4 Ways to Future-Proof Your Team

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

November 4, 2015 2 min read

Prepping for the future requires more than keeping on top of the latest technologies. You’ll need to a staff that can evolve with you and your business’ needs. Understand what’s next to better roll with the changes ahead.

When it comes to recruiting, don't limit yourself.
If you can’t find your perfect hire, expand your search. Tech companies of all sizes have begun recruiting abroad for skillsets that aren’t easily found domestically thanks to remote interviewing tools. Not compromising on key skills ensures that your company has the knowledge-base it needs to grow.

Consider crowdsourcing talent
By 2020, freelancers might comprise more than 40% of the workforce, according to a survey done by Intuit. This means that large full-time staffs could give way to casts of contractors filling in for intermittent needs or to pitch in during peak periods. It’s not too early to prepare for this reality now, considering how you’d structure these relationships, how contractors could contribute, and which communities you could build relationships with now.
Read more: 6 Recruitment Trends You Can't Ignore in 2015

Find people who can wear many hats.
With smaller teams, silos will become a thing of the past. So, start looking for people with multiple talents and interests: the software developer with an artistic streak or the marketing whiz who’s also a data geek. In the meantime, give people the opportunity to log time with different areas of the company so they have a fuller understanding of your company’s needs and challenges – and how their role fits in.
Read more: Marketing, Meet Tech. 4 Tips for Hiring a Data-Obsessed Team.

Make IT more than just troubleshooting.
While it is imperative to have a system in place to quickly solve problems as they arise. But more than that, your IT team will be partly responsible for helping your company grow. You want to make sure that the people who hire are able to make it possible for your other employees to securely work on the go, smoothly and frequently update your information systems infrastructure and have in-depth knowledge about how to deal with the worst with aplomb.
Read more: 10 Questions to Ask When Hiring Your Company's First IT Support Person