5 Common Hiring Mistakes Small Businesses Can Avoid

Chethna Sathyanarayan
mojoVerse: The Business Weekly
3 min readNov 24, 2020

If you are done being a solo entrepreneur and have decided to set up a team and hire for your small business, this is the guide that can help you get started.

Several companies have claimed “hiring the wrong people” was the biggest mistake in their entrepreneurial journey. While we cannot ensure a fail-proof hiring strategy, we can help you avoid some common HR problems that most small businesses face while starting up/expanding the team.

1. Not setting flexible work timings

According to global data, employees are comfortable working in spaces where the timings are flexible. Employees are more productive when they feel unrestricted by time. Research suggests long/unfriendly work hours are bad for employee health and morale. Since work from home became a new normal, teams are trying to keep up productivity in the workplace with normal office timings — to prevent burnout.

Our tip — To make your startup a stress-free workspace, you might want to make it a 24/7 walk-in workplace with no restrictions on working hours, holidays, great interpersonal bonding etc.

Also read: How to find work-life balance to boost productivity

2. Filling in a position hastily

As a new entrepreneur, you may want things to start rolling at an exciting pace. Hiring rapidly is not the solution to your growth/HR problems.

Business Insider polled a number of HR professionals of which 41% agreed that a hasty hire can cost the company thousands or probably more.

Your hiring decision should be based on a careful and critical evaluation of the resumes. Sprinting into mindless hiring can empty your bank and waste time.

3. Poor feedback and appraisal

Constructive criticism is an art. How do you offer your opinion without being too discouraging or dismissive of your employees’ efforts?

An evaluated response/input helps channel the efforts of the entire team in the right direction. Appropriate feedback helps bolster growth. It also encourages employees to work harder and solve problems in a more positive manner.

Work-from- home tip — Continue to engage with the team daily, weekly, over a virtual chat. Provide toolkits to boost productivity. Why? Because, your team talks to prospective new joiners about your work culture!

Also read: How startup leaders can practice empathy in the workplace during a pandemic

4. Failing to reward employees/coworkers

Every employee is different from the other. They all have distinct personalities and contribute differently to a common goal — your business.

One may have the tendency to overlook or undermine a personality, which could backfire for the business.

It’s important to recognize an employee for a job well done, even if it’s a minor one. Communicate regularly with your employees and build relationships.

Foster a culture that you can be proud of because your business are the people that work for you.

5. Not motivating them to take ownership

Micromanagement is a popular entrepreneur trait in Indian companies.

We know your business is your baby and while you may want to be doing everything, it’s better to leave it to the experts you hired for the job.

Encourage your employees to own a project. Let them make the decisions. Let them get creative. Go to them with a business problem and let them help you solve it.

Instamojo helps solve all your payments problems on the internet. Did you know GreyTHR, one of the most popular HR portals, uses Instamojo to collect payments online? You can too! Start your Instamojo experience today.

--

--