"Recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him. Why would I want somebody to hire his experience?"

(Thomas John Watson, American Entrepreneur and Founder of IBM)

In any business, you need to manage employees and their work. Study has revealed that companies that invest properly in employee management and improvement strategies see significant returns. Managing and taking care of employees results in the employees taking better care of the customers, and that is the way a business can take care of itself.

In this article, we are going to discuss some basic aspects of employee management tactics to guide you for better management of human resources in your business.

Tips for recruiting better employees

• Hire the best: Always try to hire a person who has done the exact job, in the business climate and in the exact industry. You need less time to train these kind of employees.
• In-house candidates: Giving promotions to your current employees make them feel that their talents and hard work are appreciated. None but your current employees know more about the goals and needs of your business.
• Be a good employer: Do everything to create a reputation for yourself that you are a good employer. Offer your employees a great work environment; flexibility in work-life balance, reward, promotion are the keys you can turn to do this.
• Involve your current employees to hire new employees: It is often seen that employees participating in the hiring process (by recommendation, interviewing, etc.) try to help the new employees succeed.
• Pay your employee fairly and better than your competitors: It is a very bad practice to try to pay your employees less as much as possible. In the job market, one gets what one pays for.   
• Offer better benefits: It is a smart idea to offer better than average benefits to make your employees feel that how well you look after them. If you can afford it, never hesitate to avail your employees standard benefits like medical insurance, retirement benefits, dental insurance, etc.    
  

Controlling absenteeism
It is very natural that an employee may miss a day of work now and then. But when he misses too many days of works, it can cause serious problems. Here, find some useful tips to control absenteeism-

• Check whether an employee misses work voluntarily: Check whether the absent employee missed works due to some unavoidable reason or without good reason.   
• Excessive absenteeism: If an employee misses his work frequently without good reason, discuss the problem with him keeping the conversation friendly.
• Try to make the employee understand the problem: Let the employee know how his absence affects the business. Ask for improved performance and give the employee a written notice.
• Termination:  If things don't get better after taking the above steps, you may have to terminate the employee.    
  

Cross training
Cross training refers to teach an existing employee the skills required for another company at your organization. It helps to create an atmosphere that encourages and motivates burnt out employees.       

Employment handbook
An employment handbook is a document containing information for employees about the terms and conditions of their employment. It helps to keep yourself out of legal hot water and cut down on misunderstandings with your employees. Find below some tips how to prepare an employment handbook for your company-

• What to include: While preparing an employment handbook, always try to cover areas like working hours, paid and earned holidays, sick leave, maternity policy, pension plan, gratuity, salary, performance review, etc.   
• Clear and concise: Always make the employment policy clear and concise so that there is no chance for confusion.
• Your right to terminate employees: In the employment policy, make it clear that you have the right to terminate any employee, at any time and without any cause.  
• Get it reviewed: You do not necessarily need to get the employment policy written by an attorney. Write it yourself and after that you can get it reviewed by your attorney.
• Get it signed by the employee: Whenever a new employee joins your company, give him two copies of the employment policy, and make sure to have him sign for these copies. Take one of them with yourself and give the other to the employee. Clearly state in the policy that the employer have signed on it only after understating the rules, regulations and policies of your company.  
  

Set goals with your employees
Setting goals with your employees is very important for effective employment management. It helps motivate employees. As an owner, set clear, concrete and attainable goals for your employees and reward them fairly when the goals are met. Follow the below tips to set good goals for your employees-

• Be specific: While setting the goals, always be specific. Avoid setting goals which are impossible to measure.
• Attainable goals: Always set goals which are attainable. Setting too high goals may lead to employee frustration.  
• Try to be consistent: Do not set different goals for employees with same responsibilities. It may breed resentment, and thus, likely to cause a problem to employment management.
• Inspire cooperation, avoid rivalry: Make your employees feel that they are now working against each other, but against a competitor company.
• Bonus and incentive: Reward those employees who meet their goals offering bonus and incentive. It will motivate them to sustain the same kind of performance in the future.
  

Exit interviews
It refers to formal conversation with an employee to find out the reason why he/she is leaving. Such an interview  often helps to get a clear idea of the problems and issues your employees are facing in your company. Ask an employee the following question while taking an exit interview-

• What is the reason behind leaving this company?
• Is there anything to convince the employee to continue here?
• Have the employer had any complaint? Have proper action been taken to handle these complaints?
• Is the company is offering clear career paths to the employees? What can be done to make it better?
  

These kinds of questions help to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your company's employment management policy.

Training programmes for employees
Employee training is very important in any organization to find the skills of the existing employees updated. Training programmes designed for employees enable them to keep pace with the changing technologies, procedures and market requirements. But it requires proper planning to conduct such training programmes. Consider the following things before conducting any type of  employment training programme-

• What you want your people to learn? Be specific. How will it help your business?
• What is the current skill level of your employees?
• What type of training mode you think would be proper? Do you want to train yourself? Or, do you want to hire a professional trainer?
• Are your veteran employees capable enough to contribute in the training process?  
  

In the corporate world, it is often forgotten that money and power are not the only means of success. Without good employees and proper employee management, a business can hardly succeed. Making your employees feel pride for what they do, and for whom they work for is the key you must turn to get the best out of them. Create growth opportunities for your employees, enhance their learning experience and earning ability; nothing could be a better way to kick start your business growth.