Remember to look after your staff

Nov 17 2008 by Carole White for The Journal

OVER the last few months we have spent a lot of time looking at your customers, but what about your staff?

There is nothing more crucial to the success of a business than the skills and attitudes of the first few people it employs.

A business is all about its people, and its success depends on their performance. Every time you recruit someone, you take a risk, but if you put in the time and effort needed to find the right people, your investment will be repaid many times over.

When deciding what kind of person you need, think hard about what you are looking for?

It’s helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

What is essential and what is desirable?

For a small business, practical skills and experience are often more valuable than formal qualifications.

You need people with the right attitude – reliable, flexible and willing to learn.

Which skills can you teach, and which skills must candidates have already?

How much experience is required?

In a business, you need to recruit people who will become productive as soon as possible.

Basic qualifications are a rough guide to people’s ability, interests and the standard of work you can expect from them.

What kind of personality does the job require?

It is important to remember that it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, disability, marital status (including same sex civil partner- ships) or age. (The ACAS website has useful information on this).

Whatever your business, the most important thing for you to get right is your staff. You can’t be there to see every customer through the door, deliver every part of your service and serve all your customers, so it is vital that your people believe in the same goals and values as you and for this you have to trust and believe in them.

Getting this formula isn’t difficult on paper but believe me its hard trying to deliver this. If you train your staff to believe in your customers and as they see you delivering this they will do the same, it’s about leading by example. Treat your staff as you do your customers, listen to them and take on board any suggestions they have and learn from them too!

So how important are People? Extremely, no business would be here without them. Take care of them and treat them with respect and you will be on your way to success!

Carole White is Business Support Manager Tedco