hired to do a certain job, you must do that job to the best of your availability.  You need to show up when you are supposed to, use your benefits properly and live up to your end of the contract.  The implication is that if you do not stick to your end of the bargain, the boss then has the right to take action up to and including letting you go.  This is a straight forward contract, with both parties being aware of the rights and consequences of keeping and/or breaking the contract.

Then there are those positions which require a signed contract, an agreement between boss and employee on different points of the job.  Most contracts state what is required of the employee, what will be done if those requirements are not met, as well as any bonuses or extras if the job requirements are met regularly.  When you are hired, your boss or your Human Resource representative will approach you with the actual contract.  This is most likely something you discussed with your employer at the time you were hired.  You may have even negotiated some of the terms of the contract, for example giving up some paid time off for a little more in the paycheck.  All of these things should be listed in your contract.

Just remember not to sign a contract that does not clearly state exactly what was agreed upon between you and the boss.  It is the duty of the Human Resource department to make sure that you understand every aspect of the contract, making sure that both boss and employee are well represented and have agreed on all points of interest in the contract.

Filed Under: Human Resources Tagged With: ,

Recruiting Your Team

January 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Your business is running quite smoothly.  You find yourself in the position that you need to recruit some new employees.  Maybe you are expanding, maybe a new position has been created.  Whatever the reason, proper recruiting can save you a lot of time and money.  There will also not be the need to turn down so many people.  Narrowing your search as much as possible will give you a legitimate pool of the right candidates for what you need.

Start with defining exactly what the need is.  What exactly do you need from this employee?  Is manpower the main motivation, or is there a certain expertise required?  These are all things that need to be considered.  Once you have narrowed the field, you can begin to search for the right people.  There are many, many ways to do that.   The three line ad run in the local paper is not going to attract the person you need.  We do have the Internet, with literally the power to reach thousands of interested applicants.  There are job websites that you can utilize, where you can define the job description, have prospective employees submit resumes and you can choose from there.   There are also technical schools, if there is a certain area of expertise you are looking for.  A lot of these schools have school-to-work programs that will allow the students to work part of the school day.  This is a great way to see if a young student is the right fit for your company, and they may work for free or less of a salary, as they are getting course credits.  Once graduation comes, you may be in a position to offer that person a full time position.

Defining exactly what it is you are looking for is more than half the battle of hiring the right person for your company.  This process can be beneficial for boss as well as employee.

Filed Under: Hiring, Human Resources Tagged With: ,

Termination Without Condemnation

January 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When hiring new employees, most bosses or management personnel have already sent out a job description, have seen a resume, spoken to the person, checked the references and made the job offer.  Both parties are hoping that this is the beginning of a long and prosperous relationship.  What if it is not?

Maybe this job was really just not the right fit for the employee.  They just don’t seem to be catching on as well as they should have.  The job seems to be too difficult or confusing for them.  You have spoken to them and given them a second or even third chance.  Still not working.  It is time to let them go.  After all, you are running a business and if the employee is not performing as is required, that employee is no longer an asset to your company.

You are not a horrible person and you feel bad about having to let an employee go.  It would be easy if there was a blatant serious infraction.  It is not so difficult to let someone go who is stealing from you or deliberately trying to undermine your business.  It is easy to let the person go who does not care about their job and really has no intention of performing in the necessary capacity.  It is the gray area that is more difficult.

If your employee handbook is clear about job duties and responsibilities, this should make your job easier.  You can easily point out where this particular employee is not working out.  Being a good boss means knowing how to be tactful when necessary.  If you have to let someone go who is just not doing what you need them to do, let them know that you appreciate their effort, but this is just not the right fit for either one of you.   Your reputation as a boss depends on you being able to handle this very difficult part of management.

Filed Under: Human Resources Tagged With: ,

The Management Team

January 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Your business is growing in leaps and bounds.  You need more employees, and one person cannot oversee all of the aspects of your business.  It is time to hire a competent management team.  Obviously you want your high level employees to be completely knowledgeable of your business, as well as be professionals and work well with people and prospective clients.  How will you assemble the perfect management team?

Obviously the first step is to decide exactly how many people you need in management.  Too many chiefs and not enough Indians can have an adverse effect on your business.  Decide how you are going to divide your company responsibilities.  You may need a general manager, someone whom all the department managers can report to.  Hiring a general manager can take a lot of the day to day burden off of you.  This will free up your time so that you can devote your time to keeping in touch with your clients, and basically overseeing your business.  It can be difficult to let go of the reins, but it will be worth it.

Decide exactly how you want to divide up the responsibility.  Perhaps you can create your management team from your employees.  You obviously already trust these people, and they would not be with your company if they were not knowledgeable of the way you want things to be run.  You may need to hire someone outside of the company in order to find the person with the right qualifications to handle groups of your employees in the right way.

The main thing is this is your business.  You get to decide how things are done.  You get to personally choose people to work for your company, from the highest of management to the ground floor entry employee.  You care about your business, and with the right management team, your employees will see that you care and your business will flourish.

Filed Under: Business, Human Resources Tagged With: ,

Perks In A Precarious Economy

December 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Every good boss knows keeping the employees happy can only help your business.  Management is more than aware that unhappy employees do not produce to their potential, and can make the work place a “not so pleasant” place to spend your day.  The employee/management relationship can be one of the best, if management knows what they are doing.  It is difficult to hand out cash bonuses and free lunches in an economy that may not allow it.  You may be working on a shoestring budget, and monetary bonuses are few and far between.

“Necessity is the mother of invention.”  We are in a time where management needs to get creative and find ways to keep the employees happy.  There are lots of little ways to say thank you to the people who make your business run more smoothly.  You should keep in mind that your business would not be where it is if every employee were a guy in a suit, sitting in a meeting, talking about how to make the business more successful.  Without the little guy, the worker bee if you will, your business would not be where it is.  While management is important, and a good management team will keep your employees, as well as the higher ups happy, bonuses and “thank-you” perks should be fair across the board.

If your business is one in which everyone needs to look professional every day, maybe you could allow a “dress-down” day for a profitable week.  Everyone can wear casual clothes, with some restrictions.  If your employees all work on computers, perhaps a wrist rest or new quality headphones for those who are in compliance and going the extra mile.  Of course cash bonuses are always welcome, and they should be awarded when your employees cause your company to have a successful quarter, there are lots of small ways to say thank you, and let your employees know you appreciate what they do.

Filed Under: Business, Human Resources Tagged With: , ,

Dealing with an Employee Resigning

December 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As the owner of a business, one thing you will always have to be ready for is the resignation of an employee, and this includes both long term and short term employees as well. Be it that the employee no longer needs the job, has found another job, is moving, or any of the other many reasons there could be, resignation is something that *will* happen and there is no real way for you to avoid it as a business owner . So when it does, how will you handle it? Do you announce the employees resignation? If so, who do you announce it to? When do you make this announcement? What legal aspects are there with an employee’s resignation? These are just a few of the many things to consider.

Dealing with an Employee Resigning

First and foremost, when an employee comes to you and informs you of his or her resignation, you are going to want to ask for the employee to give you an official written letter of resignation with the final date of employment. This is generally going to be able to protect you from fraudulent unemployment claims, among other things.

Next up is whether or not you are going to allow the employee to complete their work term, or dismiss them immediately. If the employee is valued and/or trusted, then you can benefit greatly by keeping them for the term. You can have them finish up any open projects, document and detail steps and processes for any projects that can’t be wrapped up, and possibly even help to transition another employee into those projects if the original employee cannot reasonably complete them. If the employee is not valued or simply is not needed to finish out the term, then you should politely inform them that they will be paid for the remainder of the time until termination, and that their services are no longer needed.

Filed Under: Business, Employee Relationships, Human Resources Tagged With: , ,
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