When you own your own business there are so many things that you need to get your head around. A lot of the time you don’t really have the time to do so. Instead you’ll end up asking for advice or using google to provide key information you’ll be lacking. No one is perfect. No one knows everything so it’s fine to need to speak to someone.

Never feel ashamed to do so. It can really help no matter what kind of business you operate. You could work out of an office or on the sea and you’ll still need bespoke advice. With hiring and firing, everything becomes different because different rules and laws will apply to each bespoke situation. These tips can help you ensure you don’t make any key mistakes when hiring or firing. They aren’t all inclusive but can help you understand what sorts of things need to be running through your mind. Good luck, and if you’re still feeling lost get some advice.

If You Have to Fire, Don’t Get Into a Position Where You Could Be Accused

This applies to all areas of your life. But if you mess up with your business the bad reputation could lead to a huge downturn in sales along with being shunned by a local community, no matter if you’re right or wrong. You could even end up needing a criminal defense attorney. You can avoid getting into these situations in a few ways. Whenever you’re firing someone, or when you’re entering into a heated work discussion make sure there’s someone else with you. A witness makes a huge difference. CCTV can also help a lot. The key is to ensure you don’t manoeuvre yourself into a situation where you can be accused of any wrongdoing when you fire someone. If you’re firing them for a specific misdemeanour then you need to have carried out a stringent investigation and have proof to back it up. Otherwise you could end up in a tribunal and paying money in damages. It’s hard when it’s your own business. You’ll be passionate about what goes on. But just try to keep yourself out of any situations in which you could be accused.

Do You Need to Hire Yet

Don’t jump the gun. Hiring too early can be disastrous, especially if you’re paying for someone who has a wide skill set. The wage bill will eat into your profits from the off. Sometimes business owners jump the gun. They then have to spend time with the hiree telling them what to do and how to do it instead of running the business. Don’t jump the gun. Make sure that you’re really in the right position. That you have a good short and long term forecast as well as the time to invest in someone new. If you can tick these boxes then move to hire.

Get the Right Candidates Through the Door

A key point when looking to grow your business is attracting the right people to apply in the first place. It’s a complete waste of timing siphoning through applications from people who just don’t fit the bill. If you use a hiring platform, you can make sure that candidates have the right qualifications. These could be degrees or technical qualifications. Or even just a certain amount of experience. It’ll stop people applying who don’t really have what you need and as such saves you a whole chunk of time. On the same note, never interview on your own. Even if you run the business yourself. You might have a friend who has experience. You can also pay people to help you recruit. It might sound a bit overkill, but you’ll miss things when you’re on your own. Your unconscious biases will creep in or you’ll make a bad decision that someone else might have stopped you from making.

Avoid Firing Altogether

Sometimes when you think you might have to fire people or let them go, you can get through it. Imagine you let people go because you didn’t think you could afford them, only to need to employ more people down the line. At that point you’d have to put work into getting them up to speed and training them when you could have kept the originals, so long as they were good employees. There are other things you can do. Instead, see if you can save money in other places. Get reduced office hours if you rent and let people work from home for the other day or two. Think about asking people if they want unpaid leave. These are all options in your locker should you need to save some money.