05. Defining your requirements (v): Do you really need to hire someone new?

Once you have taken into consideration the job analysis and person specification, you can then decide if it is necessary to take on another full-time member of staff. It may be that there is an alternative to this. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Can you redistribute the tasks to your current workforce?
   Take into account the welfare of your employees; will they be taking on too much? Remember, using this method may still mean extra cost in terms of overtime and may take away time from other projects.
   
2. Do you have an existing employee who may be suitable for the job?
   Promoting staff from within has its advantages; the employee is already familiar with the firm and will most likely need less training. You too will be familiar with the employee and therefore will know their skills and qualities. Keep in mind that you may ignore strong candidates in favour of existing employees and that staff morale may be affected by your choice of existing employee to fill the role.
   
3. Could you outsource the tasks?
   Hiring an external business to carry out the work could be more expensive but is ideal for work on a project-by-project basis.
   
4. Could you manage with temporary or part-time staff?
   Bear in mind that although part-time staff are less expensive they will most likely need the same training as full-time employees. When taking on temporary staff, ensure their contracts state the length of employment (if fixed), any extensions and the possibility of the position becoming permanent.
   
5. Could the job be shared between two or more employees?
   Consider the workload and changes in employment costs. The benefit of incorporating job share is having available cover for employee sickness or holiday leave.