As of last year, there were nearly 264,000 technology positions unfilled in U.S. corporations. They were worth more than $20 billion.
Why are there so many unfilled tech positions? Well, multiple factors. But one of the biggest is that busy managers tend to put off hiring. It may seem easier to spread the workload among the remaining tech staff, figuring a new person can be hired later. Managers may need to get approval or wait until a budget for the year is finalized.
The hiring process and everything entailed in it, such as developing a job description and perhaps even documents like a needs assessment, can be time consuming and take resources away from other work. So, putting off hiring for unfilled tech positions is understandable.
But it is not a good idea. The following risks are associated with having unfilled technology positions.
-
It Can Take Longer Than You Think
It can take up to ninety days to hire an employee for technology departments. That is three solid months of not having a person you need to fulfill your business. Putting off going through the hiring process, even a little, can delay a new hire even more. You can end up not getting a replacement for six or more months.
-
Your Staff May Be Overworked
If you shift the work of the unfilled position to the remaining employees, it may work…for a while. But frankly, if you have a vacant full-time position, that is a large burden to shift to your team, all of whom presumably have full workloads already.
Your staff may start to feel very overworked if the situation goes on for a long time. Overwork can cause short tempers and frustration. It can cause resentment. Ultimately, it can lose you top performers, because resentment can lead to distrust of the company and low morale. Employees who feel those things tend to start looking for other jobs.
-
You May Make an Impulsive Hire
If problems begin to mount, you may try to find a qualified person in a hurry. The problem is, good tech hires happen when potential employees are thoroughly assessed and interviewed. If you are too busy to do that, or you need someone now so badly you hire someone who may not be fully qualified, it can have repercussions throughout your business.
If your impulsive hire needs more training, you may still have an overworked staff for several months. If your impulsive hire turns out to be a bad hire, you have gone back to the drawing board. More overworked staff, and yet even more time expended on the hiring process.
An Experienced Staffing Agency for Your Needs
Filling unfilled technology positions can leave your department performing under peak levels. Working with an experienced technology staffing agency can increase your productivity by ensuring the recruiting and hiring process is optimized. Nesco Resource can help. We are experts in the technology field. Contact us today.
