Over-hiring is risky business

In business, it’s easy to think that more is more. Every organization wants more followers, more likes, more clients and more profit. Image is everything. The more you have, the better you’re doing, and the more you have street cred.

Business and competition go hand-in-hand, which is why executives may feel they need to keep up with the Joneses in order to appear successful. This thinking can also be linked to how many employees are in an organization. Increasing your staff from zero to 300 in less than a year may seem impressive, but it is only a bragging right if each employee is being utilized to their full potential.

The consequences of over-hiring can be detrimental to your business. So before you start drafting the next job posting, ask yourself these five questions.

1

Do you have enough work for them?

Deciding to hire a new employee should be a carefully considered process. Hiring people before you have the need can be as harmful as being understaffed. Ask the entire team whether they feel they’re at capacity, or if bringing in a new skill set will benefit everyone.

2

Can this work be divided among current staff?

Boredom is dangerous. Employees that feel underutilized and unchallenged can increasingly become negative and disengaged. This can spread like wildfire among the rest of the team, leading to a poor corporate culture and employee turnover. Every person has different thresholds of how much work they can handle, so sit down with them oneon-one and simply ask if they want more work. .

3

What will they do all day?

We live in a culture in which titles are everything, and it’s all about perception. Saying that you have a Refreshments Supervisor or a Culture Coordinator may sound pretty impressive, but in reality, what will they do to fill 40 hours a week besides filling water bottles and planning barbecues?

4

Should you be hiring high-level leaders?

The idea that you should work smarter, not harder, also rings true for the hiring process. Depending on the type of work you need done, you may find that hiring a more experienced, multi-disciplinary skilled professional is what’s actually best for the company. While their salary demands may be higher, their performance will far outweigh the cost compared with hiring multiple people with entry-level skills. Plus they’ll have the leadership, connections and expertise to keep the company innovative and efficient.