Staff augmentation is a bit of a “buzz phrase” at the moment, particularly in the tech and IT industry. It is often confused with other terms such as outsourcing and contingent staffing; however, it’s pretty different.
What Is It, Exactly?
Staff augmentation is temporary outsourcing, which entails hiring a very specialized team to complete a specific project.
Staff augmentation services bring talent to augment your current team or the entire organization.
Staff augmentation is a way to meet your temporary or peak needs by hiring experts in their fields, allowing you to focus on your core business objectives instead of spending valuable company resources doing the work yourself.
When utilizing staff augmentation services, you are essentially hiring an expert or team of experts to carry out specific projects, functions, services, or tasks for your company.
The following are just a few examples of how companies have used staff augmentation in the past:
- Hiring services that require special skills or expertise for short periods, such as training or other projects.
- Hiring to work on large projects that require extra hands when the usual employees are already overwhelmed with their existing workloads.
Staff augmentation staffing services provide your business with flexible access to labor pools and subject matter experts. When you use this type of service, your business may attract professionals already in high demand.
Staff Augmentation Vs. Managed Services
Staff Augmentation is more targeted talent hired for a specific purpose or skill set. It looks at the bigger picture and focuses on finding the best candidate for a particular job role.
Managed Services usually entail hiring a whole department or team. For instance, a company outsources an entire IT department to a professional Managed Service Provider.
Unlike Staff Augmentation, which is typically short-term, managed service providers sign more extended contracts.
A managed service might involve hiring the service provider to maintain your IT environment on an ongoing basis. You don’t have to worry about hiring or training new employees.
Staff Augmentation Vs. Consulting
Consulting also involves hired expertise, but consultants typically advise on a business problem. For example, consulting may be the right choice if your company is having productivity issues. You need someone to help pinpoint the issue and find a solution that works for your unique needs.
On the other hand, staff augmentation focuses on available expertise. It provides your business with the hired talent you need to complete a project or deliver a specific service.
Here’re reasons why staff augmentation may be suitable for you:
You’re Expanding and Taking On New Endeavors
All companies encourage growth—but you know what they say, “be careful with what you wish for.” Fast growth can take a toll on an organization and its employees when expanding into new projects or markets.
Staff augmentation is a great way to hire specialized people who have the experience to take on new opportunities. It covers what you need at the time of expansion without committing to permanently hiring new employees.
Alternatively, you can augment your staff to take on your expanding workload while searching for the right full-time employees.
You Need Some Serious Experts
Sometimes a project or client requires a little extra. Instead of stretching your team or skillset, doing guesswork, or taking on too much, staff augmentation allows you to bring in someone highly skilled in the specific work you need to handle.
For example, an experienced software engineer, a contract attorney, or perhaps a well-known PR consultant can make all the difference in handling your workload.
You Need a Hand or Simply Another Perspective
Sometimes, entrepreneurs get stuck in the trees and can’t see the forest. Staff augmentation allows for a fresh pair of eyes to come in and help strategize from an unbiased outsider’s point of view. When you’re feeling stuck, a newcomer can make a huge difference.
Also, sometimes you need more hands-on-deck, especially for manual labor, administrative, or manufacturing work.
Staff augmentation is a great way to offload the many responsibilities from your workers so they can concentrate on specific tasks.
You Can’t Find the Talent You Need Locally or In-House
Locating talent within your geographical location is essential, but it’s not always possible. Even if you’re able to find employees with similar skills, they may not have the talent set your company needs—and it would most likely cost you more to train your current employees. Staff augmentation allows you to hire talent quickly without a lot of stress.
You Don’t Have the Upfront Capital for Full-Time Hiring
Hiring even one new employee requires substantial investment in terms of finances and time. Instead of hiring someone full-time, especially when handling seasonal business demands, consider staff augmentation as a viable option.
You get access to experts and professionals without having to make a long-term commitment.
Staff Augmentation Could Be Your Key
Staff augmentation could be your key to more growth. It enables you to take on new challenges, increase employees’ happiness, solve problems, and eliminate time-consuming work.
It’s also a great way to take on new opportunities while expanding your business into new markets.
If you’re considering staff augmentation services, there are a lot of tools available to you. However, first, understand the challenges you need to conquer. These are:
- Finding the right talent
- Scalability
- Project knowledge transfer
- Management and communication
- Legalities
The solution to these problems is to partner with a reliable talent firm. You’ll benefit from their industry knowledge, resources, relationships, and expertise.
A talent firm will begin by asking you questions about your company, business challenges, and goals to determine the best person for your project.
Then they’ll handle all of the leg work like resumes, references, and background checks—and bring only the top candidates to you for consideration.
A talent firm like Epic Placements is a great place to start. We are a talent agency that values diversity, experience & teamwork to connect the nation’s best talent with employers who need them.
We are not simply sourcing talent. We are about finding the right talent for you so you can focus on your business.
Search for talent—either remote or in your city—hereCheck out some epic work opportunities by applying here