YourBusinessWithJamesCaan2016 - 160

are good at while inspiring others
to excel at what they're good at, too.

requires all employers to automatically
enrol some or all staff (depending on
age and salary level) into a pension
scheme that meets certain minimum
standards. New businesses need to
budget for this as it will impact on
their bottom line.

How can you keep up with
changing employment law?

Stick to what you know and surround
yourself by people who know more
than you do in the areas you don't.
This is where outsourcing some or all
elements of your HR can make sense.

With a limited budget, where
can you turn for HR advice?

ACAS (acas.org.uk) is an amazing
resource that can offer help and advice
for employers and employees. Any
employee question can be answered
and it can help you understand the
basics of issues like maternity and
paternity leave, and sickness. It's
a great place to start to build up
your knowledge. The CIPD website
(cipd.co.uk) is also a great place
to access lots of information and
free resources on HR topics
like pensions, recruitment and
performance management.

What are the benefits of
outsourcing HR?

It can be less costly, but that depends
on what your business needs are.
Most of all, having somebody outside
the company helps build an authentic
resource that works for the employee
and employer, which not only boosts
employee engagement, but has a direct
impact on reducing staffing issues, too.

Is it possible to do
your own HR?

It's important to have experts in the
right place. If you don't know how to
write up a contract, find an expert who
does. If you feel confident enough to
carry out appraisals, then you probably
are the right person to do it. It's about
being aware of your own skills and
seeking advice when you need it.
A great leader recognises what they

160

JAMES SAYS
HR is an important
part of any business,
and knowing the
rules and regulations
on employment
is crucial. The
information is available
online, so it's up
to you to make sure
you are clued-up in
any area you are
dealing with, including
maternity or paternity
leave, employee
contracts and so on.
If something goes
wrong and you don't
have a clue how to
deal with it, it
potentially could be
very expensive

As a new business grows,
how can you best attract
staff with the right skills?

Good recruitment always involves
an element of planning and thinking
about the skills you need mid to
long term. It's also about employee
engagement - in other words, how
can you create the kind of business
people want to work for and be
excited by? It's about understanding
what matters to people.
When it comes to recruitment, you
need to ask the right questions and
work backwards from there. What is
the outcome you want? What skills
does your business need? How niche
is your skill set? What's the best use of
someone's time? How quickly do you
want to hire and how much are you
prepared to pay? Answering those
questions should help you decide
whether you want to advertise yourself
or look to a recruitment agency to
bring that talent to your door.

Should every new business
have an employee handbook?

It's wise to have a document that
outlines how you deal with situations
that might occur to ensure you are
consistent and fair with everybody.
Having a set of policies and procedures
in one place that everyone can
understand and adhere to is a very
necessary exercise, and it should be
tailor-made to your business. Be very
wary of HR companies who say you
need anything and everything because
they're clearly not listening to the
needs of your business. If a policy
is not relevant to your business,
don't put it in.

WORDS: KATE YELLAND | PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTERSTOCK

How can pitfalls be avoided?

I would highly recommend ACAS.
New legislation is always changing
rapidly, so it's vital to keep up to
date. What is correct today may
not be correct tomorrow.
http://acas.org.uk http://cipd.co.uk
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