When and How Should a Small Design Firm Start to Take on Staff?
Expert advice on how to identify the right time to hire employees and start the process of growing a team
When you’re starting your design business, it can be tricky to work out the ideal time to start recruiting staff. Should you wait until you have too much work to handle yourself, or is it best to begin hiring early? Follow these tips to help you devise a strategy that works for you and your business.
Professional advice from: Ran Ankory of Scenario Architecture; Angus Eitel of fiftypointeight Architecture + Interiors; Alex Depledge of Resi
Professional advice from: Ran Ankory of Scenario Architecture; Angus Eitel of fiftypointeight Architecture + Interiors; Alex Depledge of Resi
Allocate resources
One of the factors in deciding whether to hire staff is whether or not you can afford it. The key is to be aware of all the costs involved, according to Angus, including hiring an accountant and a bookkeeper and offering a pension.
“In short, the salary is just the start, as there are numerous other costs to consider as well, including insurance and IT,” he says.
“It’s daunting taking on staff, but sometimes you have to speculate to accumulate,” Alex Depledge says. “You have to think of the contribution that person may be able to make to your business, which could pay for their salary.”
One of the factors in deciding whether to hire staff is whether or not you can afford it. The key is to be aware of all the costs involved, according to Angus, including hiring an accountant and a bookkeeper and offering a pension.
“In short, the salary is just the start, as there are numerous other costs to consider as well, including insurance and IT,” he says.
“It’s daunting taking on staff, but sometimes you have to speculate to accumulate,” Alex Depledge says. “You have to think of the contribution that person may be able to make to your business, which could pay for their salary.”
Cover all your bases
Don’t forget the administration and legal requirements involved in hiring staff. Angus highlights the importance of having a robust contract in place and says its best to do this before starting the recruitment process in order to tease out a lot of questions about things like annual leave and trial periods.
“It’s also worth making sure your business has a health and safety policy, an equality policy and an environment policy in place,” says Angus.
Check out Houzz Pro, our business management platform for designers and renovation professionals.
Don’t forget the administration and legal requirements involved in hiring staff. Angus highlights the importance of having a robust contract in place and says its best to do this before starting the recruitment process in order to tease out a lot of questions about things like annual leave and trial periods.
“It’s also worth making sure your business has a health and safety policy, an equality policy and an environment policy in place,” says Angus.
Check out Houzz Pro, our business management platform for designers and renovation professionals.
Visualise your team
Before you plan your workforce, it pays to think ahead about how you’d like that team to look.
“It’s almost like working backwards,” Ran says. “Look at the business you want to create and work out how you go from there. For example, we were adamant we didn’t want a freelancer or someone who was part-time, as we didn’t think it was right for the type of business we wanted to set up.”
The way your team is constructed might also evolve over time. “We were told that the first member of staff is very important, as they’d be leading any employees who followed,” Ran says. “However, we later realised there shouldn’t be a leader and that we didn’t want to have a hierarchy.”
Before you plan your workforce, it pays to think ahead about how you’d like that team to look.
“It’s almost like working backwards,” Ran says. “Look at the business you want to create and work out how you go from there. For example, we were adamant we didn’t want a freelancer or someone who was part-time, as we didn’t think it was right for the type of business we wanted to set up.”
The way your team is constructed might also evolve over time. “We were told that the first member of staff is very important, as they’d be leading any employees who followed,” Ran says. “However, we later realised there shouldn’t be a leader and that we didn’t want to have a hierarchy.”
Start the search
There are plenty of ways to advertise for new staff, and it can take a while to find the right method for your firm. Some architecture practices have links with local universities.
“We’ve been involved in student mentoring, practice evenings and mock interviews and, as a result, get to meet the students nearing the end of their courses,” Angus says. “Ever since first establishing a practice, I’ve been fortunate to be able to call on students to provide project assistance on a short-term basis.”
Social media is another option, as is the use of recruitment agencies. However, the latter can be expensive and is often best left for recruiting very specialised staff or senior positions.
There are plenty of ways to advertise for new staff, and it can take a while to find the right method for your firm. Some architecture practices have links with local universities.
“We’ve been involved in student mentoring, practice evenings and mock interviews and, as a result, get to meet the students nearing the end of their courses,” Angus says. “Ever since first establishing a practice, I’ve been fortunate to be able to call on students to provide project assistance on a short-term basis.”
Social media is another option, as is the use of recruitment agencies. However, the latter can be expensive and is often best left for recruiting very specialised staff or senior positions.
Keep an open mind
According to our experts, recruiting the right candidate doesn’t just depend on a CV. They tend to focus on qualities rather than qualifications, such as the candidate’s thinking processes, willingness to work with the team, and whether or not their ethos chimes with that of the firm.
During the interview process, Ran suggests simulating different scenarios that someone might come up against during a project in order to see how they think.
According to our experts, recruiting the right candidate doesn’t just depend on a CV. They tend to focus on qualities rather than qualifications, such as the candidate’s thinking processes, willingness to work with the team, and whether or not their ethos chimes with that of the firm.
During the interview process, Ran suggests simulating different scenarios that someone might come up against during a project in order to see how they think.
Motivate your team
Once you’ve recruited your staff, it’s important to make sure they’re happy, motivated and productive. Suggestions include trying to understand where they’re coming from, which is important if your staff are younger and have different expectations than people from an older generation might.
Offering regular reviews and development programmes is also key, as is giving your employees autonomy and flexibility.
Once you’ve recruited your staff, it’s important to make sure they’re happy, motivated and productive. Suggestions include trying to understand where they’re coming from, which is important if your staff are younger and have different expectations than people from an older generation might.
Offering regular reviews and development programmes is also key, as is giving your employees autonomy and flexibility.
Communicate your brand
To ensure you find employees who are in line with your firm’s goals, it’s a good idea to communicate your ethos to potential candidates.
Alex suggests building an employer brand that’s in line with the company culture. “We want to make architecture accessible for everyone and the employer brand is really all about encouraging the best candidates to take part in that journey,” she says.
As you grow, it will be easier to communicate that ethos to potential employees as your website, social media channels and portfolio will help to illustrate how you work.
To ensure you find employees who are in line with your firm’s goals, it’s a good idea to communicate your ethos to potential candidates.
Alex suggests building an employer brand that’s in line with the company culture. “We want to make architecture accessible for everyone and the employer brand is really all about encouraging the best candidates to take part in that journey,” she says.
As you grow, it will be easier to communicate that ethos to potential employees as your website, social media channels and portfolio will help to illustrate how you work.
Monitor growth
To increase your workforce, Alex recommends capacity planning every month, which involves looking at future work and growth and hiring accordingly.
Ran suggests a slow and sustainable approach to hiring, and advises against taking on staff to cater to short-term demand, as you could find yourself shrinking your team later.
“Be proactive, rather than reactive,” he says. “We’ve taken on an average of one staff member per year, but we probably could have grown faster than this. However, we try to stay a little too small for demand, so we can keep control of the quality of our business and the type of work we do.”
Tell us…
Are you planning to take on staff for the first time? Or have you already done it? What tips would you give other professionals? Share your experiences in the Comments section.
To increase your workforce, Alex recommends capacity planning every month, which involves looking at future work and growth and hiring accordingly.
Ran suggests a slow and sustainable approach to hiring, and advises against taking on staff to cater to short-term demand, as you could find yourself shrinking your team later.
“Be proactive, rather than reactive,” he says. “We’ve taken on an average of one staff member per year, but we probably could have grown faster than this. However, we try to stay a little too small for demand, so we can keep control of the quality of our business and the type of work we do.”
Tell us…
Are you planning to take on staff for the first time? Or have you already done it? What tips would you give other professionals? Share your experiences in the Comments section.
When you’re trying to decide whether to start employing staff, it’s wise to plan ahead. Ran Ankory believes you should hire people before you need them, rather than when you need them, and that taking on a member of staff can force you to take on extra projects.
The process can also be triggered by moving to an office space, as Angus Eitel found. “Once I’d done this, it was almost incumbent upon me to take on more projects. As a result, it became necessary to consider additional staff,” he says.