Improving Your Business Organization in 2015

Should improvements to your business organization be at the top of your New Year’s resolutions in 2015? Whether the focus is on streamlining the recruitment and hiring process, managing employees better, or exploring new outsourcing opportunities, the beginning of a new year is a great time to inject some fresh blood into your business processes.

For virtually all employers, the process of recruiting and hiring qualified job candidates can consume a vast amount of time and resources. But a great deal of that time is the result of inefficient recruiting and hiring processes — an even greater inefficiency when the wrong candidate is hired and the whole process must start all over again. Fortunately, there are ways to streamline the way you go about locating and hiring qualified employees. Here are a couple of key tips.

Go where the best candidates can be found

Placing ads in newspapers or generic recruitment sites is no longer a viable recruitment strategy alone. These days, it’s necessary to broaden your efforts and perhaps focus your recruiting efforts where the most qualified candidates go online. These may include various niche job boards, as well as popular LinkedIn groups and related online communities. Consider purchasing a banner ad on an influential industry blog and connecting with promising individuals on Twitter. Place listings for job openings where people are most likely to come across them.

Prescreen by phone interview

Arranging face-to-face interviews takes up a considerable amount of time both in arranging schedules and actually conducting the interview in your office. By contrast, a phone interview can be both quicker and more efficient, particularly if you ask prescreening questions that can help you eliminate the unqualified candidates and identify the qualified ones. Then you can set up an in-person interview with someone who shows genuine promise.

Assess candidates through pre-employment screening

Where job-related and appropriate for the open position, valid and reliable pre-employment testing can enable you to gather objective information about a candidate. Such tests may include:

• Cognitive – Measure an individual’s reasoning and problem-solving skills
• Personality – Determine if the candidate is the right “fit” for your team and the company’s mission
• Basic – Assess his or her verbal and math skills

Such tests can be especially useful when comparing and contrasting multiple candidates for an open position.

The Benefits of Outsourcing

2015 might also be the time to improve business organization through focused outsourcing opportunities. There can be numerous benefits to outsourcing your human resources administration, including access to an enterprise-class solution, use of the latest technology systems without necessarily having to purchase them, and expert assistance with HR compliance. Outsourcing HR functions to an experienced provider may help you ensure your compliance with laws and regulations.

More and more small business owners are relying on the expert guidance offered by professional payroll providers. When you outsource payroll, you can save time and money. Minimize the risks involved in payroll processing (identity theft, embezzlement of funds, or employees tampering with confidential company records). And gain access to expertise in the complex arena of government tax regulations.

Outsourcing administrative functions can dramatically change your business in 2015, by handing off administrative functions to a trusted provider and allowing you to focus on the key strategic areas affecting growth in the New Year and beyond.

Better Employee Management

Managing employees is a challenge even in the best-run companies. Here are ideas for improvement in this area for the New Year:

Turn conflict into an opportunity

Effective managers don’t attempt to dodge conflict with problem employees; they work on identifying constructive solutions to performance issues that encourage buy-in from the employee in question.

View your management style the way others see you

If certain management issues continue cropping up, take the time to look at how you treat others through their eyes. What do you do that provokes resistance to change, rather than a willingness to try something new? Are you so focused on micromanaging that you neglect opportunities for improved employee relations on a larger scale?

Look for help when you need it

If you have persistent problems with an employee, you might benefit from advice from others within the company (or beyond). Seek out trusted individuals in Human Resources or among your professional network. Invite feedback on alternate ways to cope with a challenging situation. As a manager, you’re not required to solve every problem yourself. There are internal and external management resources to help improve employee relations.

A new focus on key business functions could pave the way to greater growth in 2015.