Taking on your first employee? - 10 tips to make sure they become an asset to your business

We asked HR specialist Kathy Osborne - www.kathyosborne.co.uk - to give us an insight into what she believes are the ten things you MUST have in place if you want your new employee to become a real asset:

1) Be clear about the job description. Before you advertise, before you start interviewing, before you do anything be clear about what you actually want. Be specific about the duties the new employee will have, what their responsibility and authority will be, exactly what their working conditions and times will be. Then think about the skills and experience needed to do that job. If you're clear about all of this from the outset, you are much more likely to find the right person and they are much more likely to understand what is expected of them.

2) Prepare yourself for the interviews. Whether you're conducting all of the interviews yourself or asking a recruitment agency to handle this for you, be very clear what you want to know from each candidate. Make sure you ask questions that encourage them to elaborate, or demonstrate their knowledge by asking for 'real life' examples of times when they have used their skills. Also allow their personality to come out by asking questions about their life outside work as regards interests or hobbies. Do remember, however, that you shouldn't probe into their personal situation as regards children or other dependants - it's not relevant to their ability to do a good job for you.
 
3) Package. Think about the salary and rewards package for your new employee is put together. Consider what is fair to them and what offers the best balance of security and motivation - particularly if they are in a position where their input can influence your sales. You may be able to offer other benefits, such as private medical insurance or gym membership, for a very low cost to you, but a high value to the employee. Are you going to offer any kind of bonus based on results? If so, be very clear about what the employee needs to do to earn this.

4) Are you ready for a new employee? Have you get everything ready and prepared for when they start? Make your employee's first day feel organised and welcoming, with all paperwork ready and a set schedule of what they should do on their first day. You can use the first day to set the pace and demonstrate that you are efficient and organised by having all of their paperwork ready for them.

5) Systems systems! Up until now you have been used to doing everything yourself and carry a lot of your procedures around in your head. After all, you're the only person who has needed to know how everything works. Now is an excellent opportunity to build some systems - so you know that everything is being done exactly how you want it to be, even when you're not there to supervise it. Ultimately, this can make a massive difference to how efficient your business can become and make it much simpler every time you take on a new member of staff.

6) Training. This can feel like a real chore at first but get it right and it will free up loads of your time every day and that, ultimately is why you took on your new employee. Having considered exactly what you want your colleague to achieve, make sure you spend the time with them in a structured and organised way to ensure they are confident and competent in carrying out their new duties. It's so important that they understand exactly what you expect of them and that they are trained to deliver it.
 
7) Probationary periods - just in case. It's standard practice to offer employment based on the first 3  months or 12 weeks being on a 'trial' basis. Make sure that you are clear with your new employee that this is the case and ensure you build in a probationary reveiw meeting towards the end of their first 12 weeks.This period allows you to get to know each other and gives both you and the employee the option to more easily end the relationship if it simply isn't working out.

8) Delegate. You've got a new member of the team - now don't forget to give them stuff to do! Too often I spot company owners who have underworked employees whilst they charge round still trying to do everything themselves. Your employee will become bored and you'll wonder what you are paying them for. Look at your desk and consider what you can offload, appropriate to their level of experience and confidence.

9) Appraisals and reviews. Assuming the probationary period has passed successfully, your employee needs to know what they're getting right as well as where they can improve on a regular basis. A structured and sensible system of informal reviews will make this much easier. If at the outset, your new employee knows that every week you will spend time with them reviewing their performance, it won't seem as if you're just picking on them when they do something wrong. Remember to recognise the successes as well as offering support where you feel they can improve.
You can then build in a more formal appraisal process once or twice a year to set new goals and objectives and to help them develop.

10) Don't forget to learn from them too. Just because you've always done it this way, doesn't mean that your new team member might not have ideas and suggestions of ways to improve and streamline your operation. Accept suggestions in the spirit in which they're made and, if you see any benefit in implementing any of them, let your employee show you how they would do it.

Above all, getting everything right at the outset will help to ensure that your company thrives and that you really benefit from the extra resource and knowledge you now have.

Kathy Osborne is an expert in building productive and profitable teams. Her business, Kathy Osborne Human Resources Consulting provides HR and employment law advice, as well as training and team building support. www.kathyosborne.co.uk