How To Overcome The 5 Biggest Staffing Challenges

The biggest staffing challenges are just that—challenges. They keep you up at night, and they make every choice you make in your business a little more stressful than it needs to be. But if you can overcome them, you’ll have more time to focus on your business and even hire some help to take some of the pressure off you. Find out how to overcome the biggest staffing challenges and get the help you need with these five tips.

Balancing Experience And Cost

How do you balance your company’s financial bottom line and experience when recruiting talent? If a high-paying position lacks an experienced candidate, it’s tempting to fill it with someone without an extensive work history. Likewise, low-paying positions tend to attract candidates with little to no experience. Companies often have to choose between these two extremes—paying more for new hires or getting stuck with inexperienced workers—but hiring interns is another option. While interns can be expensive, they generally cost significantly less than paying full salary and benefits to entry-level employees. Small businesses can take advantage of interns by offering small stipends that help offset their housing costs while gaining professional experience.

Achieving Flexibility

Many employers find it difficult to offer flexible work options. For some, that’s because they don’t have the know-how; for others, it’s because of workplace norms and old-fashioned management styles. Addressing flexibility issues requires a two-pronged approach: first, leaders need to understand why employees may request flexible work arrangements to consider when scheduling tasks and prioritizing projects. Second, managers must be willing to let their staff set boundaries if they are going to be able to juggle multiple priorities while also living their lives outside of work. Achieving flexibility is something that can benefit everyone involved—the team member as well as their employer.

Retaining Talent

It’s important to take care of employees, to make sure they stay happy, well-trained, and motivated. It also pays off in big ways: highly-engaged employees make less turnover, which allows your business to become a leading employer in your industry. Employee development will allow you to cultivate talent within your company instead of relying on costly recruitment or outsourcing jobs. Quality training programs are available through a number of professional organizations and offer fantastic returns on investment. Be sure that you’re using these tools effectively and providing opportunities for professional and personal growth. Also, try things like incentive programs, flexible work schedules, and tuition reimbursement; all these efforts are worth it because the happy staff makes happier customers too!

Adjusting To Remote Recruiting

Recruiting in person doesn’t mean that recruiters can’t also contact candidates remotely. It is pretty common practice for a good recruiter to reach out to some of their best candidates who may not have been available and let them know about potential roles. But, if you are an employer who is looking to hire remote workers instead of contractors or employees, adjust your recruiting strategies accordingly so that you don’t miss out on talent. Don’t just assume that all applicants can easily work from home—that doesn’t apply to everyone, especially those with families or if they live in remote locations with few companies hiring in-house.

Cross-Generational Teams

Employees are at different stages in their careers so that a team may contain:

• Employees who want to advance quickly.
• Employees who like predictability.
• Other employees who want stability.

The trick to building teams with cross-generational workers is balancing expectations and keeping all members engaged. Don’t let one generational style dominate your team; focus on what your workers bring to their job over generational stereotypes. Try rotating generations of workers throughout roles and departments so everyone can share each other’s perspectives and skills. You might also consider forming speed mentoring relationships between younger and older workers where younger staff can seek guidance from more experienced staff on relevant topics like navigating office politics or becoming a manager themselves someday.