Retail employees will not complete tasks

My family bought a retail store. I have Sims buying things but the money never shows up when you check the banking (so to speak), they are always in the red. My Sim hired an employee, but every time the shop is opened she has to be re hired, she isn't a permanent "staff member". She never wears the uniform I designed for her unless I take her back into CAS and re-make it. It still says that Sim who is employed has no job. It's really frustrating and disjointed.
If I switch the controls to the employed Sim, it goes all the way through the loading screen and she's out the front of her house again. Where as always the whole family are standing there all needing to pee! And once she does go back to the shop her conversation isn't about selling things, it's just the usual conversation. If I switch back to the store owner she can "manage the employee" and get her to restock sold items etc, but she might restock one sold item before dancing with mannequins or chatting to the shoppers. The shoppers never seem to buy anything. I have to switch controls to any of my other Sims who might be in the shop at the time and get them to buy things - and still they're in the red.