When is the right time to hire people?
This may seem like a straightforward question—well, when we have an open position, right? Although that’s the typical approach, there are several other factors to consider in order to truly benefit your business. Hiring isn’t just about filling a vacancy; it’s about making strategic decisions that align with your company’s long-term goals and ensuring you are well-prepared for the future.
Let’s start with the obvious…
When you have a vacancy
Of course when a previous employee resigns, retires or is promoted there will be a position that needs to be filled. You will need to recruit to fill this role. But what happens when the role that is becoming vacant is a higher level role requiring a high level of experience? This is where you can look at succession – is there anyone that has prospects that is already in the business to fill this role? If so, then you can then promote this person who is aware of the company and has the potential to be trained at a higher level. This will not only improve your employee engagement but also free a role that could be more easily filled.
When you are a start up
When you are starting up you may not have an abundance of finances behind you to have a big recruitment drive. However, you will still need to recruit some key people in order for your business to flourish. This will help you delegate roles such as payroll or administration work that is time consuming and takes away the time needed to grow your business. Recruitment strategies such as social media / online forums can be useful as most of them are free however, you need to ensure that you are not being discriminatory and alternatives such as an add in the paper can also be used in conjunction.
When you are growing / work has increased
When you are receiving more orders, getting more clients or just the overall demand of services is growing then you will need to meet this demand with the correct level of supply. In order to do this, you may need to hire people to cover this. However, you need to ensure that when you hire people you actually have the time to train these new recruits. You must also ensure that they are positively impacting the business.
Your employees are burning out
If you see that your employees are being overworked, increasing in stress levels and can not cope with the level of work then it can be a good idea to recruit more employees so that your current employees don’t burn out. This will ensure that your employees remain engaged, productivity does not decrease and employees’ wellbeing is not put at risk. This all facilitates a positive workplace culture. Recruiting more employees may actually save you money in the long run by avoiding these consequences.
Customers are complaining
The business world is constantly evolving, and so too are the skills required to stay competitive. Whether you’re planning to launch a new project, adopt a new technology, or simply want to push your business forward, hiring employees with new skills and expertise can give your company the edge it needs to succeed. Sometimes, bringing in fresh talent with new ideas can revitalise a stagnant business or help take it in a new direction.
New skills needed
It may be that you have a new project in the pipelines… Or, your company is stagnant and you want to give the company a push in the right direction. A new set of skills, personality or culture may be exactly what your company may need. A fresh new approach may be needed. Or it could be that a certain qualification or experience level is needed.
In some cases, you may not need a full-time employee but rather a specialist contractor or consultant. These can provide the specific skills needed for a short-term project. This can be a cost-effective way to access expertise without the commitment of a permanent hire.
Revenue is decreasing
It might seem counterintuitive, but hiring more staff when revenue is decreasing could actually help turn things around. A drop in revenue may be due to a lack of skilled salespeople, ineffective marketing, or poor customer service. Hiring specialists in these areas could help solve these issues, improving client relations, increasing brand visibility, and ultimately boosting revenue. For example, bringing in experienced sales professionals could help grow your customer base. A skilled marketing expert could enhance your online presence and attract new clients.
We here at Wurkplace can assist with all your recruitment and retainment needs. We have detailed induction packs, interview score sheets, and ensure that you are being compliant with the law. If this is something that you need assistance on then please get in touch.
Currently practising all the aspects of Human Resources including employee rights, discrimination, how to manage grievances and disciplinaries.