Taking On New Staff
If we want to expand, we consider the best options for meeting our new needs - these could include outsourcing, training/upskilling existing staff, taking on new staff.

If you decide to take on new staff, or maybe to replace someone who has left, there are a number of ways of taking on people to work for you - and how to choose the ones that best meet your needs.

Taking on people - whichever way you choose to do it - will always mean some form of investment for your business. But it's equally important to remember that taking this investment seriously can make it more valuable.

Recruitment and interview
It is often said that a business is only as good as its people. Businesses are increasingly recognising the benefits of employing a diverse mix of people. This means recruiting individuals with various:

· racial and cultural backgrounds
· ages
· genders
· sexual orientations
· disabilities
· religious beliefs

A more diverse workforce helps us to reach new markets and provide valuable ideas for improving our products and services. Our customers and suppliers also appreciate our commitment to equality and diversity in our workforce.

We take on new staff by identifying our requirements and planning how we fill our vacancy is important to ensure we get the best person for the job.
We treat all candidates fairly and avoid discrimination for example on grounds of their sex or race, religion or belief, or because they have a disability.

Our responsibilities when we take on an employee

This interactive tool assumes we have selected a new employee but not yet made an offer of employment.
First we ensure that the candidate we have selected can work legally and safely.

At the end you'll get information on:

· whether it's legal to employ the candidate
· the checks we need to carry out before employing them
· any types of work they cannot undertake
· the paperwork we need to receive and provide for tax and National Insurance
· our health and safety responsibilities
· our responsibilities if our new employee has a disability
· the relevant forms and supporting information