Any contractor whose employees gain access to customers’ homes and offices has a special obligation to make sure they are solid citizens. One unsavory character on the payroll can destroy your company.

Recruiting and hiring people comprise only half the battle. All the expense and effort you put into it can be lost if they don’t like working for you. So this month we’ll discuss how to get off on the right foot introducing top-notch people to your company.

This month we’ll get more specific by focusing on what ideally should be the three phases of the hiring process. You risk costly mistakes by taking shortcuts in the critical decision about who to put on your payroll.

For the next three months, I’m going to tackle this issue, drawing from advice from some of the foremost experts I know who are experienced at trade recruitment, training and retention. In particular, I’m going to lean on my friend Al Levi, who heads Appleseed Business Inc.

Firing an employee is every boss’s least favorite part of the job. These days it can also be perilous from a legal standpoint - and occasionally physically threatening as well. Yet, sooner or later almost every employer finds it necessary to carry out this unpleasant duty.

Pseudo-holidays such as Columbus Day and Presidents Day give respite to those of us who live in traffic-clogged metropolitan areas. Millions of motorists experience the giddy feeling of doing the speed limit to and from work for a change.

Everyone wants to earn more money. That’s a given in any walk of life. So, what do you do when one of your employees tells you they need to make more money or they will look for other employment?

Year after year, company after company, industry after industry, I keep hearing business owners tell me the biggest problem they have is finding good employees. I don't have any magical solutions to offer, but a little common sense might clarify some rules of the game.

Everyone would agree that word of mouth is the best form of advertising. It's free, it's effective, and it's substantive. A referral leaves you with a good feeling because you know it's the result of a job well done for some satisfied customer.

Dan Holohan is a longtime friend of mine and a renowned teacher and consultant to the home heating industry. His Web site, www.heatinghelp.com, is a treasure chest of advice and information for contractors and consumers alike.