Regardless if your business is big or small, the option of hiring an outside contractor to take on some of the company’s workload is often a very attractive avenue to consider, especially in financial terms. Today, the tasks that can be outsourced to an external service provider are many, and can be related to company areas such as information technology, legal, human resources and payroll, as well as any number of short one-time projects.
Hiring A Contractor
There are many beneficial reasons for hiring a contractor for your company. The most advantageous reason is that by hiring a contractor, as opposed to hiring another full-time company employee, you are now able to better focus and manage those periods when your company is operating at its highest workload. Another compelling reason to hire a contractor, especially if you are a small business, is the large amount of specific knowledge they have in the area you need work done. Also, that extensive knowledge base on just one topic usually comes at a reasonable cost. One other advantage is that through contractors you can do away with the issue of having to pay out benefits and taxes, as well as not having to use up precious office space by having new employees occupy your building. However, before you hire a contractor, there are some considerations to note. Firstly, when in the hiring process, treat it the same way you would go about hiring an actual in-house, full-time employee. Secondly, be sure to set out a clear set of guidelines about the project, such as the type of work you need done, the pay rate, duration of the contract, as well as setting up frequent deadlines for the contractor to meet, and regular times where you check in with the project’s progress.
Hiring Staff
On the other side of the coin to hiring a contractor is, of course, hiring new people as staff employees. The sometimes tricky part is knowing the right time to hire. There are indeed certain times that you should ideally begin looking for more staff. For example, one sign is if your current employees begin complaining that they are being overworked. However, make sure their claims are valid by talking with them, and consulting with employee attendance and records of company productivity. Another sign is when your employees are coming to you and expressing an interest in wanting to do more projects, or do even more on their existing projects, but they just don’t have the time to do so. An additional sign may be when you start to notice that your business is growing, and that this growth is not just a flash in the pan moment, but a clear sign that very soon you’re going to need more permanent workers in order to keep up demand. A further signal to hire more staff is when you realize you need to expand your company’s scope, and that by using only your current employee skill set you will only be able to stay where you currently are, and so hiring more staff with a different and specialized skill set may be required. A final hint is when you find you have some increased revenue, and so rather than reward your workers or yourself, you may want to consider hiring more staff.
Following Up
Once you have hired a handful of new staff members, there are additional tips on how make sure the staff you have hired are the right fit, long-term, for your company. For example, after your employees have had their probationary period, it’s a good idea to take stock and evaluate their skills in relation to their specific job duties and their execution of such duties. Thus, if your employee’s job is a receptionist, you should see if the employee’s proficient enough at the duties required of the job, such as computer and phone skills. Also, consider how well they are fitting in to the overall company ethos and culture. If you find they haven’t been able to adopt the company values, and they seem out of place, then it may be a good idea to terminate the employee at this point. Additionally, watch out for the new employee’s time management skills. It’s a big indication of how good of an employee they will be. So, if they are always late for work, or miss lots of days and deadlines, your company is going to suffer for it. At this point it’s probably a good idea to let them go. Finally, test out and evaluate your new employee’s communication skills, such as their listening, oral, and comprehension abilities. These skills of communicating are crucial to working effectively as a team.
