5 signs that it’s time to expand your team

Most businesses wait to get bigger. From local to regional to national to global – the world is your oyster, however humble your business’ beginnings. You only have to look at Apple, Google or Walt Disney to know that global brands often start in garages or bedrooms.

The key is knowing when to expand your business and your team. An article on Onrec discusses some of the key signs that it’s time to recruit. Here are the top five – do you recognise any of these?

1. When your managers need managing

Most smaller businesses will generally only need one manager (aka the business owner). As the company grows, more managers may be recruited. Two or three managers reporting to one person is doable – but more than that may mean the person they are reporting to cannot get their own job done. In that case, you will need to take on a new manager – either promoting from within the organisation or (more likely) taking on an experienced manager from elsewhere.

2. When tension levels start to rise

The more successful a business becomes, the more tasks employees are expected to get done. Pressurised staff are not going to be productive staff, which means it’s time to take on more people. The only trouble is, people don’t always let you know when they need help. They are more likely to drown in work quietly than shout about it. Ask managers to let you know when they need more staff and remember that proactive hiring makes for a happier workplace.

3. When overtime goes into overdrive

In business there is a simple rule of thumb: if your staff are regularly doing overtime then you don’t have enough members of staff. Asking employees to put in some extra hours (and pay them for it) might sound like a win-win, but it doesn’t deal with the reason why the backlog occurred in the first place. Also, it’s not an economically viable option in the long-term. Overtime rates are much higher than regular salaries, and overtime costs can soon add up to more than the cost of a new hire. If overtime is becoming a weekly occurrence, start recruiting now.

4. When top talent is bogged down in admin

You don’t hire a marketing manager because they’re a whizz with admin, you hire them for their marketing skills. When specialist staff are doing non-specialist work, productivity suffers. By hiring someone at entry level to cover admin work, you are freeing up more experienced marketing staff to do put their skills to use (and do the job you are paying them to do).

5. When you’re saying no to new work

No company should turn away work without good reason – and being ‘too busy’ does not qualify as a good reason. Turning work away is like telling potential clients you are small fry – and that kind of reputation can stick. If your staff are running at maximum capacity, there is no way you can take on additional work and, therefore, no way you can grow your customer base. If your organisation is currently in this position, it’s time to go on a recruitment drive.

If you’re looking to expand your marketing team in the coming months, Stopgap can help you fill the gaps. Specialising in marketing recruitment, we are experts in matching the right candidates to the right roles, giving your business the talent it needs to grow. Why not brief us on a role today?