Product Showcases

Hiring Right

"I could never have imagined that firing 67 people on national television would actually make me more popular, especially with the younger generation."
  --- Donald Trump

One of the most challenging functions of running a business not just in our industry, but across the board of industries, is that of terminating an employee. Aside from just cause because of blatant illegal activity, firing someone can make your insides feel like they are all twisted in knots--- or it should feel like that. We should all feel a loss when we have to let a employee go not just because of the cost involved in bringing that person on board and training him or her, but because that person was supposed to be a part of the company family.

"Management don't really have any problem at all with firing people. It's a powerful idea that, If I'm not happy, I'll quit. I'll try something else!"
  --- Ron Livingston

During the hiring process, a company should do its homework in researching the candidate through references, background checks, and social media sites. There should be several interviews in different settings to get to know the candidate and how they react to various situations. The position should determine the amount of time spent researching the candidate.

Then, the candidate should be put through a very thorough orientation to allow him or her to better understand the culture of your business. This is also the time to communicate to the candidate the mission, vision, and purpose of the business and how their position contributes to the overall plan and goals of the business.

"When I find an employee who turns out to be wrong for a job, I feel it is my fault because I made the decision to hire him."
  --- Akio Morita (1921-1999), Japanese business executive

When an employee is terminated from the business, the loss should be a lesson to all company leaders. Questions should be asked such as: What could we have done differently? What can we do now to communicate better with our team members? What can we put in place now so that we better screen, interview, and orientate our team members better? The blame should be turned to ourselves and not to the person we just fired.

"If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants."
  --- David Ogilvy

At all costs, try to hire the very best. If it costs more up front, it is worth it. The costs to replace an employee is going hire each year based on benefits, cost of hiring, cost of any litigation, workers unemployment payments, etc. Pay now to get the best so you don't have to pay more later.

When you put forth a greater effort in bringing the best on board now, you beef up your company with talent. You strengthen your business and build a stronger immune system so that glitches in the market and national disasters barely phase your business. Terminating of employees leads to all kinds of messes. If leading up to the firing is not documented properly, you can get in a world of trouble. Hire the right way so that you won't have to fire the wrong way.

"Always be smart enough to hire people brighter than yourself."
  --- Caroline Marland