Too busy running the business to be the business?

Anna Norton, HR Business Manager at Law At Work, gives some timely advice to entrepreneurs who think they have to manage their employees all on their own – don’t!

I used to run my own business. It was the sort of business where you needed to be creative, where you needed to think ahead and where you had to be constantly driving the business forward. And, if that’s all I had had to do, that would have been great, but like anyone who’s run a business there is so much more to think about – not least of all the people you employ.

You may have a great idea, a great product, a constant flow of customers and skills in your particular trade, but the chances are you didn’t train in HR, writing employment contacts and being totally versed on the twists, turns and brand new laws concerning employment.

ceo-wrenchWhen the air conditioning breaks down, you probably wouldn’t dream of getting the screw driver out and fixing it yourself. I’ve now discovered that you shouldn’t be taking on those complicated HR duties either. They will not only pull you away from what you are good at, therefore stunting the growth of your business, but also, if you get the contracts and the employment law wrong, it could have serious repercussions.

In talking to many, many businesses it’s clear that time spent on staffing issues can not only take valuable days away from managers and entrepreneurs but the emotional toll of being an employer with HR issues should not be underestimated. Take it from me, trying to deal with this on your own and failing is a hard lesson that you don’t need to go through.

From where I am now – advising from ‘the other side’ at Law At Work – it is clear to me how much time, energy and money can be saved by you in outsourcing your HR problems and focusing on what you do best. I’ve also learnt that, no matter what size your business is, the sooner you do this, the more your business will benefit.

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