How can you mitigate risks when hiring employees?

Thorough and comprehensive background checks are critical, especially for important hires such as C-level executives in your company. My favorite provider is Ethos Risk Services, which costs several hundred dollars, but there are many other providers in the market.

Investing in custom contracts and policies for your employees is critical. One size fits all template may seem like a quick and cheap solution at the outset, but you significantly increase your risk of expensive employee issues later. Hire an expert to ensure any contracts protect your specific needs and are valid in the locations where your employees are located. Ensure that you have the right policies and employment practices in place early and that they can scale with your growth.

One of the biggest mistakes that I see my small business clients making is that they don't efficiently support and train their new hires. Sure - they may sit them with another person for a few days, but there is always a lack of a structured onboarding process. This is why you should have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) throughout your entire business. By doing so - you will have a reference document/video showing any new hire EXACTLY how to perform ANY task in your business. You wouldn't believe the difference it makes in efficiency and productivity to not have staff keep asking how to do things, or to not have to resolve issues around tasks not being done properly.

Crafting a solid 90-day plan is essential for fostering communication, trust, and responsibility between managers and new team members. During this period, managers should establish clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and encourage open dialogue to support and engage new staff. Simultaneously, new team members should take ownership of their learning by seeking feedback, asking questions, and proactively addressing any concerns. By nurturing a culture of trust and communication, both managers and new staff can work together to achieve success and build a strong working relationship.

Be realistic and clear about what the role and responsibilities of the position actually are so you are hiring for their highest level of skill in the role. Too often companies will hire one person for a position that has the responsibilities of 2 or 3 other positions under it. For instance, hiring an Appointment Setter and then expecting them to conduct sales conversion beyond the appointments instead of hiring an Appointment Setter and a Sales Representative. When the employee cannot manage the workload, there's frustration instead of recognizing that there was a need to hire for the proper skillsets to match their area of expertise.

Now you've got your new employee on board, the biggest risk you face is losing them and the recruitment costs start again. A haphazard orientation, a toxic manager or coworker will send them right out the door and you won't get a second chance. To mitigate this, it's vitally important that your current team is cohesive, welcoming and efficient in order to successfully on board the newbe. You don't want to earn a reputation as a place that's continually hiring for the same position!

Give them autonomy from the start. Though managers may question the trust they have for a new starter, this will speed up the process. If it helps, think back to the interview and how much they built trust in just 30-45mins. Having a welcoming team can also create a sense of belonging. Simple acts such as inviting them to join you to lunch in the first week. Inductions can be overwhelming with information and often rushed, so this can help. Finally, get someone from HR to spend some time during induction getting then set up on any employment benefit schemes. These are often left for the employee to figure out themselves and are often delayed in the beginning as a result, not to mention adding to the list of things to do in the first week