Why hiring a bookkeeper is a good first step over an administration employee.
This blog talks about the pitfalls of employing a part time administration person verses hiring a bookkeeper.
There comes a time when small to medium sized businesses need a part-time admin person. It’s a great position to be in, it means your business has grown and you need help.
Many business owners immediately opt for the obvious choice and hire a part-time administration person. It seems like the most cost effective and easy solution.
You write up a brief job description and post it to TradeMe. Applicants send you their CV’s. You review the dozen or so CV’s and decided on 2 or 3 to interview. After the interview process you choose the best candidate for the role.
Sounds simple doesn’t it!. . . .
Employers new to recruiting can find the recruitment process very stressful. Pressure choosing the right applicant is hard enough. But what makes it harder is when you don’t actually know what tasks and duties they should be preforming.
This is a very real problem for builders and tradies I have dealings with.
They don’t know what skill set or experience the person should have. Ultimately they end up choosing the wrong candidate for the role.
A couple of examples I have come across are;
A paid administration employees requesting my help to solve a simple Xero issue.
I’ve had administration employees come to my Xero seminar and gained a heap of knowledge around how to use Xero, they should have already known about.
A tradesmen who employs his sister at $50 per hour cash to run his business. His accountant manages his GST compliance and another person manages his weekly payroll. I know for him the cost of using all 3 of these different services will be more expensive then using one bookkeeper who can preform all of these tasks.
These examples scream the wrong person is being paid to preform the role!
Business owners need to move away from the idea of employing a admin person is best. Having an administration employee does not necessary mean greater control. Nor does it mean you gain a higher degree of confidentiality around your business. Most bookkeepers and virtual assistants will have professional standards they adhere too. They know maintaining client confidentiality is important. Having their clients trust and confidence plays an important role in the success of their own business.
My suggestion would be explore the possibility of using a bookkeeper or a virtual assistant before you decide on recruiting a paid employee.
