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Good alternatives to hiring staff
You may think that in order for your company to expand effectively and significantly, it is necessary to hire new staff, whether they be on a permanent contract or a self-employed basis. Whilst hiring new staff to increase the size and maximise the potential of your workforce can be a good decision to make, there are alternative choices which could suit you more. In particular, you should think about the following aspects:
• Could you simply re-model your current staff structure? If you’re looking to expand your business, the likelihood is that your existing members of staff are working well for you and possess the right skills that you need for success. If this is the case, could you increase their working hours, whilst making sure you obey working hour regulations? Increasing the number of hours worked by each member of staff per week by a relatively minor amount may not seem like a lot but, if everyone sticks to this new regime, the extra work which could be completed may be significant.
• Could you re-allocate tasks to different people? Are some members of staff performing tasks that they are not completely comfortable with? Do other members of staff possess more suitable skills for those tasks? If you allocate people tasks which suit their own individual skills, they will be able to complete projects in a shorter period of time and to a higher level of quality as well.
• Do you currently employ part-time workers? If you do, consider asking them to become full-time.
• Could you take on additional responsibilities? Managerial roles are taxing but taking on a few extra tasks each week may not add too much to your workload. Doing this could also improve working relations between you and your workforce because you will be showing that you don’t mind getting your hands dirty for a while.
Could you offer unpaid work experience? Students may not possess the right level of experience to be able to complete some tasks but some may possess the right skills you need for basic administrative tasks, for example. The likelihood is that you will not need to spend too long searching for a willing candidate for such a role, since students of all ages are becoming increasingly keen to gain valuable experience in the workplace to boost a CV whilst at school or university.