Six Steps to Successful Staffing

Six Steps to Successful Staffing

By Mike McLoughlin,
Youth With A Mission, Marketplace Mission
Visit the Scruples Small Business Forum at www.scruples.net for more information.

1. Define the position before hiring the person:

What is it that you need done in your business?
Do you have a written job description with clearly defined performance standards?
What skills are needed for the position? Be specific.
What is the position worth to the business?
What is a fair wage for the position?
What are fair benefits and working conditions?
What additional incentives and rewards can you provide that will motivate the employee?

2. Recruit the right person:

Who is it you are looking for?
What skills, abilities and knowledge do you need?
What do they consider their strengths to be?
What do they consider their weaknesses to be?
Have you a well-defined recruitment, screening and hiring policy?
Do ask for employment references and do you faithfully check those references before hiring?
Do you know the real reason why they left their previous employment position?

3. Clearly communicate the employment expectations and conditions:

A List of Basic Personnel Policies

Hours of Work: Start time & Breaks & End Time. (Try Bonus for Attendance.)
Leave Vacation. Holidays. Funerals. Sickness. Disability. Other Time Off.
Salary & Benefits: Rates. Allowances. Merit Increase. Bonuses. Medical Benefits. Other Benefits:
Employee Development: Training. Self Study. Extra Courses. Bible Study.
Performance Review: Job Standards. Annual Review. Grievance Process.
Discipline. Probation. What constitutes just cause? What is the process?
Others?

4. Conduct a regular Performance Appraisal:

Are you letting your employees know how they are doing?
Do they have an opportunity to give you feedback on the positions and how you are doing in supervising the employees?
How are you ready to serve your employees?
Do they consider you to be a fair employer?
Do they think you are treating everyone equally?
Note how the word appraisal is spelt: A-PRAIS-AL
Feedback must be positive as well as corrective.

5. Discipline with Due Process:

Is there a clearly established progressive disciplinary process?
Three verbal warnings, three written warnings, suspension with pay, suspension without pay, then termination.
Immediate dismissal can only be for just cause such as theft, endangering others or gross negligence.
Under what circumstances do you give them a second chance?
Did you know that firing an employee is another form of capital punishment?

Some Ways to Prevent Employee Theft:

Recruit the right person, no history of theft.
Build employee loyalty by being a fair and reasonable employer.
Be sure they do not leave work hungry. Feed them.
Build in controls to prevent theft and educate employees in these controls.
Keep written records of all cash transactions.
Don't place employees in potentially tempting situations. Build in checks.
Know the residential place where your employee stays.
Be there and be hands on. Don't leave the business to the employee for long periods of time.
Let your employees know that theft is just cause for immediate dismissal.
Be consistent in your discipline: "if you steal, you will be caught and you will be fired!"

6. Commend with Consistency:

How can you verbally recognize your employees for work well done?
Do you have a way of recognizing them publicly?
How often do you affirm the person who is working for you?
Do you have a good working relationship with your employees and do they feel confident in sharing with you problems or solutions in the work place?
How do you show your employees that you are on their side as the employer and how can you get them on your side to the benefit of the company?

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