Guest Post by Jodi Pasavad
Hire Slowly – Fire Quickly
The number one way to avoid employee headaches is to hire great people
right off the bat. Unfortunately, most
companies don't spend enough time and resources on hiring future employees. Take the time to screen applicants, conduct
first and second interviews, add a practical component to validate their
highlighted skills/experience and follow up with references.
Once you have made the decision that the employment relationship is no
longer viable, act fast. The majority of the
time the employee senses that the relationship is off. Ensure that you adhere to legislative
standards but a quick and clean exit is the best practice.
Employment Contracts
A well drafted employment contract is an
essential tool to start the employer and employee relationship off on the right
foot. It clearly spells out the rights
and obligations of each party, protects the job security of the employee and
protects the employer from certain risks such as the release of confidential
employer information after the term of employment ends. No matter what the employment
relationship, permanent, contractual etc., a contract is needed and takes the
guess work out of terms and conditions.
Employee or Independent
Contractor?
On
the surface, the question seems rather simple, but it represents one of the
“stickiest issues” for business owners.
For taxation and legal purposes, employees must be properly
classified. Employers who improperly
classify workers can run into serious penalties with regards to taxes,
withholdings and overtime wages. Key
factors to consider are whether the employer has control over the individual's
work and provides him or her with the materials or tools needed to complete
that work. If so, the worker will likely
be deemed an employee, rather than a contractor.
Don’t Assume – Set
Expectations
A few hours spent crafting a solid job description or
position outline can prevent countless hours of future hassle. A candidate may be a wonderful human being
and offer impressive skills, however, their skill set must address your
needs. A job description should form the
basis of your hiring process, performance management and succession planning
process.
Employees don't come to work wanting to perform badly or
not meet expectations. Putting forth
clear accountabilities and deliverables ensures everyone is on the same
page. Job descriptions are an essential
managerial tool, they allow your managers to gauge employee performance and
provide leverage during counseling or training sessions. Without them, not only do your employees not
know what they're responsible for, your managers don't either. At the very least this can often lead to
imbalanced workloads, employee conflict, and bad attitudes.
Successful On-boarding
Good on-boarding
goes far beyond simple orientation programs.
It's a comprehensive training and culture acclimatization system that
even small businesses can use to build better employees. Unfortunately, most businesses don't bother,
and as a result employee potential is often wasted.
Document, Document and
Document
Make sure your employee's work history is being
accurately recorded, this includes
everything from performance evaluations and raises, to disciplinary action and
requests for time off. Having the work history documented at the forefront alleviates confusion and provides
important evidence to support the company's position if litigation is required,
reducing time and money.
Meet Legislative
Requirements
Labour and health and safety legislative
regulations are consistently changing which falls to the employer to keep up
with and implement. Set aside time annually to make sure your HR policies are
current and complete. Keep connected
with the Ministry of Labour website or sign up for their electronic
publications. It's your duty to keep on
top of new legislation to make sure your business is operating as it should.
Grassroots HR Services
Grassroots works with companies to increase their productivity and decrease
their risk and liability by implementing effective human resources management
so companies can focus on their business needs.
Grassroots provides both consultative and on-site human resources
services that deliver innovative solutions, practical advice and real results
to clients in all areas of human resources management.
Don’t hesitate to call me, Jodi Posavad, Founder and Senior Consultant,
at 905-220-2171. I would be happy to
discuss your HR needs.
Please visit Grassroots HR website http://www.grassrootshrconsulting.ca
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