Challenges and opportunities
Small and medium size businesses - SMEs
DURING this series I will look at a number of issues relevant to all small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) and identify both the opportunities and challenges associated with each issue. Today my focus is on staff and recruitment.
SOME sole traders are happy to remain working for themselves, but many think about recruiting staff and building small teams.
The opportunities in growing your team are many. More heads are better than one. You can brainstorm ideas, share your thoughts and benefit from different approaches.
Working with other people can be fun and is less isolating.
Tasks can be shared, especially the more mundane or boring ones.
You may be able to get some time off while others run the business!
Having a small team could free you up to focus on other business activities like networking or planning that otherwise you might not have time for.
You may be able to develop future staff or even the future owner or manager of your business. Having different staff can help attract different customers. Think about having gender, culture and age mixes.
As a business owner you are actively contributing to the development of your local economy. Other staff will come with other skills and experiences.
With every pair of hands you employ you get a free brain — use it! So, with all these opportunities, it is interesting that many SME owners find the challenges of employing other people to be really daunting and difficult. Employing others is a great responsibility and should not be entered into lightly. Getting the right people will take time and can be frustrating.
Recruiting people is a skill — if you are not sure of how to do it then look for help from your local Chamber of Commerce or business organisation. In a future article I will focus on the specific issues of employing family and friends which bring another set of opportunities and challenges!
The general rule is always to recruit for attitude and then train for skill. If you get someone with the right attitude then you will be able to teach them the job.
For example, if you run a café with a small team and you employ someone to make coffee, you probably also need them to sweep the floor, clear tables and greet customers from time to time. If they do not see that as part of their job, then they are probably not right for your business!
If you employ people, there are some key things you must do, following recruitment:
■ Make sure they go through an effective induction process and are given a clear, written job description that they understand;
■ Develop a training plan with each staff member and invest in their development;
■ Help your staff set personal goals as well as work ones. These might include family goals;
■ Review progress regularly, celebrate achievements and help people learn from their mistakes.
When you give feedback always start with a positive comment, then make recommendations about the changes you are looking for and, finally, end with a further positive comment.
If you want an employee to make changes then work out how you are going to help them. Listen to your people and take a genuine interest in them and their ideas — they are all capable of thinking and they all have thoughts about their workplaces even if they don’t always voice them. Make the working environment interesting, safe and comfortable and pay attention to anyone with special needs.
Take an interest in your people and their families — the more you care about them, the more they will care about your business and the more productive they will be. Trust your staff — if you don’t trust them then don’t employ them! If you are building a team, try for diversity — people from different backgrounds, ages, gender, experiences, cultures all contribute to an interesting team experience.
Being a successful employer takes effort and sometimes the match will not work for the employer or the employee. It will take time, but the rewards are many and significant.
Your business could grow more quickly than if you are on your own considering;
■ you will be providing an income for others;
■ you might be offering opportunities to people in your community or family;
■ if you employ young people you are helping to build the talent of the future.
If you need help with recruitment or employing people or you want some feedback on your own practices, then please get in touch.
Happy teams in 2023!! Please contact me with your own stories and experiences and, above all, over the year ahead have fun and enjoy the journey!
NEXT WEEK: I will focus on customers and constantly delivering excellent service.
Breadfruit Consulting (www.breadfruitconsulting.com) is a Vanuatu-based business providing advice, training, coaching, and mentoring to businesses throughout the Pacific islands. Breadfruit specialises in a range of business development activities including ‘business continuity planning and action’, helping businesses to survive in a crisis, designing and starting new, sustainable businesses. Contact chris@breadfruitconsulting.com or hazel@breadfruitconsulting.com