People and Organization: The human resource management function — the emplo...

People and Organization: The human resource management function — the emplo...: Why IT iS important The promotional photo opposite is part of a recruitment drive for the Australian Navy. The advertisement called for peop...

The human resource management function — the employment cycle

Why IT iS important The promotional photo opposite is part of a recruitment drive for the Australian Navy. The advertisement called for people interested in being trained as Maritime Warfare Officers to serve in submarines. The 2014 Federal Government budget allocated $2.1 billion over 10 years to recruit and retain Australian Defence Force personnel. Recruitment is only the first part of the process. Keeping good employees is a significant task for managers in achieving the aims of an organisation. In this chapter, you will learn about how businesses must plan for their human resources needs before setting out to find the right person for the job. Once a person is selected for a position, they must be ‘maintained’ in the workplace. Training and development as well as ongoing feedback on work performance will assist both the employer and employee. Termination of employment is the final phase of the employment cycle; it must also be managed to ensure employees are treated fairly and within the law.

How to Hire Your First Employees

Entrepreneurship can be extremely fulfilling and rewarding. You are your own boss and have the satisfaction of seeing your business grow as your reputation spreads and you gain new customers. But most successful enterprises reach a stage where it is not possible for the business owner to manage every aspect of operations.
At this point, it may make sense to add your first employee to your team. If you are not sure whether you should recruit someone to help you, a good test is to consider whether the additional hand will result in greater revenues and profits.

If your answer is in the affirmative, you should consider looking for a suitable candidate. But it is important that you go about the exercise in a manner that results in getting the right employee and ensuring that your business benefits as a result.

Here are a few points that will help in the process:

1. Prepare a job description

Do not neglect this seemingly simple step. It will help candidates understand whether they are suitable for the opening you have. Equally importantly, it will force you to gather your thoughts about the qualities that you are looking for in the person that you plan to hire.

In fact, the utility of a job description does not end once the employee joins. You can use it to monitor your new staff member's progress over the months and see whether the new recruit has fulfilled your expectations in each specific area of work.

2. Check the applicant's references

Once you find the right candidate, the natural tendency is to get that person on board as soon as possible. But remember that you are making a big investment in your new recruit. Apart from the salary that you will be paying, you will be spending a great deal of time on training and familiarizing the employee with your business.

Imagine the hassle that you will go through if you find that the candidate used a fabricated resume to fool you.

If you are seriously considering someone for your job opening, take the trouble of calling the previous employers listed on the resume. Apart from confirming that the person actually worked there, you would probably also get some valuable feedback that could help you in your recruitment decision.

By Adam Colgate