Wants and needs are two very different words whose meanings can often interchange with each other, especially in business. Although everyone conveniently understands both, their differences with their levels of necessity can be pretty confusing and often lead to poor decision-making.
Business owners can suffer from damages caused by poor decision-making. A need is something you have to have, and a want is simply something you like to have for several reasons. But from an employer’s standpoint, budget and resources are significant concerns.
To cut costs, many businesses these days employ outsourcing some of their work to address their concerns and save a bit of money along the way. Since many talented people are willing to work for the right price, businesses will always find anyone willing to work for them. However, going this route for your business may cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture and the company’s long-term goals. Here’s what you need to consider when finding resources for your tasks to address your clients’ needs:
Freelancers
In the Western world alone, more professionals are doing freelance work, and many companies are taking advantage of this phenomenon. There are the pros, such as lowered payrolls and accessibility. However, it can also lead to its very downfall. There is no guarantee that these talented nomads stay as they’re always looking for greener financial pastures. They value comfort and the said pastures above all else. Hence, they are likely to multitask with other virtual jobs. Without personal ties and proper supervision, freelancers work with no strings attached.
Project-based Work
Contract workers who work for a specific project that can last for weeks or months are what most companies want. However, their quest to deliver results to their clients at a fraction of the cost often seriously hampers the universal need of every human being—job stability. Another dilemma is when clients want project-based professional talents to do the job, not even considering that these employees might be committed to another company and might be harder to recruit.
Jack of All Trades
Versatile professionals who can work multiple tasks has the edge over employees with set skills, and employers somehow love to hire these kinds of people. Imagine you need social media personnel, and one candidate comes to you with a background in content writing, editing, and designing skills. Of course, you will be thrilled to hire the person on the spot because their skills all work for the role.
However, it is never efficient if clients only look at it from an output-driven perspective. It might be great to have a team player on board. However, without a team to work like a well-oiled machine, all efforts will be in vain. The team player will do multiple tasks at once, which can lead to a burned-out remote staff. Nobody wants that to happen.
Finally, if you want a more efficient business process, hiring people who focus or specialize in the role is always better.
Cheaper Operational Costs
There are already more affordable staffing solutions available for businesses, especially for small and midsize companies. However, for some reason, some clients still want to hire talent for a cheaper cost. Just think of your business as a car. Do you want to bring it to a cheap repair shop or a reliable auto mechanic service? Of course, you will choose the latter. The same thing goes with your operations. So try not to capitalize on cheap labor that does not promise quality.
Also, it is not usually good to present to interested applicants, especially when the role is challenging, with a long list of job descriptions. It discourages talents, especially those looking for a competitive salary range, and demotivates existing staff in the long run.
Treat your business as an investment because it is. Do not prioritize operational costs too much, or it will just impede your organizational growth.
Being a business leader is one of the hardest things you can ever be; there are just too many things to handle and ideas to innovate. You will also be responsible for your employees and their welfare. Understandably, you want to slash some overhead costs to be self-sustainable. However, not every want is justified enough to be a need for the business, with two main things to consider: the resources and the output. Of course, as much as possible, you want both. Therefore, you need to strike a balance. Remember that if you hire talents that you know will do the job and perform, investing a little more in them is always worth it.
