Resource gaps – easy to arise; difficult to fill!

Continuing from our blog: Struggling with staff shortages? If Ghostbusters can’t help you, who else are you going to call? We talked then about contracting options to relieve staff shortages, but it’s important to note that not all contract arrangements are equal.

A real-life situation

A business we know of needed a senior finance person for a listed company which had some significant challenges. They got someone on contract from an Agency. On paper that person appeared a good fit and in the interview they said all the right things and ticked the right boxes.

Fast forward five months and unfortunately that person resigned. No problem said the Agency, “we will find you someone else”. But there was a very real problem. The runway had disappeared, and for a role this senior, there wasn’t enough time left to find another person, get them up to speed and meet deadlines that for a listed entity are set in stone. Needless to say, there was a lot of pain in this particular circumstance, some of it financial when penalties were incurred, as well as unwanted attention from market regulators and reputational damage.

The point here is that a traditional agency approach for contracting doesn’t always work, especially if they don’t know their contractors very well, have limited understanding of exactly what it is they do, and haven’t got a real backup plan if things don’t work out well.

The model we work with at Management Response involves:

• Using career contractors, our Associates, whom we know well and have often worked with in the past. For those we haven’t worked with, we stay close in support of them until we have that familiarity. They are part of the Management Response team and not just contractors we call on when needed.
• Knowing in detail what our Associates are focused on delivering for our clients, having done the same ourselves in past roles.
• Understanding the client’s business and their operations well so that there is a real plan B should our Associate be unable to complete the engagement for any reason.
• Providing regular direct support for our Associate – Quality Assurance if you like – so they can deliver the required outcomes and not stumble if they come across something they find difficult to deal with.
• Owning, through a Management Response Director or Senior Associate, the client relationship and completion of the current engagement which ensures good knowledge and guarantees continuity.

Our pool of Associates is relatively small but has the skills and experience in a range of industries which, with our mentoring and support, helps ensure they succeed in delivering the required outcomes for our clients.