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Both business owners and employees should be aware of the new HR trend called “quiet hiring.” Quiet hiring is when an organization acquires new skills without hiring new full-time employees. Sometimes, it means hiring short-term contractors (external quiet hiring). Other times, it means encouraging current employees to move into new or additional roles within the organization (internal quiet hiring).

Concerns about a possible recession in 2023 are real, and regardless if a recession occurs, many employers are beginning to slow their hiring. This is in addition to the historic labor shortage of 2022, which is continuing into 2023. Combined, this means that traditional full-time hiring is difficult and less appealing to employers.

But companies still have important financial targets to meet, and this has led to the increased use of outsourced solutions and/or mixing up the roles of existing employees to solve acute immediate needs.

Employers have to be sensitive to not giving existing employees the impression that they’re taking on new roles because their primary role has diminished in importance. They need to make it clear to the employees that changing roles is mission-critical to the company’s success and likely is a short-term arrangement.

Employees should be aware that agreeing to take on new duties in order to help the company through a jam is also an opportunity to discuss their long-term career prospects at the company and engage in negotiations for a salary or benefits increase, or a better work-life balance situation.

Companies facing labor challenges frequently turn to outside consultants and sub-contractors to manage vital business functions. Smart companies know that having ongoing relationships with industry-specific, well-connected consultants allows them the flexibility and dexterity to quickly respond to market changes, prepare for new initiatives and target effective communication to key stakeholders.

Is your company facing labor challenges and needs outsourced solutions for:

• Business development?
• Fractional CMO?
• Marketing implementation support?
• Lead generation using digital automation?
• Utility rebate strategy and implementation?
• Market research?
• Recruiting?
• Product management?
• Industrial design and product development?

There are several excellent, lighting industry-specific consulting firms serving North America, including our firm, Lighting Solution Development. If your company would like to explore outsourcing solutions, email me at david@lightingsold.com for a complimentary 15-minute consultation. Our firm, Lighting Solution Development, has been providing outsourced solutions to the advanced lighting industry for the past 13 years. Find out more with a no-obligation, no-cost consultation.

LightNOW is a media division of Lighting Solution Development.

David Shiller

David Shiller is the Publisher of LightNOW, and President of Lighting Solution Development, a North American consulting firm providing business development services to advanced lighting manufacturers. The ALA awarded David the Pillar of the Industry Award. David has co-chaired ALA’s Engineering Committee since 2010. David established MaxLite’s OEM component sales into a multi-million dollar division. He invented GU24 lamps while leading ENERGY STAR lighting programs for the US EPA. David has been published in leading lighting publications, including LD+A, enLIGHTenment Magazine, LEDs Magazine, and more.

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