So you’ve got a business, and it’s going well. You’ve put your heart and soul into helping it grow, and a few months ago you actually hired an employee. But that wasn’t too hard, was it? He/she works right alongside you so you don’t have to wonder about how many hours they worked, no real supervision is required, and you don’t have to worry much about mistakes. But now you’ve got more orders coming in and more jobs to complete than you ever expected to have. You need employees, but are worried about all that phrase might entail. Have no fear, here are a few quick tips.
First, get a time and attendance software. Most small business experts would agree that some form of software is the best way to go. They require no additional hardware or equipment, are super-accurate, and are very easily available. Download a few demos and try them out, see which one fits your needs the best. As you shop, remember two things. One, if you’ve hired this many employees, you will likely need to hire more! Make sure that if you get time tracking system that it allows for unlimited employees. Sometimes employers are unpleasantly surprised with a hefty upgrade fee when they reach their employee limit. Second, this process is not always the easiest. Make sure you don’t just come up with a quick fix that will require even more time and attention in a few months when you outgrow that system and you have to transfer all your old data to the new system.
Next, make sure each employee has a pre-determined set of duties, especially a list of “down-time” work that they can start on if you aren’t around to supervise once they finish other tasks. If you have three employees or a hundred, let each employee know exactly what is their duty in the company and help them see how that fits into the overall picture of the company. This will help them feel a sense of purpose and need in your organization and will also give them direction when they have nothing to do.
Finally, remember that because you aren’t doing everything in the business, things are not going to be perfect. Your employees are going to make mistakes and may do things differently than you ever have done them before. Be open to their suggestions and new ways of doing things. Have patience when they aren’t doing things perfectly and don’t be too hard on them simply because you wouldn’t have done it that way. Last, but not least, get out of the office. That is the point of hiring employees, to do the work, so you can enjoy running the business. Take time to get involved in your community and business culture. Go to conferences and meetings and learn how to further improve your business.