The Time To Hire Is Now!
If you’re already thinking about hiring, then chances are you should have started the recruitment process already. Perhaps there have been one or more ‘drivers’ for hiring, which have been on your mind for a while, but you just haven’t acted upon those yet – you’ve been too busy.
Act Fast!
In today’s market it can take a long time to hire the right person and you definitely do not want to make the time-and-money-draining mistake of hiring the wrong person. That said, don’t fear hiring either. With a bit of thought and preparation you can be sure to make the right hire for the right reasons.
So, let’s look at why you might be so busy?
Perhaps you’ve got too much work coming in and you’ve not got enough time to deal with anything else. Wow, what a great problem! But a pretty obvious need. Worse, you’re so busy that you’re actually turning away business because you can’t commit to fulfilling it.
You’re Already Behind The Game!
Maybe when you look at what you’re doing during your working day, you’re not doing the job you were hired for. You’re doing someone else’s job. If you’ve been dragged in to work either below your paygrade and/or not suited to you then, once you have considered re-distribution of tasks amongst the team, it’s time to hire someone else. Your time is too valuable, and your business will suffer if you do not focus on the tasks you are intended for. Furthermore, you could be doing the wrong job badly, or just not enjoying it – that’s not good for your motivation levels, and either way, if you’re not doing your job then your own career is not developing.
If you’re spending a lot of time dealing with employee issues, you’ve got to step back and ask yourself, “Is this a happy ship? Or does everyone seem a little frayed round the edges?” Have staff been taking increased sick-time or asking to work reduced hours, or more flexibly? If so, truth is they probably don’t want to be there because with overwork comes low morale. Employee utilisation needs careful management and an overworked team will be much happier with an additional pair of hands.
Have you been spending a lot of time firefighting (potential) client dissatisfaction? Consequently, are you spending a lot of time reviewing employees’ quality of work? Overwork may be having an impact of output and the team is probably stretched too thin to complete work to a high standard. You need additional help. Have you got the right skills-mix to deliver, do you need to bring previously outsourced specialist skills in-house under closer control and direction? There is plenty of competition out there who will be only too happy to pick-up your client, and that reputational loss will be ten times harder to win back than the hard-earned win in the first place.
Future Proof Your Business and Act On Resourcing
On the flip side, if you’re spending lots of time with clients discussing their strategic plans, the services they’d like, and future business opportunity, then it’s time to act on resourcing for that demand and assuring your delivery. Don’t wait for the contracts to land before hiring, work transparently with your clients to share your resourcing plans to deliver the result they need, whilst gaining their assurance that in tandem with that resourcing you will secure their business.
And what of your strategic plans? Don’t neglect to act on that vision you spent time developing. You might already have the money to back it. In which case you’ll need to hire staff to help you to realise that vision.
Realise Your Vision!
OK, so you’ve realised why you need to hire, the opportunities that is going to bring and the problems that will solve. You’ve got a clear Role in mind, a set of responsibilities planned, and a person profile mapped. Your next challenge comes with the dawning realisation that it’s going to take six months to get the right person in place. Well maybe not that long but it’s never going to happen as quickly as you’d like.
Act now. It’s time to hire! And guard against that for the future – create a succession plan for each individual / skills & competencies in your business area and keep an eye on your forecast growth. Stay ahead of the game and hire ahead of your realistic expectations of target growth, not when you’re running to catch up.
Finally
If you were unsure about hiring, hopefully the above will have helped you navigate some of the more complex issues. Working with an Environment & Sustainability recruitment partner will boost your chances of success, identifying top talent and reduce risks in the hiring process.
If you would like to find out how Melbury Search have helped other Environmental & Sustainability employers to build their teams, read our testimonials and case studies here
Melbury Search have more than 20 years’ experience recruiting Environment and Sustainability specialists throughout the UK. We listen to not only understand employers’ specific vacancies but also their Company and Employee Value Propositions, so that we can engage the right candidates effectively.
Click this link to Get in Touch with Melbury Search, introduce yourself, and find out more about how we can help.
