A common challenge architecture firms face is knowing when to hire additional staff. Balancing work forecast and backlog with the time it takes to hire staff is a challenge. Some firms want to keep their staff very limited until they feel like they’ve reached a certain phase in their growth, but it isn’t always easy to pinpoint when your business has reached that point. Here are five signs that it is time to start hiring additional staff.
You are Spending Too Much Time on Trivial Tasks
Consider your current situation. Do you spend so much time doing administrative tasks that you can’t focus on more important tasks—the kind of tasks that allow you to make a profit and grow your business? Eventually, you might reach a point where you end your day with a pile of unfinished work because you don’t have time to get to everything. This is the biggest sign you need to hire more employees.
You Need Tasks to Be Completed That Generate Revenue
Obviously, it costs money to hire employees. So, when you do hire a new employee, you want to feel confident that they will either save you money by improving your efficiency or that they will make you money by performing critical tasks that generate your business revenue. For example, at some point hiring a marketing expert for your architecture firm will help you expand your client-base, which in turn, will help you increase your overall profits.
You Struggle to Maintain a High Level of Customer Service
Another way you can tell it’s time to hire additional staff is if you start to see an increase in client complaints. While most startup companies experience complaints here and there, if you receive too many you are likely understaffed. Architecture firms thrive by delivering amazing design and service to their clients. You can’t afford to turn off your existing clients if you want to succeed. At the same time, bad customer service will also diminish your prospective client pool.
You Can Tell That Your Current Employees Are Overworked
If you pay close attention, you can tell when your staff is overworked. They show visible signs of stress, they may start to call in sick more often, and the quality of their work starts to decline because they are juggling more tasks than they can handle. If you start to notice any of these signs, it is a strong indication you are ready to hire additional employees.
You Want to Be Prepared
Often, the worst hiring decisions are made out of desperation. When you have a backlog of work, you can’t possible keep up, and you’re likely to hire the first person who walks through your door. It is smarter to hire proactively. Try to forecast future growth so your firm has the staff it needs to accommodate the additional business and can deliver stellar results to your clients.
It can be hard to tell when it’s the right time to hire more employees because you have to weigh budgetary concerns with the business workload. You want to keep your clients and staff happy, while giving yourself the time to make smart hiring decisions.
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