Understaffing or short staffing is usually not an issue when it is only for a short period. However, if your company has been understaffed for a long period, that can create problems. Understaffing is usually caused by layoffs and not having the budget to hire more. Nevertheless, it helps to know what to expect if your department will be understaffed in the near future.

Overworking and Burnout

Running a business or organization involves completing tasks. Regardless of being understaffed, completion of assignments is often mandatory. Keeping the organization running smoothly until managers hire additional personnel takes effort and help from everyone within the organization. Understaffing is usually seen in a start-up. Nevertheless, in such cases, people at the company are driven by passion and belief in a cause. Another example of understaffing is in a company going through a period of financial crisis. In either case, running such a model may be sustainable in the short term. However, long-term understaffing can have serious consequences. These will include but are not limited to drastic effects on employee health and well-being and turnovers.

If your company does not have a culture of internal recruitment, it is high time that its benefits are promoted. Last week we saw why it is necessary and its benefits. This week we will look at some best practices for internal recruitment. 

Have Regular Conversations with the Team

One of the biggest reasons in favour of Internal Recruitment we know is that managers are wary of losing top performers and promising talents to the competition. That is why it is essential to create a culture of internal and cross-disciplinary recruitment. Internal recruitment is also about nurturing your employees’ growth and helping them reach their career goals within the organization. Managers must have regular catch-up meetings with their team members to understand their evolution in skills, interests and aspirations. 

Your hiring strategy is an important strategy that keeps the cogs of your organization moving. And, hiring the right people will help you grow and move the organization forward expertly and innovatively. But when you hear hiring or recruitment, you first think of getting an entirely new employee. That does not necessarily have to be the case. Sometimes the best-suited talent that the job requires may already be working for your organization.