No Working During Interviews

I have job candidates work with me for a day to determine if they have the skills for the job. If the day goes well, I hire them. If not, I pay cash for the day’s work. Are there any problems with this?  [click to read more …]

How to Set Goals for Employees

I would really like to set goals for my employees but I don’t know how to create the process.  [click to read more …]

When an Employee is Too Good

I have a fabulous employee who seems to want (and deserves) more than I’ll ever be able to provide. How do I handle this issue?  [click to read more …]

Talk Gets Old

I have an employee, Joe, who is 66. Although he hasn’t talked about retiring, I’d like to start planning to find and train his replacement so we’ll be ready when he retires. How do I initiate that conversation?  [click to read more …]

Describe That Job

A few of my employees have asked about job descriptions. I don’t have anything written but do walk them through their job duties when they start working for me. Why would I want or need anything in writing?  [click to read more …]

Have a POP

I just started offering health insurance to my employees. Now my broker is trying to sell me something called a POP. Do I need it?  [click to read more …]

Interviews That Are Work

I have job candidates do a 1-day working interview before I decide if I’ll hire them. I write the candidates a check for the time but don’t put them on the payroll. Is this okay since I’m paying them?  [click to read more …]

Rewarding Sticking Around

Every year on an employee’s anniversary I give them a pay increase of $1.00 per hour. However, now their pay is getting a little too high for the work they are doing. How do I manage this better?  [click to read more …]

Paying for What You Wanted

I’m hiring an assistant and have found a really good candidate, Jane. I had planned to pay $19 to $22 per hour but Jane was only making minimum wage at her last job so I know she’d be thrilled by $17. Do I have to offer her something within the range, even if she doesn’t know the range?  [click to read more …]

Are You Being SMART?

I give employees goals but, when I ask about how they’re doing on their goals, I hear excuses about how they’ve been too busy or they are waiting on someone else before they can move forward, etc. How can I have them take their goals more seriously?  [click to read more …]