Hiring employees

It is only natural that people do not include anything in job applications that may hinder them getting hired when applying for a new position.

As employers we have to be vigilant in our review and research of each candidate on the shortlist for final consideration.

Here are some suggestions of steps you could take to reduce opportunities for hiring mistakes:

1. Reject any applicant with unexplained gaps in their resume.
2. If you have a good pool of applicants, reject friends of people who already work in the business.
3. Ask them to bring photos from their previous retail roles showing things they have done.
4. Contact employers for the last three years. Verify start and end dates. Again, be wary of gaps.
5. Reject any applicant who only has traditional (old-school) newsagency experience.
6. Ask specific questions:
   1. Do you have a police record?
   2. Have you ever been sacked? If so, why?
   3. Have you ever been put under performance management – i.e. issued a formal warning?
   4. Has a customer ever made a complaint about you? If so, what was it?
   5. Tell me two things you think could be changed in this business to improve it?
7. If you have any doubt, don’t proceed.

Always hire with a period of probation. Use this to terminate anyone you are not complexity satisfied with.

When hiring a full time employee for a newsagents I encourage newsagents to consider doing so with a documented probation period. This gives you the opportunity to not continue with full time employment should the employee not work out. It offers a framework through which you can deal with a new employee who does not work out.

If you hire a full time employee without a probation period you risk not having access to a mechanism for easily removing someone who quickly turns out to not be ideal for the role.

The Fairwork website has more on this including sample letters. Hiring with a probation period is easy as long as you follow some simple rules.

While we as employers have considerable obligations to employees in terms of notice required for roster changes through to termination of employment, employees have far more flexibility. This was brought home to me recently when a casual employee with a regular roster of 38 hours a week sent a text message resigning an hour prior to their rostered start time on a Sunday morning.

There had been no complaint, no inkling of unhappiness whatsoever. Indeed, training was being provided for what we hoped would be a long-term retail career.

While I accept the regulations employees must adhere to, I think there is room to increase obligations on employees in some areas. In this instance, for example, I’d suggest some form of modest financial penalty would be appropriate for resignation at such late notice.

I love the poster I saw in the window of a Grill’d hamburger outlet recently. It perfectly connects with the type of businesses Grill’d is. This poster is promoting the business as well as inviting applications for work.

I love how this is a local pitch even though Grill’d is a chain. I also love the approach and am likely to copy it.

Click on the image for a larger version.

I have recently been through a Fair Work Ombudsman facilitated mediation for one of my retail businesses and the experience was a reminder of the importance of record keeping.

While I can’t go into the detail of the specific situation, the ultimate resolution of the matter was helped by having access to records not only covering the usual data such as hours worked and pay rates but also other material.

Based on this experience I’d suggest that newsagents keep notes in employee files covering:

• The giving of any paid time off outside of requirements.
• Any payment outside usual pay – for example, a bonus or sharing a prize reward given to the business by a supplier.
• Discounts given on product purchases – if not practical consider how you could capture this.
• Any other benefit of value to the employee give by the business.

It is worth taking the time to keep this information for the one rare time you will need it.

If you are not sure about awards or conditions, call Fair Work – I’ve found their people to be knowledgable and helpful.

A question I am often asked by newsagents is how to find new prospective employees.  Here are some tips which I have found helpful over the years.  Some are obvious and others, I hope, are new to you:

• Put a sign in the window.  Explain the position, the hours and what you are looking for.  Be sure to state how they are to apply.  Have a position description behind the counter ready to hand out.  This should also list availability requirements.
• Put a notice up at any local community group which has a noticeboard.  This should promote your business (with subtlety) as much as the job.
• If it’s an after school position, let local schools know.
• Depending on the nature of the role, talk to your local community job centre.
• Email your customers.  They may know someone.
• Publish an email on the newsagents@yahoogroups site – other newsagents often know people.
• Advertise in your own monthly newsletter.  Don’t have a monthly customer newsletter? Start one!
• Let businesses nearby know, especially hairdressers – they know stuff and they talk a lot.
• If you want a big pool of candidates, use SEEK.com.au.  While it costs a bit, the response is usually immediate.  It’s worked for us.

I could have added – let your employees know – but didn’t because it’s often better to employ people who don’t know each other.

The wider the net you cast for your search for a new employee the more you are likely to catch.

Crucial to success are: a good ad promoting the role, a good job description which makes it clear what you are looking for and agreement among all involved in making the hiring decision.

I am sure there are more ideas than those noted here.  Add any you can think of…