Over 7.4 million SMEs employ approximately 14.9 million Kenyans in various sectors of the economy, representing 78% of the Kenya workforce. This proves how important SMEs are to the national economy and labour market.

But what sets these businesses apart? What makes some SMEs thrive while others struggle to survive and sustain their operations in the face of competition?

It is the quality of its people. The quality of a company’s workforce is directly proportional to the quality of that business’s operations, processes, services and brand.

The business hiring practices highly determine this quality.

“But I only need 100 employees, do I need to put much emphasis on recruitment? I can fetch them across the road, train them and in few days the business hits the road, I don’t need much effort to replace workers in my business.’’ – This is one of the greatest enemies of progress for SMEs.

Small business, big impact: how HR can drive small business growth, sustainability and resilience

Have you ever thought that the same people you trust to grow your business could be the same people sending your customers away? Why, because they lack the right attitude, skills and competencies necessary to deal with your clients.

So what do you do to ensure you are on top of your game and you stand out? Improve the quality of your hires. Who do you bring on board? Do they possess the right skills, competencies, attitudes and mindset to drive your business forward?

Are their values and workstyles aligned with what your business is driving in the market? Are they a good fit for the overall culture of your business? How well will they integrate into your small team? Most importantly, does their personality align with the way you treat your customers?

Strategies SMEs could consider hiring practice:

• You can maximize your company’s social media platforms like LinkedIn to share updates on your company profile like values, mission, and purpose and advertise available jobs for like-minded professionals to see, share with others and even apply making your process easier without even spending a coin.
• Consider your existing employees as your greatest ambassadors not only for finding the right talent but also for vouching for your company.
• Circulate job postings to your internal contacts either through emails or messages.
• Consider internal talents: sometimes the skill you need is within your team.
• You may also consider engaging a recruitment firm or an HR consultant at a small fee to manage your staff recruitment.

About the author

Monica Gichimu is an HR professional with years of experience supporting people functions in the Banking and Insurance Industry. Currently HR advisor at CIC Insurance Group. Previously worked as an HR Officer at Equity Bank.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management from JKUAT, is a member of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM) and is a certified Instructional System Designer.

She is committed to supporting organizations to develop capabilities that support business growth, sustainability and resilience while inspiring their career growth.