Hiring Help for Your Small Business

Are you thinking about taking on your first employee? You probably started out flying solo and doing everything yourself for a few weeks or months, so hiring help is quite a big step for your business. Taking on staff is not just a matter of budgeting for wages and including workers’ compensation coverage in your business insurance; Arlington small business owners also need to understand state and federal employment and human rights laws that have been designed to protect employers and candidates for employment.

Small business owners should therefore be more than a little cautious when planning to hire help. It’s important to take care to avoid the risk of discrimination or other unlawful practices when you are creating your job ad, interviewing candidates and making hiring decisions.

No matter how busy you are, or how anxious you are to get help in your business, don’t cut corners in the recruitment process. 

• Make sure that a shortlisted candidate is carefully screened; outsource screening to a background checking agency if necessary.
• Take time to personally check references.
• Make hiring decisions based on objective logic rather than intuition and instinct.

Remember the old recommendation: “be slow to hire and quick to fire”. It may be better not to hire someone than to entrust your business to someone you have doubts about, so don’t hire out of desperation.

Are you about to recruit your first employee? You may need to add workers’ compensation coverage or even increase the level of liability cover you have on your business insurance. Arlington business owners are welcome to call us for information about the types of coverage they may need, and for quotes and assistance in arranging policies.
 

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