No matter how well you screen new employees, you’re bound to hire one from time to time. You can never be sure if you’re hiring an employee who will become disengaged, is dishonest by nature, has personal difficulties or is just lazy. Difficult employees can make an employer’s life hell.

They not only chap your backside, but also eat away at the bottom line. They drive you nuts by not showing up on time, ruining morale, robbing you blind and doing a host of things you could never imagine. In other words, they’re a real nuisance.

If you saw a real coyote in your backyard, would you let your wife’s little poodle, Fifi, out to pee? You might if you didn’t like the dog, but you might never recover from the consequences if your wife knew you did such a thing. The same holds true at work. If you’ve got a coyote employee running loose, what will be sacrificed if you don’t take action now to stop it?

I’ve seen a lot of flyers for lost pets taped on street signs in the Corpus Christi Country Club, and I’ve also seen coyotes roaming the CCCC golf course in broad daylight. If you live in the Country Club and know there are coyotes in the neighborhood, then you know little Fifi isn’t safe. Keep Fifi in the house or run the risk of Fifi becoming furry droppings.

Don’t let your business end up like Fifi. Get a handle on the human-resources side of your business. Either learn how to properly address human resources or hire professionals. I would guess you run these risks because you don’t want to take the time to address the situation or possibly because you’re not quite sure how to legally and effectively do it. So you let this activity go on right under your nose until it really starts to stink.

What can you do?

Certified professionals in human resources (PHRs) are the employees you hire to assist in this area. They can be pretty pricey to have on staff if you’re not a large employer, but attorney fees, higher taxes and fines are what you might be looking at if you don’t address your coyote problem.

There’s a laundry list of worksite employee laws that an employer must adhere to. A PHR can guide you through this maze. It’s imperative that you have employee handbooks in place outlining your rules on time and attendance, dress code and various other policies with all the legalese kept updated as the laws or your policies change. This is your first line of defense. I’d have a handbook in place even if I only had one employee. If you have an outdated handbook, you might as well throw it away, as it may do more harm than good.

Prior to any disciplinary action, a good coaching and mentoring plan is advisable. If you’re trained in how to effectively implement these techniques, you’ll find you can turn around an employee’s disruptive behavior most of the time. When disciplinary action is required, there are guidelines you must follow. These guidelines will keep you from paying unemployment claims and help keep you out of the legal arena. Allowing a coyote employee to run rampant is detrimental to other employees’ morale, which can cost the company dearly.

Rather than trying to figure this out on your own, hiring advisors or personnel who might not have your back and/or attending timely and expensive annual human-resources training for yourself or employees, you should look into the option of outsourcing it to a team of professionals called a PEO.

Outsourcing human resources via a PEO service provider is a growing trend in the way companies are operating. They’re learning it’s better to have all this stuff handled by professionals for less or the same amount of money. No longer do you have to worry about payroll administration, human resources, safety programs, risk management or workers’ compensation insurance, and PEOs can even offer benefits.

A PEO will provide you with a go-to certified professional in human resources to advise you on how to deal with your coyote problems.

This is a valuable way to save time, better protect your assets and keep the cost of having employees predictable. Everyone who owns a business should look at this option. Visit the Web site for the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations at http://www.napeo.org to verify PEO credentials.

We know what a nuisance coyotes can be, so be on guard with Fifi and your small business.

Connie Laughlin is a business consultant for UniqueHR, headquartered in Corpus Christi. Contact her at 852-6392, ext. 112 or conniel@uniquehr.com. Visit www.uniquehr.com to find out more about this highly accredited PEO.