It’s important to ensure your business is lean, effective at delivery and most important profitable. However, there is an argument that a business can be too lean, resulting in a number of issues that can have a detrimental effect on the overall performance of the business.
We understand that recruitment can be expensive, time consuming and of course it can take a little bit of time for the new member of your team to get up to speed. But as you can imagine, doing too much with too few resources can cause lots of serious issues. In this article we consider the three most common signs that it really is time to invest in recruitment, so let’s take a look at what they are…
Quality of work is slipping
Are you seeing not just the quality of your work, but the quality of your team’s work slipping? If so then this really is a big sign that your team is in need of an additional member to help support workload. This will be down to a couple of things, firstly you and your team are spread to thinly, which leads to a decrease in attention to detail as there are so many things to do and not enough time to do them.
The second could be down to the fact that the massive workload is causing too much pressure, and you and your team are struggling to cope with the sheer amount of work that is being thrown your way. This can also have a huge negative impact on the working environment, as stress levels increase and what was an enjoyable working environment has turned into an uncomfortable one.
Deadlines aren’t being met
No doubt there are clauses in your contracts that state if work isn’t delivered on time your business will see a dent in profit for that particular project. Well, surely if you feel that your team are struggling to deliver as a result of trying to do too much with not enough resources then this is a pretty big sign that you need to strengthen your team to help get you across the line in time.
We understand that some projects aren’t delivered on time and that’s just the way it is. However, if you are experiencing a large proportion of your projects being delivered late then maybe it’s time to bite the bullet and grow your team. If the cost of hiring in an issue for you then it’s important to weigh it up with the cost of possibly damaging the reputation of your business if you are seen to consistently deliver projects late, or if quality of work is slipping due to your team being too stretched.
Job burnout
Burnout is probably one of the most serious signs, and given the increased focus on people’s mental health and well being this is a sign that absolutely shouldn’t be ignored. It’s important to keep a close eye on you and your team and look for key signs that burnout is happening, as it can have severe consequences. We suggest you listen to your team, keep an eye out for any changes in behaviour and communicate regularly. It’s important to keep your team safe and happy.
Summary
The key thing to remember is that you have options. You don’t necessarily need to hire a permanent member of staff, you could always go down the freelance route to help get you through the busiest times of a project.
By choosing to ignore the fact you clearly need additional resources, you are only going to see the three above signs become more acute. In our experience, this only leads to one thing… people leaving your business because they have lost their enthusiasm, enjoyment and don’t want to deal with the constant stress when there are options you could exercise to help reduce it.
So to make sure you keep the talent in your business happy and the standards of work your business prides itself on high, we absolutely suggest that you have a conversation with us to see how we can help you with your immediate recruitment needs, to help you get on with what you do best!!
Need help with your recruitment?
We pride ourselves on our service and are always pushing boundaries to help improve this for our clients and candidates. We have relationships with thousands of great candidates across the construction, civils, rail, power and telecoms sectors. If you want to find out about our services in more detail and how we can help you and your business visit our client services page.
