Time to read: 5 min.
How to Add Headcount and Fill Digital Talent Gaps on Your Team
As we kick off the new year, many business and marketing leaders are considering where to invest their budgets to ensure they can meet their 2020 business goals. Aside from technology and infrastructure investments, they must determine what talent or skill gaps are present that could be detrimental to their success. Does your team have the experience and skills needed to deliver on your projects and deadlines? Think about these questions and keep reading as we address common questions about adding headcount:
Do you need additional headcount?
Look at your team structure. How is the team performing? Do you have employees working odd hours of the day? As a leader, it is up to you to keep a pulse on the health of your team. Pay attention to these telltale signs you might need to expand your team:
- Employees have worked late nights, early mornings, or on weekends.
- Team members have missed personal and social commitments in order to work.
- People have been more emotional or sensitive in the workplace; morale is down.
- The quality of work has decreased.
- Turnover has increased.
- Customer satisfaction has gone down.
If you’re facing any of the issues outlined above, then it may be time to grow your team. According to Staples Business Advantage, 80 percent of employees believe it’s their employers’ responsibility to look out for their physical and mental health. Whatever the reason for these signs (new projects, new clients, or internal shifts), keep an eye on your core working team.
How do you convince senior leadership to approve additional headcount?
Identifying the gaps is half the battle. When the timing is right, plan a meeting with your leaders to discuss further initiatives and hiring solutions. During this planning period, think like your manager. What questions should you answer in your proposal? Here are a few to get you started:
- What is the current staff workload?
- Where are the gaps in production?
- What is the budget needed to bring on this position(s)?
- What are the additional costs?
- Is there an opportunity to re-organize internally?
- Is now the right time to bring on new staff?
Answering these questions will allow you to fully layout the state of the department and help senior leadership to understand the need. Present the evidence and list out the benefits of hiring additional people, and the implications of denying the request. Most importantly, clearly state the positions and outline the roles and responsibilities that will enable you to close the skills/talent gaps.
What is the right hiring solution for your specific needs?
In a perfect world, you would look at the skills/talent gaps in your team and post job openings for all positions. That might be the case for some companies, but for most, hiring is a matter of budget. Hiring a new employee can be costly – however, you have options; contract, contract-to-hire, and managed services. All three of these hiring solutions accomplish the same goal of getting bodies into seats and completing projects on time.
Contract Staffing
Bring in contractors when you know the workload sending your team under has an end in sight. For example – the team has taken on a larger project, but you know once the project is complete, the extra hands will no longer be needed. Hire a consultant through your own recruitment means or enlist a staffing agency with readily available talent.
Contract-to-Hire Staffing
Contract-to-hire is an excellent solution to both a short-term and a long-term issue. Your team needs the extra hands right now, however, it is not in the cards for the company to fully onboard and take on the costs of a new hire. With that, there is potential the company may be in a better position soon. Contract-to-hire solutions allow you to get help now, and revisit hiring conversations later down the road. Not to mention, both parties are essentially in a trial period. Should each party feel there is a perfect match, talks around permanent employment can start.
Managed Services Staffing
Managed services is similar to contract work, however, the goal of managed services is to hire a team of on-site consultants to complete a project, be it short-term or long-term. The hiring manager scopes out the project and details the positions needed for each phase of the project. Managed services are best when the company might benefit from outsourcing the need on a more demanding project or initiative on the horizon, such as a new website build, an intensive copy project, or a rebrand.
Profiles Hiring Solutions
While it might not be in the budget or the right time to hire full-time employees, you have options to add headcount and grow your team. Contact Profiles to learn more about our contract hiring and MSP solutions or to learn about our approach to matching top marketing and creative tech talent with leading brands nationwide.
