Essential Things To Think About When Employing Staff

Are you about to employ staff members for the first time? Would you like to avoid common mistakes and get things right? Then you’ve come to the right place. Most business owners struggle when they only have a few team members for the obvious reasons. Finding the right candidates can be tough. You need people who are willing to work hard and go the extra mile. The ideas and tips on this page should help you to make the right decisions. The entire task will become much easier once you have some experience. Until then, try to use the information on this page to your advantage. We’ll try to cover every query you might have about the employment process. With a bit of luck, everything should go according to plan.
Deciding how much to pay
Before you advertise your positions, it’s important to determine the level of pay. There is a national minimum wage in this country that all employers must meet. Otherwise, you could be accused of using slave labour. The minimum wage is only there as a guide, and you should always strive to pay more. However, that isn’t always possible during the early stages of a business. Just make sure you let candidates know that wages will increase as your company grows and expands. You’re going to need the assistance of a legal representative to create your employment contracts. Make sure you do that before arranging any interviews. People will want to take a look for themselves before accepting your offer.
Performing employment checks
As an employer, you have to perform certain checks before hiring staff. For instance, you need to find out if there are legally entitled to work in the UK. Depending on your industry, you might also have to apply for CRB (now DBS) information. It is vital that you determine which checks you need to undertake ahead of time. You’ll need the candidates permission, and so you should ask for it during the interview. All those checks are in place to make sure you don’t do anything illegal. Failing to perform them could mean your company is slapped with a massive fine. You don’t need that while you’re still growing and finding your feet. Your legal representative is probably the best person to ask for more information.
Buying the right insurance policies
There is no getting away from the fact that you are going to need insurance. Every business owner who wants to employ staff has to deal with that. You’ll need employer’s liability cover at the very least. The government can legally fine your company £2,500 for every day you do not have the policy in place. They can also fine you if you fail to display your insurance certificate when inspectors visit your premises. You never know when someone is going to become injured while working for your business. When that happens, you could lose everything without the right insurance cover. Most employer’s liability packages will cover you for costs of up to £5 million.
Informing HMRC
All employers must let HMRC know they plan to hire staff. You can do that up to four weeks before you pay their first wage. The tax office will deal with your company differently when you employ other people. So, it’s vital that you don’t forget to let them know. Also, you need to keep them updated on all other aspects of your business. The last thing you want is an investigation that will take months to perform. In most instances, your accountant would cover all the costs involved. However, it’s a huge hassle and something you should aim to avoid.
Caring for your team
Once you’ve employed staff members, you need to look after them properly. It is wise to use a workplace health scheme that allows them to get discounts. That could make a real difference to their situation if they become injured. Also, stress can become a real problem for some people. It’s important that you take it seriously. Health Assured's Critical Incident Management (CISM) service is fantastic. You need to find something similar to ensure all your workers get the best support. Do not judge anyone for feeling the strain. During the early stages of your company, you are probably pushing workers very hard. It stands to reason that some of them might experience issues.
Dealing with health and safety
Health and safety didn’t matter too much when you were running a one man band. However, it comes to the forefront when you employ other people. At the end of the day, you handle their welfare. Any accidents that happen in the workplace are your fault without the right policies in place. You must designate a health and safety officer to deal with risk assessments. They will take a look at every process within your business and identify possible dangers. They should then create a document that tells other workers how to stay safe. Make sure you always offer the best training. Also, never let unqualified people mess around with machinery.
Providing motivational incentives
Your staff will need high levels of motivation to excel in their jobs. It is up to you as the employer to get them excited. Enthusiastic team members will work harder than those who are going through the motions. Make sure you find lots of ways to motivate your team every single day. Always come to work with a smile on your face, and make sure you appear enthusiastic too. Offer financial bonuses to those who work harder, and you’ll soon notice an improvement. Psychology is now your best friend!
Presuming you consider all those points, you should find some excellent employees. With a bit of luck, they will keep your business going while you work on growth. When all’s said and done, you can only run a company on your own for a certain amount of time. After that, you need to let go of the reins and employ others. That is the only way you will have enough time to focus on pushing your business forward. Who knows? This time next year your brand might become a household name.