Hire Extra Staff vs. Hiring Forklift Trucks
Every business faces a difficult decision when the workload increases significantly. Indeed, when the volume or the size of orders a business receives grows, issues with capacity and workload management are unavoidable. For instance, in warehouses and construction sites, additional orders are synonymous with an increased need for forklift trucks to transport materials on pallets or packs.
Yet a business can approach the situation with different strategies. Firstly, it can decide to focus on forklift hire or staff hire. It can be tricky to figure out the right approach for your business between hiring extra staff vs hiring forklift trucks. At atlasforklift, we help you understand the pros and cons and decide on the best solution for you.
Cons Of Hiring Extra Staff
Typically, companies consider hiring new employees to tackle an increase in workload. However, it is important to note that recruitment may not always be the right approach. Indeed, hiring extra staff can come at a high cost for the business.
First of all, hiring more staff is no non-negligible expense. Yet, hiring extra staff without providing adequate equipment, such as material handling forklifts, may lead to a low return on recruitment investment. Indeed, in an industrial or warehousing environment, professional equipment is necessary to meet the demand without risks of injury. Failure to invest in the right machinery may decrease the productivity of the new staff members.
Aside from the cost aspect, hiring more staff is also a time-demanding process, and it can take several weeks or months before new staff is ready to support the business.
Finally, cash flow concerns may affect the business's readiness to hire. Indeed, while some periods of high activity may require additional forklifts, if activity levels fluctuate during the year, the company may not be willing to invest in recruitment for the time being.
Why Forklift Truck Hire Makes Sense
On the other hand, the business may decide to hire forklifts instead of staff when it comes to managing sudden changes in order volume. Indeed, forklift truck hire services can prove a more cost-effective solution. Indeed, when the demand volume increases, companies can focus on maximising their productivity through streamlining operations and activities. Rather than relying on additional and costly manual labour, hiring extra equipment to meet adhoc demand, such as forklift hire, can support the business goals without creating further liabilities. It is important to note that the business is not stuck in a long-term recruitment relationship when the workload decreases, as the length of forklift truck hire is flexible.
Additionally, it is also a chance to provide training opportunities such as forklift driver training for the existing staff. Training employees can be an investment that delivers high ROI in the future.
Finally, it is important to note that relying on specialist equipment in work environments that require transporting or moving heavy goods will significantly reduce the risk of injuries. Work injuries affect both productivity and costs, and it makes no sense for businesses to expose their teams to unnecessary risks when they can hire forklifts and other specialist machinery.
In conclusion, when a sudden increase in workload coincides with a specific project or period in time, it doesn't make sense for a company to hire additional staff. Recruitment costs can affect the business's financial health, presenting a threat to growth and long-term sustainability. Therefore, it can be a good idea for companies that are unsure about long-term team growth to focus on hiring specialist equipment to support their existing team. Hiring forklift trucks can help companies meet their new challenges safely and increase capacity and business health in a more controlled way.
