1 Stop HR

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Top 5 Questions to Think about Before Hiring a Friend or Relative

So you own a company, or have the authority to hire people at the company you work at. Your friend or relative is looking for work. Do you hire them? You want to help them right? They should be a good worker as you know them…right? Hmmm

The decision to hire someone you know could have a lasting impact not only on your relationship with that person, but also the staff and company. I would caution you to think long and hard before extending that offer of employment.

Many people don’t think about the things that could go wrong in this type of situation, they want to help, they think that the friend/relative will work hard and that is really where the thinking stops. Here are some things that I would suggest you think long and hard about before moving forward:

1. What will I do if this person is not pulling their weight or there are performance problems?
2. What happens if I receive a complaint about this person?
3. What happens if this person asks for accommodations that are not normally provided by the company to other employees?
4. What happens if this person is looking for a raise that falls outside of the normal pay range for the position?
5. What happens if I no longer have work for this person?

The answer to all of these questions is: “I will treat them as any other employee under my management”. This absolutely must be your answer and must be the way you manage this situation. Here is the problem….this is not as easy as it sounds. There are feelings, there is a relationship at stake, and there are others in your family or circle of friends that also may weigh in on the situation.
Some people also don’t think about the impact on the other employees or the company. Employees, once they know there is a prior relationship with the new hire, may have differing reactions. They may be uncomfortable forming a good working relationship with this person. They may not feel comfortable coming forward with any concerns with lack of performance or activities that are normally frowned upon. They may feel that there is or will be preferential treatment. Mistrust may breed amongst the staff and eventually impact staff and company performance.

You may think that this article is slanted very much to one side…that hiring relatives or friends is always a bad idea. There are indeed examples where this has worked well, however there are far too many more where it hasn’t.

If you find yourself in this situation or in this dilemma, I strongly urge you to thoroughly think through your decision and have a deep and detailed discussion with the individual if you plan to move forward. Take your time and don’t come to any quick decisions.

www.1stophrconsulting.com    info@1stophrconsulting.com

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5 Interview Tips for Answering Interview Questions

Many candidates dread the interview process and become a pile of nerves as soon as their name is called.  Ok, maybe even way before their name is called – like when the call comes in to book the interview!  We get it!!  Interviewers know this and are used to this.  We know that for most people, the interview is an uncomfortable time. It is always good to do your homework ahead of time and to ensure you prepare by reviewing interview tips and tricks, etc.

Looking for some quick interview tips to help you with answering the questions?  Check  out 5 below:

  1. Do your preparation ahead of time. Look for the common interview questions and have lots of answers prepared.
  2. Ensure to work your top accomplishments and impressive items into your answers.
  3. Stick to the point. Often we see interview candidates go off on tangents and even ask to have the question repeated after they have been talking for a solid 5 minutes.
  4. Don’t hog the interview, if the interviewer has stopped making notes, they probably have what they are looking for – they will ask you for more examples if they need them.
  5. Wrap up your answers. Think about your answer like a very short story.  A story starts with a quick intro, the points and then wraps up by rounding off the question.

Think about being on the other side of the table.  You are there to find out if the candidate is indeed the best fit for the role.  You want to have a positive experience with the candidate, be engaged and see a natural fit.  Ensure you now -as the candidate- show the interviewer that you are this fit through your thoughtful detailed answers.

Practice, practice, practice.  Be positive, smile when you answer and give eye contact.  You can do it!

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5 Tips For Training Millennial’s – Are you doing all you can do?


As we all know, each generation has new needs or expectations when it comes to the workplace and to life in general.  Millennial’s are no different!

We have shared some information on working with Millennial’s in past posts but have come across a cool info graphic that provides you with 5 Tips for Training Millennial’s. Take a look, read through. Are there things that you could be doing to increase engagement of this generation? Have any more tips? Let us know – they could be featured in an upcoming blog.

Please feel free to share!

 

infographic tips for training millennials
5 Tips for Training Millennials created by MicroTek UK

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How do we Retain our Millennial Generation?

 New generations have new demands and desires – have you discovered this with millennial’s?  I am sure you have!  Have you been trying to understand what it is that they are looking for, how to retain and attract them and really how to work with them?

We have been working with our clients on strategies to do just that!  What are the key things that we look at?  Take a look at the 5 strategies below:

  1. Provide feedback and do it often.  Our millennial’s want to know how they are doing and where they can improve.  Touch base with them often.  Make a point of having a sit down meeting every month or two to discuss how they are doing, any challenges they or you have been encountering and anything you wish to see improvement on.  Assist them to find the path to improvement.  Think about what it is that you can help them with in order to make them most successful in their role.
  1. Work/Life Balance.  Flexibility is important to our millennial’s.  They expect to be able to have flexibility in their work and home lives and to be able to balance these two things well.  To appeal to this audience, you will need to get rid of the rigid 9-5 schedule.  Look to offer flexible start and end times with defined core hours.  Look to allow your people to be able to book personal appointments during the day with the opportunity to make up the hours.  If you feel that there is abuse of this ability or that productivity is being impacted – deal with these issues head on – you may need to claw back the flexibility for a period of time until things improve.
  1. Ensure your Salary Offer is Competitive. Millennial’s expect to be paid appropriately for the position that they apply for or are working in.  They expect that you have done the research and are offering them something that is fair.  They also expect that you will monitor this and provide increases or rewards as they are warranted.
  1. Opportunities to Grow.  Ensure to offer growth opportunities and provide guidance and assistance for your people to be able to grow.  Look at helping them develop career plans and touch base with them on these plans from time to time to see how they are doing.  Keep them in mind for opportunities to work on a new project.  Support and allow for growth.
  1. Provide a Sense of Purpose.  A defined job description gives your people a clear understanding of what it is that they are to do and what is expected of them.  What can you do to show them how they fit into the big picture?  Explain which piece of the puzzle they are.  Show them how the pieces all work together to achieve the end result.  Ensure they understand what their contributions lead to.  Make them feel a part of the success.  When you are recruiting millennial’s, share this with them as well.  Build the excitement and they will want to be a part of it!

The above 5 items are key to retaining the millennial generation – but can be used to help the other generations as well.  If you actively keep these activities in mind, you will notice it will go a long way in the retention and attraction of this generation.

Do you have additional strategies that have worked well for you?  Provide comments, or feel free to email us.

Need help?  We offer HR Consulting, HR representation for your business and Flat Rate Recruiting!

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Learn More About US

1 STOP HR was founded by Christie Ferguson, CHRP CHRL Christie is a certified Human Resources Professional & Leader with many years of hands on HR expertise.

Contact US

Tel: 226-750-3160
Email: info@1stophrconsulting.com

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