Five Signs It’s Time to Hire

Beyond an intuitive sense that your teams need additional support, how can an employer tell when it’s time to hire?  Here are five telltale signs, offered by Robert Half Technology in its Salary Guide 2011.

Click through for five signs that it's time to hire additional support, from Robert Half Technology.

If working overtime is the only way your team can avoid falling behind, this is a clear sign you need to add staff. Asking team members to continually burn the midnight oil can deplete employee morale and lead to turnover.

Perhaps your company has experienced an unusual increase in returned items and requests for refunds. Or customers are complaining about their experience on your company’s website, or the way your staff treats them. Your workers may be overloaded and feel rushed to complete projects. Be careful, because poor service can quickly hurt your reputation.

When workloads spike or critical deadlines loom, lower-priority tasks often get pushed to the back burner. If deliverables are chronically postponed, due dates constantly revised or projects completely thrown off schedule or scrapped entirely, your organization is likely short-staffed.

If the absence of just one staff member due to illness or other work commitments negatively affects the entire team and forces you to take on routine tasks because no one else is available, this is another warning sign that it’s time to hire.

Is your organization turning away new business? Is it unable to act on strategic initiatives that could create a competitive advantage simply because there simply aren’t enough professionals on staff? If so, you may be staring at the biggest red flag of all. The company’s future success may be at risk, so now is the time to seriously think about adding employees.