It will also be sensible for me to recruit employees who have talent, knowledge and the specific experience that is required for the job rather than an employee who has promise as they will need to be given training and time to develop before they can do the job effectively-this will again increase costs for me because the less skills they have the higher their training costs will be for me.
It is very important for me to set the right pay levels for my employees because it will make it easier for me to attract quality staff and retain them. However, high wage bills will reduce profitability as my running costs will increase.
I will also have to consider legal issues when I am recruiting staff. I will have to make sure that I don’t discriminate against potential employees because of their: age, gender, religion, sexual orientation or because they have a disability. If my business refuses to employ someone on these grounds, the person can take my business to an employment tribunal and I may have to pay them compensation.
I will have to ensure that I employ the right number of the most suitable staff for my business- if I don’t have enough staff I wont be able to meet demand, and too many staff will create unnecessary costs for my business. However, I can get free expert advice on employment matters from Business link or a small business advisor at my bank which will be helpful.
To have the best chance of finding the best person for the job the HR department analyses the vacancy and draws up a job description and person specification.
To find staff, a business can advertise in newspapers and magazines, or use internet job sites. Employment agency and Jobcentre Plus can also be used to recruit staff. Other ways of advertising for staff include advertising on local radio, newsagents, and through recruitment consultants.
I will advertise my vacancy with Jobcentre Plus because all other means of advertising tend to be costly and time consuming, they may reach a wide audience but may fail to reach the right candidate. Advertising through newspapers/radio/internet can result in an increase in my start-up costs. Advertising through Jobcentre is considered to be the best as it provides access to a large number of candidates. It also offers free vacancy advertising service whereas an employment agency charges a fee to the employer. Another advantage is that I can arrange for a work trial before taking someone on. I can also benefit form the advice given by Jobcentre Plus on good employment policies, practice in recruitment and training.
My business involves baking cakes according to customer’s specific requirements. According to a particular order the baker and cake decorator have to work together to plan the item and follow the recipe. At occasions they may need to take orders in person or over the phone. They are also required to keep the kitchen area clean. The baker and the cake decorator should have the following skills:
- Technical skills needed in cake shop, including the ability to bake/decorate cake.
- Creativity
- Ability to understand and follow instructions.
- Good numeracy skills to be able to accurately measure and weigh ingredients.
- Ability to work to deadlines.
- To be aware of health and hygiene regulations.
- Strong verbal skills for dealing with customers.
- Good interpersonal skills with friendly, outgoing attitude.
No particular qualification is required but GCSEs grades (A-C) in English, Maths and Science or Food Technology is useful. A Full-time course in bakery craft management/cake decoration or NVQ in baking/cake decoration is preferred. However, 3-5 years hands on cake baking and decorating experience are essential.
I will use Letters of application to assess the potential of staff. I would use this because it will help to keep my staffing costs to minimum. Unlike application forms there’s no need to produce and send out a form to every applicant. The other reason for choosing this method is that it’ll help to save time because designing an application form and conducting tests are very time consuming.
Once I’ve received the applications I will compare them against the job description and the required skills and experience. This will help me to make a list of the most suitable candidates who satisfy all the requirements for the job and will then invite them for an interview.
Most new employees need training this can either be to learn new skills or update existing skills. Training can be done off the job e.g a course at a business training centre or on the job i.e in the workplace.
The type of training given depends on the size and type of business and by the job that the trainee is employed to do.
Off the Job Training
On the Job Training
