Hiring staff – should you start with casuals?

Get your employment contracts reviewed

Legally when hiring, your contracts should be plain language and non-complex wherever possible. I wouldn’t be too concerned about consequences of termination provisions and they should be bolstered with cascading clauses and reasonable actions to aid their enforceability – employees generally understand them to be common practice.

You should have your documents legally reviewed by someone that understands your business really well and what you want to protect.

Most of us have probably either had employees burn us or have been burnt by employers before – it’s almost a “right of passage” in business to teach us to get it right the next time.

Treat your hires firmly but fairly

I would also add that you also need to be firm, fair and friendly with them. Keep the professionalism as high as you can. If you act in a professional way with them, they will respect you more and most often show it back.

Having clear boundaries in your hiring contracts and policies is a really good start but they need to be maintained daily and not just given lip-service.

Hiring and managing staff is a big task

You will find that managing staff is a much bigger task than first anticipated – I think I might spend half/third of my time now overseeing work, dealing with matters arising, issues, morale, constant contact, pays, reimbursements, expenses, following up, monitoring work flow, coaching, mentoring, feedback, setting expectations, reviews, discipline, the list goes on and on.

Hiring additional resources is a great way to take your business to the next level, just make sure you’re prepared to put in the work.