Staff are the greatest asset to any business.
Choosing the right employees can help a team achieve shared objectives, create a positive, productive culture and ultimately help any business grow into the future.
Alternatively, making incorrect choices during the recruitment process can become one of the most significant liabilities for a business.
Recruitment can be a costly process. Expenses such as advertising, training and admin fees associated with onboarding mean it’s in every employer’s interest to manage recruitment effectively. Systems must be in place to make sure every candidate will help achieve the best long-term outcomes for a company.
Here is our seven-step overview to help every company recruit and onboard the next team member effectively.
Define your goals
Clearly defining goals for the role will help you recruit the most suitable candidate. Too often, employees might be vague or adopt a ‘let’s see who we get’ approach. This method can waste valuable time, money and resources sifting through and vetting ineligible candidates.
Create a job description that defines the skills, attributes and responsibilities of the role precisely. Always include key selection criteria making it easier to eliminate those you know from the outset won’t be suitable candidates.
Define the employee type
Will the recruit be a full-time or part-time employee? Are they casual, fixed term or trainee?
Defining the employee type is a crucial step because this outlines your obligations to both the employee and the ATO.
The Fair Work Ombudsman defines the employee types and your obligations on the following link. https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employee-entitlements/types-of-employees/casual-part-time-and-full-time/part-time-employees Failing to be precise at this point can mean that obligations including tax, superannuation and paid leave might not be met that can have an impact on the business in the future.
Vetting potential employees
It’s the responsibility of the business owner or recruitment agent to check any licenses, employee rights, qualifications, references and credentials.
If you fail to make sure the employee is appropriately qualified, this could impact insurance policies and have potential legal implications. It’s always best to check in advance to avoid any potential problems in the future.
You can read more about the licenses required for specific industries here https://business.gov.au/planning/industry-information
Choose a recruitment agent
If you don’t have a dedicated in-house recruitment team, an external recruitment agent will save the business time, money and resources finding the most suitable candidate. A recruitment agent will manage the whole process from creating the job description, advertising, eliminating unsuitable applicants, answering questions from prospective candidates and arranging interviews. They’ll even contact unsuccessful applicants making the process very easy for you.
Get up to date with your tax and superannuation responsibilities
Regardless of the size of the business, every employee must have a tax file number before they can be instated. This number is used by the ATO to identify the worker and allocate their tax rate. If an employee doesn’t have a TFN, they will be placed in an emergency tax bracket while the application is pending.
Regardless of the employee status (for example, full-time, part-time or contractor), you must meet certain obligations, including PAYG, superannuation and potentially fringe benefits tax.
Seek professional advice from a recruitment agent or accountant before you begin a working relationship with anyone.
You can find out more about paying superannuation and tax here: https://business.gov.au/people/employees/hiring-employees
Establish the workplace culture from the outset
Workplace culture should be built on a foundation of respect, trust and integrity. Potential and new employees should experience the tone of the culture before they begin their relationship to ensure values are upheld from the outset.
These cultural expectations will begin in the interview and be cemented with an employee handbook, respect in the workplace document and further literature about the values upheld by the company. Failing to do this from the outset can lead to confusion. The culture can become compromised by behaviour that is detrimental to the company.
If clear workplace cultural expectations are outlined from the outset, there will be no confusion.
Create an employee record
Regardless of the size of the business, accurate employee recording systems should be in place. Information held will include personal details, emergency contact details, signed copies of contracts, payment details and employee obligations. Ideally, this will be a hard copy and backed up online. A recruitment agent can make sure you have all the information you need to help meet your obligations.
Choosing staff has the power to make or break a business. Get it right and build a strong team that can help you reach personal and shared company goals. Get it wrong, and you risk time, energy and resources undoing unsuitable decisions.
To find out more about creating a streamlined recruitment process, contact Glenorchy Jobs Hub today.
Need help finding your next role? Contact us today and see how we can help you!