Whether or not you’re a people person, you’ll likely need to hire and manage. Having a plan for staffing is crucial for building a strong business.

Disclaimer: Pike13 provides this information with the understanding that it is not rendering legal services. This information is not a substitute for the advice of a competent legal professional. If you need legal advice, please consult with an attorney. 

In Part 1 of this post I discussed staff recruiting. In this post I'll offer tips for training your staff and incentivizing them to stay long-term. 

Training Your People

The key to getting employees up to speed quickly is to have an effective training program in place. Create and put in place a training program that’s specific for your business. You’ll end up with better employees, lower turnover and ensure that they are as efficient as possible once they start work.

When creating your training program, take these things into consideration:

1. What is the skill level?

Evaluate each new employee. Find out where you need to spend time, but be efficient. Don’t want to waste time over-training new employees but then don’t also leave new employees confused.

2. Who is implementing the training?

Delegate this task to other people on your team. It frees up time, empowers your employees, as well as helps integrate the team.

3. What does your training material cover?

Yes, they need the basic skills but consider other important factors for success. For example, cross-training. Sometimes your employees may need to know different skills that aren’t directly under their job title to do their best work. And definitely do not forget to train on company’s goals, mission, values, etc.

4. What is the best way to get information across?

Is there a employee handbook with step-by-step written details? Or are tasks demonstrated physically? Or maybe a combination of the two! Whatever your trade, be sure you train in the most efficient way.

5. Are they having fun?

Socialize the new teammate, make them feel engaged and part of the team, know everyone’s roles and where they fit, and help them make friends so they’ll be excited to come to work.

6. Social media

It may seem an odd place to look for employees but you can do almost anything through social media now. You can share job postings or look into a potential candidate, as well as tactics recommended in Small Biz Tips for Social Media Recruiting. Many people have found their dream jobs through social media.

Bonus Tip: 

Be aware of your new employee’s learning style! A topic that you may train through a printed handout might not resonate with your latest hire. Be ready to train them in all capacities.

Incentivizing Staff to Perform

Incentives can be a powerful motivator to improve performance. Take care to devise incentives that elicit the outcomes you desire, while fitting within the margins of your business.

The first step when trying to incentivize? Determine your desired outcome. Then you can then decide how to properly incentivize your staff to reach that outcome. It can be anything from commission to bonuses for reaching sales goals. Looking for more ways you can motivate employees? Here are 7 ways to incentivize staff member performance.

Retaining Your Talent 

Employee turnover disrupts the workforce and leaves knowledge gaps that take time and money to fill. Every time you replace a salaried employee, it costs about 6 to 9 months in salary. To replace someone you're paying $40,000 a year, it’ll cost you about $20,000 to $30,000 in recruiting and training expenses, along with other intangibles.

Play it safe—do not assume employees are happy. How will you know?

• Schedule one-on-ones (they can be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly—depending on what you think you need and what works with your schedule)
• Constantly ask for and provide feedback. This can be formally discussed in 1-on-1’s but it’s important to always ask
• Conduct regular, formal evaluations

A good way to retain your employees is providing a good benefits package. What makes up a good package depends on the industry and business size. A good starting place is Glassdoor.com to see comparable benefits packages. Also, be aware of what matters to the employees that you want to attract—it’s not always about salary! Many potential employees crave a flexible schedule or a lot of PTO over a slightly higher salary. In fact, many employers pay for  benefits that aren’t even utilized by their employees and are thus not seen as a benefit.

Good areas to spend are:

• Medical coverage with a reasonable deductible
• Generous PTO that can be used for any purpose (not just vacation)
• On-the-job perks. Anything from quality coffee and snacks to creating a nice atmosphere. Remember—your employees spend half their waking hours at work. If you want their best work, make the workplace a space of comfort!

Here are more tips for keeping your staff happy. 

Next time, we'll be diving into an important topic that can be a little uncomfortable for managers: how to terminate a staff member when things just aren't working out. 

One of the top reasons why business owners love Pike13 is that their staff loves it more. 

See Pike13 in action by requesting a free 20-minute demo. 

Feature Photo Credit: Nick Youngson