Bringing the first employee into your business can be an exciting and anxious time. Your business is growing, which is a great thing. But as a small business owner, it can be hard to give up control – and trade existing tasks for other operational responsibilities that employees bring.
Below are some key points to keep in mind, from finding candidates through the onboarding process.
1. Check Federal and State Regulations
Before you dive into the hiring process, make sure you are following the proper protocol from the Small Business Administration. This guide will walk you through setting up a payroll, obeying labor laws and choosing employee benefit options.
2. Avoid Common Insurance Mistakes
Understand your new insurance responsibilities as an employer before making a hire. General liability and workers’ comp are vastly different, but both necessary for a small business owner. Doing the homework on these policies will save you from future headaches and allow you to focus on making your new hire.
3. To Recruit Top Talent, Get Creative
There is no shortage of jobsites to recruit talent. But a small business can benefit tremendously from holding a networking event to launch their brand, and in turn, recruit talent.
Caroline Cox states, in her article How to Host a Successful Networking Event, “Event hosting is a perfect motivator to make sure you’re putting your company’s best face forward. You want to ensure your space (or the space you’ve rented if you don’t have your own office digs) accurately represents your brand and its mission.”
4. Consider Background Checks
There is no such thing as being too careful when it comes to bringing someone into the fold of your business. And while the interview process can reveal a lot about a potential hire, it’s in your best interest to go a step further.
Background checks have been around for years and are becoming even more popular. Betterteam outlines what a reputable background check could include, how much they cost and recommended providers.
5. Use Onboarding to Set the Tone
Establish clear processes and goals before your new hire’s first day. Set them and yourself up for success by having clear expectations for what their responsibilities are, how they will be evaluated, and how you plan to share or delegate responsibilities. It will make recruiting, hiring and onboarding easier.
“Once you have a system like that, you can easily explain it to new employees, making it easier and less painful to hire and grow. After all, when you expand and take new employees into your team, you want them to get on board as fast as possible. If your internal processes are simple and easily understandable, that will happen faster.”
Growth for your small business is a process and one that can be time consuming. Your employees can become one of the best assets for your company and further growth, so taking your time and doing it right is of the utmost importance.
Need Small Business Insurance?
Need help with small business insurance? WorkCompOne was built by and for small business owners, so you can stay compliant for less time, money and hassle than traditional insurance agencies.
