Nowadays, there can be a lot of turnover in any organization. It’s hard to find employees who will stay with you for the long term. So when it’s time to hire a new employee, you might need to know the answers to a few questions first, such as whether having that employee as a part of your staff is within your budget. Is it possible for you to get those tasks done in some other way, which will be cheaper and more efficient? Or do you really need to have that employee on board because of the value they add to your organization?
Don’t just replace one employee with another. Instead, take this opportunity to ask yourself what changes you can make to benefit your organization or business. You may find that changing the job description of the employee will make a big difference to your overall productivity. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you begin the hiring process:
- Can You Afford It? If you can make do with two employees rather than three, then you might want to think about how you can redistribute duties and responsibilities among those two rather than employing someone new. Remember not to overtax the employees you already have because this will actually turn out to be more expensive in the long run. It’s good to set the right tone for your company culture right from the beginning. So make your company a good place to work where people get the breaks they need, their full lunch hour and whatever benefits you can afford to give them.
- Is the Timing Right? If your finances are currently strained, you can put off hiring a new employee for a few months. For example, if you just lost a couple of key accounts or the prices of raw materials just went up, you might be relieved not to have to pay another person’s salary. You might want to use that money for something else instead, such as more marketing, better office interiors, moving your business to a new location etc. On the other hand, if you just got a couple of important accounts and you need someone to start working on them immediately, don’t put off hiring that person.
- Can You Outsource It? Nowadays, it’s possible to outsource so many functions, such as marketing, accounting, HR etc. You can even get virtual assistants who won’t have to be physically present in your office. Granted, it might be a bit difficult to figure out how to work with these virtual assistants and let them know everything you need to get done. But if you put some effort into it communicating what you need, you’ll find that they can be as helpful as a real person in your office, following your directions. Similarly, working with marketing firms and consultants might turn out to be more time saving and efficient, since they have more experience working with different organizations.
- What Is the Job Description? Sometimes, people just replace one person with another without stopping to consider whether they should make any changes to that person’s duties and responsibilities. If that job description was working for you in the past, then you may not need to make any changes. But there’s no harm in thinking about whether you can make any subtle alterations to it. If that list of duties has always been too much for anyone holding that position, you might want to cut it down and vice versa.
- What Value Do They Bring to the Organization? Every time you introduce any changes to your organization, you should ask this question. And that goes for new employees as well. Keep in mind that when you hire someone, you need to think about the future. Someone might fit in well with your needs at present. But as your company grows and develops in the future, will they grow and develop with it? Or will they lag behind? It’s always a good idea to hire people who have the potential to understand more about your business and take on more responsibility.
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