Are you struggling to keep up with all the demands placed on your team, but unsure of how best to fill the resource gap? Taking on a new person is always a big decision, but don’t assume that if you need an extra pair of hands you need to recruit someone – an external contractor could be just what you need. In this post, we’ll look at some of the pros and cons.

Getting a new team member up to speed

Employing someone new means investing time upfront. There are the job applications to wade through, interviews to organise and run, references to follow up, and then the notice period to wait for. And when you’ve finally taken on (hopefully) the right person, you or one of your team will need to spend time inducting them into your organisation and showing them the ropes.

Outsource to an agency or freelancer, and you’ll still have to take a little time choosing the right one, but the process will be much quicker and once you find them they’ll be well-used to fitting in with new companies and new projects and (with a bit of luck) available straight away. Being flexible and quick off the mark is exactly how we work.

Industry knowledge, specialisms and project-based roles

You may well look for someone with an in-depth industry knowledge, which should cut the time needed to get them up to speed. You can fish in the pool of people currently working with similar companies – even with your competitors – to bring in that experience, you may already know someone you’d like to target, or you could appoint from within your own team. There’s nothing like ‘growing your own’ for great corporate knowledge and continuity.

External agencies and freelancers will always let you know what industry experience they have, so you can select the right background for you and of course, you could decide to work with someone from outside the industry to get a fresh take on things.

If you have a particular specialism or project in mind, then it could be a good idea to delve into relevant task-specific experience. For instance, in the role of communications manager, different people will have different balances of internal and external communications experience and of specifics such as media handling, crisis management, updating websites or producing publications. You need to make sure the person you choose has the right experience, not just the right title. At Sorted Communications we have a broad range of experience across the team but we do our absolute best work when producing written communications such as newsletters, leaflets and blog posts.

If you choose to outsource to a single person, you can cherry-pick different people for different projects, and if things don’t work out or your requirements change, you can simply switch to another contractor. If you choose to work with a company you have the same flexibility with the added benefit of a single point of contact backed up by a team of people with a wider range of skills and experience. This flexible arrangement can often be easier than finding a one-size-fits-all employee who meets all your needs.

Budget considerations

No-one has an unlimited budget, and we’re all under pressure to get good value for money. With an employee, you know from the start just how much they will cost (unless you authorise them to do overtime). Under an outsourced contract, you can also agree fixed costs in advance and work them into project budgets – and of course, you can often keep the arrangement flexible, giving you the option to see what support you really do need as time moves on. External contractors can tailor their support to suit your budget, optimising the money you spend.

An employee may appear cheaper at a quick glance but remember, don’t just look at the pay costs – make sure you balance the ‘on costs’ of an employee (pension, National Insurance, holiday and sick pay, etc.) against the full cost of an external contract. As a rough indication, for an employee working 37 hours a week, 48 weeks a year, ‘on costs’ can easily be around 30% of the salary, so someone being paid £20,000 is in fact costing £26,000 – and if it turns out they’re not a good fit it can be a lengthy and costly process to get rid of them.

Is hot-desking a ‘hot’ idea?

Do you have the physical space you need to add to your team? If you don’t have the room, can they work from another base, or do you really need them close by? If you choose to use an external contractor, you will often find they are already set up to work remotely from their own office facilities just as easily as (or even more easily than) working from your office. If space is at a premium, remote working can be a win-win solution – whether you use an employee or a contractor.

Flexibility and cover for leave

Does the rest of your team have to take on more work when someone is on leave? Often you can plan ahead to cover each other’s holidays, but there can be pressure points such as Christmas or other holiday periods. A good external contractor will always ensure they don’t hit you with periods of time without support.

On the other side of the coin, if you have quiet times, an external provider can give you the flexibility of working – and charging – on a completely flexible ad hoc basis only when you need them.

All that said, dedication’s what you need

You may feel that a permanent employee will have greater dedication to your organisation than an external contractor, and this may be true in some cases, but I’m sure we all know people who just want to do the day job and go home.

A person or company who’s contracted in has the perfect reason to be dedicated: the possibility of future work! A good contractor will be keen to maintain their professional reputation and in many respects will have even more reason than a permanent employee to be professional and reliable and to deliver over and above the stated brief.

If you’re thinking about outsourcing your communications, contact us today and let us help get your communications sorted.