NAF Case Studies

Plan Your Financial Life (National Academy Foundation)

Chapter 19: Help Wanted – A Hiring Policy That Works

The Bagel Box, a small breakfast and lunch eatery, has no real hiring policy. When a cook, dishwasher, bagel maker or server is needed, Mark, the owner, puts a "help wanted" sign on the door and waits to see what happens. Usually, someone who is walking by decides to come in and apply for a job. Mark then invests time, money, training, and trust in the new employee. Nine times out of ten, the new employee doesn’t last six months. Mark has begun to realize that this process is costing him money. Hiring an employee is making an investment in the business, and Mark wants it to be a profitable experience.

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Why does Mark’s lack of a hiring policy end up costing him money? What should he do to improve his hiring process? How might Mark let people know he has a job opening? Develop a list of questions Mark might be able to use when he interviews a prospective employee. What can Mark do to increase the chances that an employee will stay employed at the Bagel Box more than six months?