Hire wisely and fire wisely

Crown Financial Ministry’s “Doing Business Right” Principles

Larry Burkett, the late co-founder of Crown Financial Ministries in the United States, discussed how Christian companies or managers hire and fire employees in his famous book "Business By The Book" .

This article excerpts and organizes some principles from the book to provide a reference for Christians who serve as company executives.

1. Employ wisely: Eight steps to recruit talents, know them well and assign them well

The sooner you establish a hiring policy, the sooner your company will benefit from having the best people in the positions where they can perform best. Eight Steps to Establishing a Hiring Employee Policy:

‧Step one: Pray—to help you find the best and most suitable employees.

‧Step 2: Clearly define job responsibilities and write down written job descriptions.The expectations of the supervisor and the expectations of employees need to be consistent so that there will not be an excessive gap between them. Job descriptions should also have objective standards for evaluating employee performance.

‧Step 3: Hire the best people for the job.Spend enough time checking references, using personality assessment tools, and assessing a potential employee's ability to do the job. Be sure to choose people who are upright and easy to get along with. If employees have poor interpersonal relationships or are dishonest in their words and deeds, it will have a negative impact on the company's ethics and operations. Secondly, don’t settle for an “okay” candidate or an employee who can start immediately, but look for the most suitable employee."Have you seen a man who works diligently? He will stand before kings and not before vile men." (Proverbs 22:29)

‧Step 4: Make the best use of people's talents - put the right people in the right positions.Human resources must be fully utilized in jobs that are consistent with employees’ talents. Career Direct (careerdirectonline.org) developed by Crown is an excellent tool for assessing personality and career aptitude.

‧Step 5: Think through the key points of hiring in advance.Develop a process structure for hiring employees as a reference for hiring, such as government regulations, the company's core values, whether to hire Christians, etc.

‧Step 6: Establish a trial period.It is best for new employees to have a probation period, usually three months. During this period, company executives can evaluate their job performance and suitability.

‧Step 7: Test the character of potential managers and executive team members.Qualifications for new managers include being able to communicate the company's goals, demonstrate the company's core values and identify possible character flaws. When looking for leadership team talent, it is recommended to find Christian leaders who share your values. Executives with integrity keep companies in business. (Remember the Enron scandal?)

‧Step 8: Consider meeting his spouse.If the employee to be hired is married, it is recommended to meet with his or her spouse before formal employment to understand the situation at home and to make sure that the spouse supports him in doing this job. This will be of great help to the employee's future work performance.

▲The famous book "Business By The Book" by Larry Burkket, the late co-founder of Crown Financial Ministries in the United States.

2. Dismissal in the right way: a little leaven makes the whole dough ferment. The faster it is dismissed, the less damage it will cause.

Treating employees equally and treating them well is an employer's most important responsibility, but employees' responsibilities to their employer are equally important. If you work hard to correct a problem and employees are unable or unwilling to respond positively, you are doing them a disservice by keeping them around. If they are not suitable for the job, the sooner they change careers, the sooner they will benefit. someoneMisconceptions that Christians should show love and should not fire employees, but this is not in line with biblical principles, there is no teaching in the Bible not to fire employees, but you should still handle the matter of dismissal with love.

Because there may be differences in work content and expectations between each other, sometimes you may mistakenly believe that because you know a certain situation clearly, just by briefly explaining it to your employees, they will be equally clear. Remember to ask underperforming employees to read their job descriptions carefully to identify where they are lacking.

Too often, an employer or manager allows dissatisfaction to build up to an unbearable level; then it is unleashed on an unsuspecting employee who should have been corrected long ago. It is very important to communicate clearly and early on. If personnel issues are left unchecked, it is almost impossible to resolve them automatically, and things will get worse later on. Galatians 5:9: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” If you allow an opponent, a thief, or a lazy person to continue making mistakes, others will follow suit and the whole thing will leaven. Team morale and productivity suffer.

3. Reasons for dismissal: Three major character deficiencies and one major dereliction of duty

Reason 1: Dishonesty.We should forgive more and not seek revenge on those who have offended us. In the corporate world, we should be forgiving of people who deeply regret their wrongdoings and clearly demonstrate a willingness to change. This is not about ignoring or tolerating dishonest behavior, which could inadvertently encourage that behavior. The Bible says in many places that we must be honest, and if an employee consistently behaves dishonestly, he or she should be considered for dismissal.

Reason two: disobedience.Frequent disobedience to the orders and instructions of the supervisor (unless there is a very good reason and the opinions are different from the supervisor) will be a great obstacle to the implementation of the company's business.

Reason three: Not serious.In the Bible, hard work and diligence are encouraged, while laziness is rebuked. “The brother of a slacker is a waster.” (Proverbs 18:9) Therefore, it is necessary to establish policies that encourage employees to work hard, select suitable employees, and punish disloyal employees. If, after reasonable efforts, the situation does not improve, the only solution is to fire the offending employee.

Reason four: Incompetence.Before firing incompetent employees, you must first confirm whether they have been assigned to unsuitable positions (whether they are making the best use of their talents). Sometimes a job change may solve the problem and make the employee more productive in the new position. However, if there is still no improvement after changing jobs, dismissal may be considered.

▲The "Doing Business Right" group manual encourages workplace Christians to use biblical truth and real examples to commit themselves to leading disciples in the workplace.

4. Dismissal steps: Brave correction, reasonable counseling and job recommendation

Step one: Establish an observation and correction period.Set up an observation and correction period and clearly inform employees of its significance: if there is no substantial improvement, more severe measures will be taken. Minimum requirements should be set out in writing, and the meeting should be recorded in the employee's personnel file.

Step 2: Conduct an exit interview.If the employee does not make much improvement within the deadline, the direct manager will interview him to discuss the need for dismissal. When all procedures are completed and the decision is made to fire (dismissal), it must be implemented as soon as possible and require him to resign immediately. Provide him with adequate compensation in the form of severance pay or extended salary, and where possible, help the fired employee find other employment.

Step 3: Provide a job recommendation letter.If an employee's resignation is not due to character problems or laziness, the supervisor, for the sake of nurturing and caring, should provide the departing employee with an appropriate letter of recommendation to make it easier for him or her to find a suitable job.

References
1. Most of the content of this article is adopted from the following information. For Chinese and English publications, please purchase them from Crown Financial Ministry of the United States (crown.org) and Crown Truth Financial Association of Taiwan (crown.org.tw) respectively.
2. "Doing Business Rightly" Group Student Manual and Group Leader Manual, translated and published by Taiwan Crown Truth Financial Association, 2006. (Business By The Book, Small Group Study, Crown Financial Ministries, 2004) 3. "Doing Business the Right Way" DVD, produced by Bo Lairui, Dai Haohua, and David Lei. The Chinese version of the study manual was translated and published by the Taiwan Crown Financial Ministries Association, 2009 . (Business By The Book Small Independent Study, by Larry Burkett, Howard Dayton, and David Rae, 2009)

Editor's Profile The compiler of this article is the Director of Chinese Outreach Ministry of Crown America, Honorary Professor of Donghua University in Taiwan, Lecturer of KRC Cultural Practice Camp Investment and Financial Management Camp, and Enterprise Editor of this magazine's Talent Unit.