Recruiting amd selecting employees for small business part 2

Why have an Employee Policy Manual• In order for an organization to function properly it needs to have rules to follow and policies to help proceed.. • An Employee Policy Manual is the

BUS 207 _ Session 2 Spring 2006 copyright, sjh

Recruiting and Selecting Employees

for the Small Business

Part II

Use the OUCH Test

Small Business owners can use the Ouch Test as a guideline for their

interview questions

O Does it Omit references to race, religion, color, sex

or national origin?

U Does the question Unfairly screen out a

particular class of people?

C Can you Consistently apply the question to every

applicant?

H Does the question Have job-relatedness and

business necessity?

Questions You Want to Ask

• Develop a series of core questions and ask

them of every candidate Many of these

questions are “character” questions assessing

the candidate’s personality

• Ask open-ended questions instead of yes or no questions These may include on-the-job

scenarios Try to get them to talk about their

experiences

• As questions to describe a recent success and failure and how they dealt with it

• As hypothetical-situation questions on how they might respond to an encounter on the job

• Probe for specific example in the candidate’s

work experience by asking follow-up questions

on their experience

Final Step: Checking References

• Succumbing to the pressure to hire fast

is a common error for small business

owners.

• Managers need to take the time to do

the follow-up reference check on all

possible candidates.

• Checking references can help

employers uncover false or

exaggerated information and also verify

what the candidate stated in the

interview.

• Experienced employers talk to the past

immediate supervisor of the candidate

to get a clear picture of their job

performance, character and work

habits.

According to the Society for Human Resource

Management, more

than half of all

candidates exaggerate or falsify information about their previous

employment.

(Source: “Of Resumes and Rap Sheets”, Maxwell, 27, 2000)

What Employers Want

• Suitability and qualifications for the job

– Right functional skills

– Right technical skills

• Good fit with organization

– Right personality and style

– Appropriate level of maturity

– Common interests

• High emotional intelligence

Test Your EQ

Do You Have a High EQ?

• Think clearly and stay focused while under pressure

• Admit to your own mistakes

• Meet commitments and keep promises

• Hold yourself accountable for meeting your goals

• Seek new ideas from a variety of sources

• Handle multiple demands and changing priorities

• Make sacrifices to meet important organizational goals

• Cut through red tape and bend outdated rules

• Seek fresh perspectives

• Take on projects to seek success rather than avoid failure

• Set challenging goals and take calculated risks

• Sense of humor 

Building the Best “Culture” for Your

Business Environment

• When you are hiring you are taking a

BIG step, for the employer and for

your business

• It is just as important to consider how

the candidate will “fit” into your

business culture, as their skills to do

the job

• Creating a culture is defined by

“leadership” of the company…Culture

arises from your consistent and

relentless pursuit of a set of core

values that everyone in your company

can believe in.

“ People are

NOT your greatest asset! The

“right” people are your

greatest asset!”

From, First Break

All the Rules

Why have an Employee Policy Manual

• In order for an organization to function

properly it needs to have rules to follow

and policies to help proceed.

• An Employee Policy Manual is the guide

for the employee and the owner.

• Your Employee Policies & Procedure

Manual should describe the basic

attributes of employment at your

company that need to be known in

advance before an employee agrees to

accept your position.

Outline of Major Points that Should Be Addressed in An Employee Manual

• Employee Compensation

• Employee Benefits

• Employee Travel Policy

• Reimbursement of

Expenses

• Hours of Work, Work

Schedules

• Trade Secrets and

Confidentiality

• Employee Privacy

• Employee Performance Evaluation Procedures

• Employee Suggestion Policy

• Employee Termination Policy

• Non-discrimination & Sexual Harassment Policy

• Employee’s Use of Equipment Policy

Discipline Your Employees

If you have any workplace rules or policies there’s a good

chance that eventually they will be broken Enforcing those

rules and policies is disciplining.

Discipline DOES NOT mean terminating (In fact, it is important

to show this step if you do terminate later).

Follow your employee policy manual and don’t make rash

decisions Use the “D” steps to guide you.

Dig … for information on what has occurred

Discuss …the issues with the employee and listen to their side

Deal …with the employee and make a Decision on whether to penalize the employee

Document … All disciplinary actions to protect yourself.

Firing and Termination: Avoiding the

Lawsuit Terminating an employee is at best unpleasant

To make it worse there is a growing number of

lawsuits against former employees due to unfair

termination practices

The best way to “win” a lawsuit is to avoid it in

the first place and over the long run

Set up a situation that has a clear step-by-step

procedure in your Employee Policy Manual

Make sure you follow the procedures and

document EVERYTHING!

What NOT to DO when Terminating

an Employee

• The very worst thing you can

do is FIRE on the spot This

opens you up to a bounty of

legal issues

• Do not “terminate” anyone in a

fit of rage or emotions - cool

down and wait

• Don’t get caught trying to

reconstruct documentation

(like changing performance reviews)

• If you DON”T PLAY FAIR, the

courts will see that and side

with the employee