Business Management Skills

As a small business owner, you may not need to hire employees regularly. In every business, and particularly with small business, it’s important to make new hires feel comfortable and provide them with the resources they need to get the job done. If your company doesn’t regularly hire new employees or has a small, long-term workfoce, you may not have the proper mechanisms in place to help new employees acclimate. While this is understandable, it’s critical that you do all that you can to make new hires feel comfortable and a part of your team.

A few things you can do for new hires:

* Make sure your new hires have what they need to get the job done. This includes simple things like office furniture and stationery supplies, as well as necessary computer software and hardware. If your employees require a specific uniform or computer program, make sure they have what they need before they start the job, if possible. Starting a position without the proper resources makes employees feel undervalued and gives new hires the impression that your company is unorganized and chaotic.

* Have employees fill out employment and financial paperwork before they begin. This helps ensure that new hires will be paid on time and helps ease much of the financial anxiety employees have when starting a new position. To find out what kind of forms you’ll need your new hires to fill out, click here.

* Make sure you give new employees adequate work and responsibility. Though it can take some time for new hires to integrate themselves into your company’s structure, it’s still critical that you let new employees know you value their skills and abilities. Nothing makes new hires feel more insecure than not giving them anything to do; let them know you see them as part of your team by assigning them tasks up front.

The first few days and weeks of your employee/employer relationship set the tone for future interactions and work dynamics. Spending a little time and effort to make your employees feel comfortable will pay big dividends in the long run.

By Julie Gerstein

Julie Gerstein is the editor of 247advisor.com, the homepage for small businesses on the web. For more information, contact Julie at: julie@247advisor.com or go to: www.247advisor.com.