Hiring good people

Good employees are those who show up
for work on time and are enthusiastic
about getting down to business. They bring the skill sets needed. They get along
well with fellow workers.

However, there is more to it than that. Both
in his job and in the offices of his customers,
Ron Biggs, vice president of business banking with Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati, has
seen a lot of successful hires.

Smart Business spoke with Biggs about
what makes a good employee, and what a
company can do to find successful hires.

Beyond showing up on time, what other
aspects make a good employee?

Dependability. When you say you’re going
to do something, then do it. When you are
expected to be at work at a certain time or at
a specific location, be there. When you
receive a phone message or e-mail, return it
in a timely manner — no excuses. When
employers and co-workers know you are
dependable, it makes scheduling and workload distribution much easier.

Trustworthiness. A reputation of being honest and above reproach in all your dealings
will go a long way with any employer. When
problems arise involving losses, questionable
activities or other difficult situations, it’s
worth a lot to know you can be trusted.

Manageability. There’s little that makes life
more difficult for an employer than an
employee who is difficult to supervise or
always knows a better way to do things.
There are no perfect bosses, but insubordination and resistance to doing a job the way
the boss wants it done is no good for anyone.

Teamwork. Employers usually don’t cherish ‘lone rangers’ or employees who compete
out of greed. An exemplary employee is one
who others want to work with and spend
time with in the workplace.

Are referrals from good employees generally
successful hires?

Yes. A good employee sees the value in
individuals who share the same work ethic
or similar work-related aspects that would
work well in the company. Employee referrals should be encouraged.

How does one assure that HR is a help — not
a roadblock — to finding the right person?

Be involved in the process early. HR has
to fill many positions in the organization
and typically cannot know everything
about every job class and who would fit
best. Groups have personalities just as individuals do. The manager of that group
should be involved to assist in finding an
individual who gels with his or her group.

Does it cost more to hire and train a worker
than to keep a good one happy?

Typically, yes. However, if an employee is
unhappy due to pay or some other situation at the organization, then that problem
may be too costly for the organization to
resolve. Sometimes, it may be best to part
ways with an unhappy employee because
his or her influence on other employees
may make a difficult situation worse —
then the cost can be far greater than hiring
a new employee.

Is money the key factor in job satisfaction?

Absolutely not. Employees may say this
is their major motivator, however, if you
have to come into a work environment every day that is toxic, then the money will
play a minor role. A good employer will pay
a fair wage and offer a good work environment. There needs to be a good balance
between work and employees’ home life.
Employees cannot feel like their work lives
weigh heavy on them when they are at
home with their families.

Is it usually better to promote from within?

Typically, if you can hire within, I would
recommend it. The current employee
knows the systems and would be more efficient initially. If the promotion is seen as
justified by the other employees, then it is
an easier buy in to follow this individual’s
lead. However, sometimes to move an
organization forward, a hire from outside
the organization may bring in ideas that
have worked at his or her organization and
can be duplicated at your organization.

Younger people want to know where they
are going in an organization. A more experienced individual may want to know if he
or she is going to be an integral part of an
organization going forward. I think great
organizations have a good mix of both.
Experienced workers have the knowledge
and should be the mentors for younger
employees. I have found younger employees can sometimes mentor the more experienced. More experienced workers may
do something a certain way because ‘that’s
the way we’ve always done it.’ However, a
younger employee may look at it in a totally different and better way.

At what point is it worth paying the right individual more money?

If that individual can bring greater success to the individuals working around him
or her, then it may very well be worth it to
overpay that employee. Look at successful
professional sports teams where one individual can elevate an entire team.

RONALD BIGGS is vice president, business banking, with Fifth
Third Bank in Cincinnati. Reach him at [email protected].