Have you outgrown yourself? Growth in a business is almost never sudden. It slowly happens over time, and you may not notice how much growth has actually happened. While tough times are prone to happen in an office, some of them can easily be resolved by bringing on a few new hires. Before you investigate all of the possible directions, consider whether or not hiring someone new is the perfect solution.
1. You’re Constantly Overwhelmed
It’s normal to be busy in the workplace. It’s not so normal to be so busy that you’re losing sleep and missing your meals. You need to be able to take a break once in a while to get your head right. You’ll never have time to process anything if you keep going and going. All of the things you’re doing still need to get done, so you might need to hire someone else to do them. Whether that means adding a specialty employee or a dedicated assistant is up to you – but one person should never be doing the work of many.
2. You Feel Like You’re Lacking Structure
What exactly is the pecking order? Even if you’re the top boss, your employees should have someone else to report to for smaller matters. If people aren’t sure who should report to whom, it’s time to hire a few people to head up specific workplace tasks. You need more management positions for different aspects of the business. Even the smallest businesses can use a few people who head up specific aspects of operations.
3. Productivity is Falling Behind
Your teams are working on things, but they aren’t getting things done on time. You feel like you’re spending a lot more time and money than you need to spend in order to get things done. If this is the case, you might need to hire a few project managers. These employees will oversee your special teams when they have something important to accomplish. They’ll keep track of the budget, as well as each person’s efforts. Delegating the tasks holds everyone accountable and removes much of the room for error.
4. Competition is Getting Strong
Hiring a few new people is a great way to keep up with the competition. When others around you are using innovative methods to lead them to success, it may be time for you to pick up a few creative thinkers of your own. You’ll want to research and interview these people a little more thoroughly, and it may be worth paying a little more for top talent. Look at the way your competitors phrase their job descriptions on Gumtree, and see what you can offer that will draw top talent away from them and toward you.
5. You Have Big Aspirations
You’ve been successful and you want to expand! The worst thing to do is wait until the last moment to hire new people. Get some new staff to help you with the expansion. When things get serious, they’ll already know how to do their jobs. Start with a few core experts, and slowly build a team that will help you offer new products or services. Perhaps you want to open a second location for your business, and hiring and training a few new people in your current location will be the best way to help your experienced staff move on to your second building.
Make sure you hire based on quality – not just for the purpose of filling a chair. It’s not worth your time and resources to hire an employee who isn’t a great cultural fit or won’t add some creative diversity to your office. Who you hire is just as important as when you hire.
Like what you’re reading? Access HER magazine’s monthly publication in iTunes or Google Play – it’s where we feature powerhouse women you can learn from and share exclusive content you won’t find here.
