How NOT To Hire Staff? Big Hiring Staff MISTAKE Discussed

This blog post has been inspired by a couple of posts which we have seen across social medias in some communities and groups, which have specifically spoken about labour shortages, which have specifically spoken about how to attract talent into your business, as you are trying to build your team and build your business. And there has been so much conversation on what impact Brexit has had, what impact COVID-19 has had, the lockdowns, all the government support which has been given to people and businesses, and there have been some people who have been speaking about struggling to hire people, saying that there are people out there that may be too lazy or the government have been giving too much support, so why would people go back to work? There have been so many conversations going back and forth, but I wanted to specifically touch on something, which Kev has personally experienced as he has built his team and his business over the last 6 years, specifically when it comes to hiring team members. 

Positions 

This is going to go against a lot of the posts which Kev has seen, when people have been looking at hiring someone. So let me give a little bit of context, especially if you have got an Amazon FBA business, or an online business - you are just getting started.

One of the things which has happened over the last few years is you would tend to have employers promoting a part time position, limited hours position, or zero hour contracts, and would really, the employer would tend to be on the safe side. 

The employer is saying that they need extra staff, but if they had to, then they would not give any work. And that's why the contracts came about. But for Kev, he thinks this is a little bit backwards in the way that you are thinking, and those employers are thinking.

There are going to be times of the year when you are going to need additional staff for a short period of time to support your business.

Make it Attractive

But, if right now, you are trying to hire someone, who is going to be there for the long term, and you want them to be a part of your business, and you want them to grow with your business, then Kev highly recommends that you really try to sell your business, sell the job role, and sell it to those applicants the best way you possibly can. What I mean by this is, think about it, if you are looking for a job, and looking for a career, why would it be attractive to see that it is a zero hour contract, only part time, or a short period of time? Why would someone want to apply for that? And this is the reason that you have got to make it as attractive as possible for the applicants.

Benefits 

What Kev recommends, and something Kev does, is he thinks about a couple of things. Kev thinks about, from their perspective, why would they apply for a position? They do want security, they do want to be involved in a business that they have a future in, and therefore, he is thinking, can we hire full time? Can we hire contracted hours? Can we make them a part of the payroll, so they additional bonuses like benefits, like a pension etc, are they able to sell the business, sell the mission, and sell what they are trying to do in terms of the ultimate vision that they have and what they want to create, this is the journey that the business is going on, and if you join us, then you are going to have a great benefits package; everything from contracted hours, pensions, you've got to be protected, you know you've got work, and you look at the mission and future you have of the business, and the evolution of the business which gives career opportunities. This is something that you are going to want to do; you are going to want to solve that as much as you can, then you will get applicants, because people want to be involved in that.

Advertising and Recruitment

 Kev has taken advantage of kick-star schemes, apprenticeship schemes, advertising on job sites, advertising on Facebook, advertising as far and wide, to colleges, and really selling the vision and mission of the business, also, that if they were to join you, you are going to have amazing career opportunities, to express yourself, for freedom, come up with new ideas, and on the flip side of this, and one of the reasons employers would put out a zero hour contract, is so that next week, or if they are not needed, and you don't have the work for them, you can just say that you don't have the work for them next week, and then you don't have to pay them. But, what Kev has done, and what he has experienced, is it really encourages you from a business point of view to start thinking of ideas on how you can grow, and how you can make things better. If you have someone on 30 hours a week, but you may only have 10 hours for them, instead of only have a zero hour contract for them, where you have 10 hours next week, but they actually have 30, you are now thinking what are you going to do with that additional 20 hours, and this is where you can have a conversation, you can discuss in front of whiteboards, and look around. You can get images of the vision that you have, you as the business owner or manage, are able to articulate and verbally share what the vision is. You won't be at the vision, or you wouldn't have achieved your missions yet; the vision you may have could be 10 years out, which means you have work to do, you have work to find, and you have projects to create. This is where you are going to get people applying for your job, because they know that they are involved in something; they are going to be involved in a journey and a mission of your business. They are going to be able to have the freedom and the security which comes with contracted hours; they are going to be involved in pensions, teamwork and build that culture in your business; it also makes you as the business owner, focus on the mission at hand. 

What Can You Take From This?

Flip the mindset. Sell your mission, sell your business, have that security, and make it as attractive as possible, then, if you only have 10 hours out of the 30, then it forces you to keep on growing, forces you to think, innovate and come up with new ideas. What are your missions? What systems do you need to develop? What are the products and services that you need to create? What are the relationships with suppliers that you have? 

Further reading:

How To Be A Leader In Your Business (Best Tips For Entrepreneurs)

Kev's Honest Thoughts On Amazon FBA in 2021

How To Build Systems In Your Business