The Ultimate Guide to Hiring, Managing, and Nurturing your Small Business Team

Hiring and managing employees is one of the most demanding and challenging aspects of business ownership. From the recruitment process, to;on-boardin- a new employee, and all the while ensuring you are compliant with a whole range of employment law- the responsibilities can seem overwhelming.

This guide consolidates many aspects of finding, hiring and managing employees, and offers suggestions for keeping your team motivated and collectively focused on the success of your business.

Building your Team' Finding and Recruiting the Right Talent

Navigating the recruitment process' which includes creating a job description, building a realistic compensation package, advertising your job, interviewing and making your decision' is a tricky business for all companies, big or small. To guide you through the process, read: 7 Tips for Finding and Hiring the Right Employee' the First Time.

An alternative option for hiring talent is to recruit interns. This article explains the benefits and where to start: Hiring Interns' 6 Tips for Setting up an Internship Program. Another option is to hire an independent contractor. The law has very strict requirements on how you report and reimburse contractors, so be sure to check out this guide to Hiring Independent Contractors.

Bringing Employees into the Fold' Know your Regulatory Obligations

For a solid overview of the steps you need to take once you have made a hiring decision and you have someone on board, read Business.go's guide: Ten Steps to Hiring Your First Employee, to help you stay on top of your regulatory requirements such as withholding taxes, and so on. If you are hiring foreign workers yo'll need to go through a few extra steps. This guide can help: Hiring Foreign Workers? Welcome to America.

Building a Benefits Plan

While its commonplace to expect benefits as an employee, it's important for employers to understand what the law dictates with regard to benefits - some are required and some are not. Check out Business.gov's guides to Employee Benefits and Wage and Hour Laws, and the following brief articles:

• Employee Benefit Plans: What's Law and What's Optional
• Finding and Managing the Right Retirement Plan for Your Small Business

Setting up Payroll

Whether you have one employee or 50, setting up a payroll system not only streamlines your ability to stay on top of your legal and regulatory responsibilities as an employer, but it can also saves you time and helps protect you from incurring costly IRS penalties. Here are 10 steps to help you set up a payroll system for your small business.

Nurture and Grow Your Team

Legal obligations and benefit packages aside, a truly successful employee is one who is motivated, functioning as a team player, and is almost as invested in your business success as you are.

To quote Laurie Benson, CEO of Wisconsin-based Inacom Information Systems and 2009 'SBA National Women in Business' Champion: 'Very few people are ever successful or a failure by themselves, and probably, one of the most powerful elements in creating success - is a powerful team.'

There are many ways of building successful teams, from employee

incentive programs and empowerment activities, mentoring team members, hiring motivated employees, and more. These two articles offer some easy-to-implement techniques for building powerful teams in the small business workplace:

• Growing your Business as a Team: 10 Team Building Tips from the Real World of Small Business
• Get More from Your Team - 5 Employee Incentive Program Ideas that Pay Off

Stay on Top of Labor Laws

A critical part of employee management is understanding and adhering to labor law as they pertain to the workplace and what is and what isn't acceptable - from workplace poster requirements, health and safety regulations, and anti-discrimination laws, these quick guides can help you stay compliant:

• Workplace Safety and Health Guide - How to stay compliant with the Occupational Safety and Health Act
• Employer's Guide to Discrimination: Fair Wages and The Equal Pay Act
• Employer's Guide to Pregnancy Discrimination
• Employer's Guide to Discrimination: Hiring and Managing Employees with Criminal Records
• What You Need to Know About Employing Young People in the Workplace
• Sexual Harassment in the Workplace - Forming a Basis for Prevention and Management
• Hurt on the Job: An Employer's Action Plan for Workplace Injuries
• FAQs about the Age Discrimination Act

Terminating Employees

An unfortunate and painful fact of life for most employers is having to downsize, layoff, or otherwise terminate employees. This guide - Handling Layoffs as a Small Business Owner - can help you understand how to handle your legal responsibilities as an employer and includes guidance on advance layoff notice, severance paperwork, COBRA, and so on. For additional information, Business.gov offers a comprehensive guide on terminating employees.

About the Author

Caron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer, and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the SBA.gov team to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start-up, grow and succeed. Follow Caron on Twitter: @caronbeesley