3 Ways to Tell It’s Time To Grow Your Workforce

Growth is good and getting ahead of the curve is even better. Adding headcount before its mission critical is the difference between a thriving business and having to constantly put out fires. Growing your team permanently or temporarily when needed can help keep talent happy, avoid revenue loss, and deter customer discontent. 

Here are three ways to tell if it’s time to grow your team. 

1. Hi-fives all around, you just landed a new client and huge work order. Whether you have an A-Team or not, it’s a perfect time to reassess your workforce. Change is good and current team members might want to stretch their skills and try something new. Adding to your workforce will adequately facilitate job knowledge transfer and give workers that would like to try something new, a chance to do so. In addition, If your talent pool needs a facelift, this could be the perfect opportunity to quickly onboard new talent via on demand labor services. Doing so will bring in new employees with fresh perspectives, eager to contribute. It will also allow you as an employer to assess fit before committing long-term.
2. Burnout warning, your current workforce is being asked to pick up additional shifts to meet job demands. Which can lead to team members missing out on their personal commitments. Overworked employees are less productive and more likely to leave. According to a study by the University College London, Employees working a 55-hour week face a 33% increased risk of stroke than those working a 35 to 40-hour week. Working 61 to 70 hours a week increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 42%, and working 71 to 80 hours increases it by 63% (Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Adding helping hands will help keep your A-Team productive, engaged, and decrease burnout in your workforce.
3. Complaints are up and customers are socializing their concerns about poor product/service. According to bigcommerce.com 74% of consumers identify word of mouth as a key influencer in their purchasing decisions. In a digital communication driven world, one sour tweet or review could lead to irreparable harm to your company’s reputation.

If one or all of the above rings true, strong consideration should be given to adding to your headcount. Reducing work overload and burnout can help keep your labor force productive, engaged, and happy.