Hiring your first employee can be both exciting and stressful in equal measure. Not only might this be the first indication of whether or not your business plan and ethos really is as strong as you envisaged, but it may also involve a great deal of complex work which you have never undertaken.
The process of hiring staff will start long before you offer employment contracts, and your first employee may well be the most important one you ever hire. As such, you need to make sure that you write the perfect job description and take your time when interviewing potential candidates as a mistake at this juncture could be very costly indeed.
Once you have found a suitable candidate, don’t rush in and give them the job immediately. Instead, carry out all relevant checks, making sure they are eligible to work and that they have suitable references from reputable people.
Once contracts are signed, you must offer them a written statement of employment particulars within two months of the start of employment (if their employment contract is due to last at least a month).
The contract itself will be the easy part and it will be possible to download a Contract of Employment template from companies online at very little cost. Once these have been filled out and signed, all that remains is for you to register with HMRC, set up PAYE and check auto-enrolment pension requirements. So long as you are insured and know your rights and those of your employee, you will then be ready to get them to work at turning your business dreams into reality.
