HR and employment issues were the topics of discussion on Friday 17 March as Chantal and Matthew presented the Business Show on Ridge Radio. This a weekly show every Friday morning at 9am whereby Chantal and Matthew discuss a different topic each week to help business owners and entrepreneurs grow their business including guest speakers.
This week’s show was all about HR and employment issues. Chantal and Matthew’s guest this week was Fintan O’Toole from The HR Dept.
Here a few of the topics covered on the show:
Prepare yourself for your first employee
Make sure you understand what it is that you need to be done. Have a clear picture of what the job will entail. Think about the job description. Write out a job description as this will be used for future use on the contract as well.
Get your employment contract right
An employment contract is a legal requirement. You are required to issue a written statement to new staff. Secondly it is good practice. A contract sets out clearly what is expected by both the employer and the employee and means that in the event of a dispute there is a record of what both parties intended at the outset
Tips on how to manage poorly behaving staff
You need to think about what is behind the poor behaviour. It may be the result of a grievance felt or an inability to resolve an issue. Talk to the member of staff. Poor behaviour that relates to conduct should be nipped in the bud where possible and sorted out from day 1.
How do you reward and retain good staff?
It is not just about money it is about providing a good working environment and ensuring that your team feel valued. The economy is reaching “full employment” and skilled employees will become increasingly scarce. Recognition and other employee benefits – holiday, discount schemes etc can all be cost effective ways of recognising you care! And most importantly, saying “thank you” does not cost much and is very appreciated.
Do you have any knowledge of apprenticeships you can share with us?
Although we are only a small company we decided to take on an apprentice a couple of years ago. Amy joined us as an Office Admin apprentice and completed the year and has stayed with us. It has been valuable for both her and us. She has learned a huge amount that has got her career off to a great start. We have had some valuable assistance and have been delighted with the speed with which she has been able to take on additional responsibility. She provides first line support for all our IT and manages our customer database and CRM system. I would certainly recommend that other businesses consider this as a way of growing the team.
You can listen to Chantal’s radio show via the station website www.ridgeradio.co.uk or using the “tunein” app on any smart phone or tablet.
To list to this week’s show with Fintan O’Toole, use the link www.mixcloud.com/chantalbaker.