Advice for hiring your first employee
Hiring your first employee can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking time. While it means your business has grown enough for you to invest in staff, it also brings with it a whole host of responsibilities you might not know how to handle. But if you prepare thoroughly and have everything in place before your employee joins your team, the onboarding process can be much smoother for everyone involved. Here are some things you need to consider before your team grows:
Accounting and payroll software
If you aren’t already using accounting software, this is definitely the time to start. Keeping track of your finances is challenging enough without adding payroll into the mix. Even if you were willing to be disorganised with your own money, this isn’t something you can afford to do when you have someone else depending on their payslip. Accounting and payroll software will help you to manage pensions and taxes for your employees, as well as ensuring they always get paid on time. Payroll software can also help you to manage holiday and sick pay.
Health and safety
When employees are coming into an office to work, you have a responsibility to ensure their safety. Make sure you carry out risk assessments and train employees on any processes that might pose a risk to their health. But health and safety isn’t all about accidents. You’ll need to give staff an appropriate number of breaks and make sure their computer stations are set up correctly too.
Insurance
You might have insurance to protect you as a sole trader, but what about your employees? You’ll need to update your small business insurance to cover you against potential claims made by staff. While these risks are unlikely if you’re working in an office environment, unexpected incidents can crop up and end up costing you thousands if you’re not prepared.
Double check your budget
Before making a commitment, make sure you really are financially ready to hire an employee. Even if you have too much work to handle yourself, do you have enough revenue to spare? Sometimes hiring a freelancer or agency can work better for your business if you’re not quite in a position to hire someone permanently. Alternatively, employ someone on a contractual basis and offer them a permanent position further down the line if that works for you.
Don’t rush your search
Even if you desperately need someone to help you, don’t rush into your decision. You need to make sure you’re hiring the right talent for the job, especially if your first employee is going to be your only employee for the foreseeable. Conduct thorough interviews and advertise your vacancy on a variety of platforms to increase your reach. The more people who see your advert and apply the higher your chances of finding that perfect candidate.
It’s also important to remember that while someone might have all the right qualifications, they might not be the right fit for your business. You’ll need to find someone with similar values and a work ethic that matches your own.
