5 Questions You Need to Ask Before Hiring More Office Employees

5 Questions You Need to Ask Before Hiring More Office Employees

Every organisation, non-profit or otherwise, aims to thrive and expand to increase the scope of its operations and reach more clients, customers, or constituents. And with this growth comes a demand for more resources, specifically workforce. However, not every organisation has its expansion planned out and need guidance when adding more staff to their office. The decision to add more staff shouldn’t be taken lightly as it requires a considerable amount of resources and planning, as well. That said, there are questions you’ll need to ask and answer before you even decide to post job openings:

Do You Need More Staff?

First off, you’ll need to make sure if you do need the extra manpower. Expansion is good, but expanding way too early can be quite costly and may even lead to losses. So, try to see if it’s more staff that you need or perhaps this can be answered by making simple changes in your operations, re-assignment or rotation of staff, or investing in more efficient tools. One of the most common mistakes is interpreting short-term trends and spikes in demand as a need to hire more. For example, if your office gets busy and has a sudden influx of clients and customers, make sure that it’s not just something seasonal or temporary. You also have to ascertain the expansion of operations and hiring of additional staff is sustainable.

What Type of Staffing Do You Need?

Once you’ve figured out that you do need more office employees, you’ll have to decide if it’s long-term or short-term. As mentioned earlier, there are short-lived trends and sudden spike in demand, so it may be best to hire short-term staff to meet the requirements of peak seasons and trends. And, if you’re sure that a permanent expansion of operations is needed, you’ll want to hire long-term staff.

How Many?

applicants sitting on waiting area

The next question you’ll need to answer, then, is how many of these short or long-term staff you’ll need. Overstaffing can lead to inefficiency and losses. So make sure that you have a firm grasp on the required additional workload and how many staff you’ll need to hire to cover that workload. You’ll also want to check if you need more managers or supervisors to oversee your additional workforce.

Can You Afford It?

One of the biggest questions you’ll need to answer is if you can afford to hire more. You should take a look at your current finances as well as forecast how additional staffing can affect your profit. For non-profit organisations, this may mean requiring additional funding. It was mentioned earlier that staffing should be sustainable, whether long or short term. As such sustainability should be taken into account when checking out whether or not you can afford additional staff.

Do You Have Space and Equipment?

Your next limitation would be the physical limitations of your office; since you’ll be hiring more office-based staff, there should be more than adequate space, equipment, and tools for them to work to be productive. That said, your expansion plan may also mean requiring you to get a bigger office or renovate if you see that your current office space is just enough for your current staff, as well as adding more tables, chairs, and office equipment. Luckily, there are commercial interior designers in Sydney that specialise in office refurbishment to allow you to have the extra staff or more space without having to rent or build additional rooms.

Conclusion

The need to hire more office staff is a good sign that shows your business or organisation is thriving, but it should be a decision that you shouldn’t take lightly. So make sure that you’re able to answer all these questions before recruiting more hands for your office’s operations.

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