Learning how to identify the roles you need, hire employees, manage staff, develop their skills and resolve disputes can help your business grow.

The recruitment process

There are some basic steps in recruiting the right people for your business:

• defining the job;
• creating a job description and selection criteria;
• determining how people will apply and be assessed against the selection criteria;
• advertising the vacancy;
• short listing and interviewing applicants; and
• appointing the right person.

New employees will also benefit from an induction; to introduce them to your business processes and policies, working environment and other staff. A good induction process can reduce staff turnover and increase productivity as employees will know what is expected of them.

The free employment contract tool on the Business.gov.au website can help you build an employment contract, which aligns with the Fair Work system, and is tailored to your business needs.

Managing staff performance

Getting the most from your staff requires you to actively manage their performance. This could be recognising those that are performing well and counselling those who are not.

Managing performance can help you check if your employees have the right skills and attitude, or identify areas for further training and development.

If an employee is underperforming, it is a good practice to:

• provide them with a letter that highlights the performance issue and how you expect it to be rectified;
• provide them with sufficient time to improve their performance or conduct;
• offer further training or an opportunity to improve their skills; and
• advise them of possible consequences if they don’t reach the required performance level

More information

• For general information and templates regarding recruitment, induction and managing performance visit Jobs & Skills WA.
• If you are under the state system, information on employing staff and managing their performance is available from the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety.
• If you are under the national system, information is available to help you manage staff performance.
• The Fair Work Ombudsman’s Small Business Showcase has free information and templates that you can use to guide you through about the process of hiring people, managing performance or having difficult conversations with staff.