Resourcing – getting the right people in the right seats

Groundhog day – “How did we arrive here again?”

I’ve just had another team member leave, complaining about unrealistic workload and burnout. How did we arrive here again?

How do I provide an immediate solution for the team?

A temp won’t cut it, will take time to train, might not stick around and is just pushing the real solution down the road.

Yes, but the right temp will show the team you recognise the resource gap, are committed to supporting them and will give them immediate albeit not at a 100% productivity level. This temp may become a permanent solution if they like the company and fit in with the team.

 Don’t go skinny on the temp budget. Bring someone in who is at the higher end of the experience needed to do the role. You can balance the budget by making the temp solution part time (e.g. 4 days per week or 5 shorter days per week), without creating a precedent for future permanent employees.

Bring the team together to identify tasks and activities that could be switched off. What can we stop doing in the short term to avoid burn out cross the rest of the team? Be brave. What is potentially not adding value? Can any project work be deferred/delayed? Can some tasks be redistributed to another resource on the wider team in the short term?

How do I get the recruitment right for the role next time?

Get crystal clear on the PD for the role and build a clear picture of the skills and experience needed to be successful in the role. Look back on how the role has performed historically. When was the role at its most effective? How do we create those conditions? What “magic” did that individual have who occupied the role at that time?

Use an experienced recruiter with a track record of success with your organisation. Ideally this should be the individual recruiter not just the recruitment firm.

Look beyond the resume and the standard 60 minute interview. Have multiple steps in your recruitment process. Bring other departments, senior leaders into the interview process. Give the candidates specific tasks / playbacks to complete, present back on so you can gauge their understanding of what your organisation does, how they approach a problem and how they engage with their team and the wider organisation.

Prepare a comprehensive onboarding plan with a clear focus on their first 90 days. Set mastery goals for the first 30, 60 and 90 days that you discuss and agree with the candidate. Review the progress against these mastery goals at your weekly one to ones and formally assess progress at the 30, 60 and 90 day mark. Discuss what worked and didn’t work. Reset the next 30 days of the plan to clearly address what did not work. Don’t be afraid to have tough conversations early and get clear feedback from the individual on what they are struggling with and where they feel knowledge poor. Have they got the right access to the right systems? Are they getting the right training? Are they getting exposure to the right people?

A comprehensive recruitment and onboarding process ensures you put the right candidate in the seat and that they are set up for success in their new role.