Article: Whether you are starting a business from the ground up or are managing an existing business, you need to examine your staffing needs. You need to think about the tasks that get done and decide how much one person can do. This analysis may show you that you need more people than you have, or it may tell you that you need to reassign staff that you already have. Focus on the tasks rather than individual people and personalities. For example, suppose you are managing a store that employs sales clerks. You could analyze your sales records and find when your busy periods occur. Then hire an additional clerk for the busiest times of the day. If you observe an employee who seems to have too much free time, you should consider increasing that employee's duties. If you don't have additional work for that employee, you may need to cut back the hours or eliminate the position completely. Develop written job descriptions for each role in your business. The job description should include an outline of the tasks to be performed, the expected working hours, the person supervising the role, and a general statement of goals for the position. Advertise, interview, and hire staff members who will best serve each position. For more help on hiring, you may want to read this helpful article. As part of your hiring process, if you are starting a new business, you must attend to certain federal and state regulations. You need to get a federal employer identification number (FEIN), register with your state's labor office, and obtain worker's compensation insurance. Having employees requires you to pay your employees, on time and correctly. You need a reliable payroll system that accounts for employee hours and pay rates. You must withhold the proper amounts for federal, state and local taxes, and deposit those as required with the taxing authorities. Establish a consistent system for payment, whether weekly or bi-weekly. For help with federal tax requirements, the IRS has put out two publications, the Employer's Tax Guide, Publication 15, and the Employer's Supplemental Tax Guide, Publication 15a. You can find both publications at the IRS publications page, at www.irs.gov/forms-pubs. An employee handbook is a written collection of all the rules and expectations for your staff. It should also set out what the staff can expect from the company. It will explain the employees' rights as well as the legal obligations for both employees and the employer. You should include the following topics in a well-designed employee handbook: Anti-discrimination policies. Compensation and payroll schedules. Work schedules. Expected standards of conduct. Safety and security. Acceptable computer/technology use policy. Media relations. Leave policies and other employee benefits. A good manager will communicate regularly with staff. You need to know what they are observing in the business, how they feel about their jobs, and whether any problems are brewing. It also helps for the staff to hear from you and know, in advance, if any changes are coming or anything else that will affect their work. Regular communication can resolve many problems before they even start. Depending on the size of the business and your position as a manager, you may communicate through any or all of the following: Regularly scheduled staff meetings. Written newsletter or other bulletins. Regular informal email communications. A company bulletin board (either a real physical bulletin board or an online virtual site). A shared calendar of events.

What is a summary?
Determine your necessary staff size. Hire new staff as needed. Take care of payroll. Develop and use an employee handbook. Maintain open two-way communication.