This article discusses three of the most widely mentioned labor issues encountered by small to medium businesses, with tips on how to deal with them.
Don’t rush recruitment
For many a small business owner, getting the right staffing resources is always a pressure issue. The need for labor and talent is key for business growth and cannot be delayed when there is a demand to be met. As such, it is a process that is generally performed in haste. It’s one of the top mistakes made by small businesses, and the effects can be long-lasting and tragic. Personnel are key to the business success as well as the culture of the enterprise and having the wrong people in positions in the firm is a sure-fire way to fail. Take your time, be sure of what the role is that you are hiring for and if unsure, work with a recruiter to get this process right first time.
Invest in training and development
Your spend on training and development of staff is always a risky one in the sense that highly trained staff, always have an out. They can leave and are sure to land on their feet and yes, this could be at your expense. However, for the time the human resource is in your employ, working for your business, it will be essential to have them trained. At least to the level that you need for them to be effective and efficient at their current role. Long-term staff development and training is also a mindset that is advantageous to inculcate in your workforce. For many workers, it will be the idea of ongoing and continuous development and training that will keep them interested in the role and committed to the enterprise.
Do have an employment lawyer on call/contract/pay as you go
Dealing with risk is about planning ahead, and based on the fact that a small business essentially comprises its people, high human resource turnover and labor law issues can be debilitating. Rather than having to bring a halt to operations while you look to sort out the issues, it’s advisable to have an all-round employment specialist and labor lawyer on hand. Seeking advice from professional employment lawyers like Baird Quinn LLC is a solid starting point. It’s an ace up your sleeve and can be the difference between maintaining production and a shutdown. With the professional advice at hand, you can focus on the core work of the business and leave labor issues to the experts.
Labor and employment law compliance for a small business can be the forgotten function until it all goes wrong, and given that people are so unpredictable it’s always going to go wrong at some point and to some degree.
Be prepared and if you start well by hiring the right people, train these people and create a culture and rationale for them to be committed and driven, then you are likely to experience very few labor issues. Failing this, make sure your labor specialist is in the know when it comes to relevant employment law.