Hire, pay and let go

Set how the business gives raises and hand it to every teammate: what earns one, the four bands, how often, and how to ask.

When you have to let someone go: make sure it is no surprise, plan who covers their work, time it well and follow up properly.

When higher-level hires at 20 to 49 people expect a full package: choose a benefits provider and plan, roll it out well, and reappraise yearly.

When a 20-to-49-person business needs pay plans for senior hires: set goals, structure salary, bonus and benefits, benchmark the market, and roll out templates.

When a 20-to-49-person business must fill senior roles beyond its network: head-hunt with outreach, split interviews across four people, check references, expect negotiation.

When a 50-to-99-person business loses candidates because hiring is slow: install an applicant tracking system and pick specialist recruiters for recurring roles.

When recruiters at 100 to 249 people hold different standards: use the same questions, panels, a short founder final interview and a simple scoring rubric.

When staff churn climbs past 250 people and nobody knows whom you need: plan the workforce from goals, color-map roles, and use a responsibility matrix.

Use when the business has 250 to 500 people and the best candidates answer only the founder, to plan personal recruiting of top talent.

Use when choosing between a candidate with attitude and one with skills, by hiring whoever's gap takes less time to teach.

Use when demand is there but you lack the people to serve it, to recast the shortage as demand for talent and invest in hiring.

Use when a shortage of the right people holds you back, to walk the six questions for talent and decide whether to redline.

Use when you have customers and demand but cannot bring in good people fast enough, or hire fast and watch quality fall.

Use when applicants are arriving and you need interviews that turn away the wrong people early and win the best ones at the end.

Use when asking about values in interviews only gets the answers candidates think you want: make each value something they must show.

When a new hire accepts, onboard them against a 30-60-90 plan, then keep them with a skills path, regular feedback and recognition.