Bringing someone new into your team is a big decision. It can also be a decision that is rushed because the workload appears too high for the existing team members, and there seems to be pressure to get someone in quickly to take the pressure off.
Even if everyone seems to be stretched to their limits, it is worth taking the time to sit down and map out the individual responsibilities of the team. Are they currently evenly shared depending on career level? Could the work be streamlined for efficiency? Are there areas of double handling that could be looked at? Is there work your team is doing that could be eliminated? Any processes that could be improved? Does the work need to be allocated differently to stretch and challenge certain people and take the pressure off others?
Try to resist the urge to quickly recruit another team member without first taking a step back to really consider what work needs doing and how it is best divided up among the team. It would be a shame to bring someone new in, only to find an existing team member was bored and under-utilised. Although this process will take time, it will be a very worthwhile investment and set the team up for ongoing success.
