America is home to a massive 30.2 million small businesses. Some of these are successfully run by their founders and ready to expand, which usually means employing their first member of staff.
This can be an exciting time as it’s a sign of success. Welcoming new employees can mean that the business is expanding, and it needs more people to help out different facets of the business. Still, it’s important to follow the correct laws and procedures, as well as finding the right person for your business and making sure you’re not employing sooner than necessary. Hiring the wrong people to work for your business can put money down the drain and can even become the reason why you’ll leave a negative impression on the public. These can have adverse effects on your business.
Make sure that none of these happen by taking the following steps before you take on your first employee:
Following correct procedures, laws, and legislation
Before you even get anyone in for an interview, you need to register your business with the IRS to get an identification number. This is used on tax returns and other forms, so it’s essential to sort early on. Next, you need to set up a payroll system, even if you’ll only have one member, and get them to fill out a Form W-4 so that you know how much of their income needs to be withheld for tax purposes.
The IRS also requires all employees to fill out a Form I-9 to verify eligibility to work in the US. It’s recommended that you set up personnel files, put up information posters, and look into work safety regulations and staff member’s benefits. This helps you to be organized for when you’re ready to take on more than just one or two employees.
These documents are essential for your business to be recognized by the state. Moreover, these documents can speak a lot about your legitimacy and credibility as a business.
Insurance all employers need
Whether your staff member one or a thousand people, all businesses need to get insurance as soon as they hire. Insurance requirements vary greatly depending on where you are, but there are a couple that generally applies to all businesses. Workers’ Compensation Insurance covers wages and medical benefits if they’re injured while working. In exchange, they agree not to sue you for any potential negligence.
According to Cerity, Workers’ Compensation Insurance can protect your business, leaving you to focus on achieving your business’s goals. Unemployment Insurance may be a requirement and allows the government to support people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own in the form of benefits. There are other types of insurance that may apply to your business, so it’s important to look into local requirements.
Employing the right person at the right time
According to clayburnettgroup.com, hiring your first staff member can be a stressful process, as you’ll want to make sure you invest in the right person. It can be tempting to hire someone with big-business credentials, but they often aren’t a good fit for small businesses, as they’ll be used to working within set job roles, regulations, and processes.
The professional experience of an applicant is an important deciding factor, but this should not be your sole deciding factor in choosing which to hire. Aside from the skills, you should also pay attention to the attitude of the applicant. Different workplaces have different cultures, and an applicant who possesses a positive attitude will be easier to train. Remember, skills can be learned, but a person’s attitude can usually get in the way and become the reason why they will perform poorly at work.
Small businesses often need someone flexible who can do a little bit of everything while you’re still establishing yourself. It’s also best if you hire someone who can work independently and knows how to collaborate with other people. Someone who is used to working in a small environment with various skills that suit your business will be a good fit. The applicant you will hire should be able to adapt to different working conditions and types of people. A growing business will usually undergo changes, and an employee who stays adaptable will eventually become an asset.
It’s also important to consider if the work you need help with is long-term and whether outsourcing can be a cheaper, short-term option. Depending on your budget, you can choose to hire an in-house recruiter or outsource hiring companies such as Safetpros to do the job for you. Both options can help you save time and money in your recruitment process and ensure that you’ll end up with the right people for the right job. This can help to save you money on insurance, a salary, benefits, and everything else that comes with hiring.
In Conclusion
Make sure you meet the requirements of hiring workers before you start the process of finding someone so that you don’t get ahead of yourself. It’s an exciting time, but it’s essential to stay organized and fully understand what’s needed when you become an employer.
