With hiring confidence close to record lows, SMEs should use a resignation to review the work and skills they need before republishing an old job description.
UK employers remain cautious about recruitment. The CIPD’s latest Labour Market Outlook found that only 62% of organisations plan to recruit during the next three months, falling to 57% among private-sector employers.
The difference between employers expecting staffing levels to increase and those anticipating a decrease remains at +9, close to its lowest point outside the pandemic. Despite the slowdown, 31% of employers still report vacancies that are difficult to fill.
For SMEs, where one person may hold several responsibilities and recruitment budgets are closely scrutinised, these conditions make every replacement vacancy a significant decision.
A resignation should not automatically become permission to repost the same job description. Before recruitment begins, employers should take a short step back and establish what work is leaving, what the business now requires, and whether the original role still provides the right answer.
That does not mean expecting the remaining team to absorb every vacancy. It means making sure the recruitment decision reflects the organisation’s current needs rather than the position as it existed several years ago.
The following six questions from Evalu-8 HR Software can form a practical vacancy reset test.
- What work is actually leaving?
Job descriptions record what somebody was originally employed to do. They do not always show what that person is doing by the time they leave.
An employee who has spent three years in a role may have gradually taken responsibility for customer queries, supplier relationships, reporting, staff training or administrative processes that were never formally added to their job description.
Before writing an advert, speak to the departing employee, their manager and the colleagues who work most closely with them. Identify their regular duties, current projects, recurring deadlines and informal responsibilities.
The aim is to understand the real gap their departure will create, rather than relying solely on an outdated document.
- Which knowledge or responsibilities could be lost?
Some of the most important information held by a departing employee may not appear in any task list.
They might understand the history behind a customer relationship, know how to resolve a recurring systems problem, or act as the only link between two parts of the business. They may hold an approval, qualification, or level of system access that will need to be transferred.
SMEs should distinguish between work that needs to continue and knowledge that needs to be captured before the employee leaves.
A handover should therefore cover more than unfinished tasks. It should identify key contacts, important decisions, document locations, access requirements, and any risks created by the departure.
- Does the business still need the same role?
The role advertised three years ago may not be the role the business needs today.
Technology may have removed some tasks and created others. Customer expectations might have changed. The business may now operate from different locations, use a hybrid working arrangement, or require different hours of coverage.
Managers should challenge each part of the old job description rather than changing the employee’s name and publication date.
Which responsibilities remain essential? Which have become outdated? Are there duties that belong more naturally elsewhere? Does the reporting line still make sense? What hours and location are genuinely required?
This review can prevent an SME from recruiting successfully for a vacancy that no longer solves the right problem.
- What capability already exists in the business?
External recruitment is not always the only option.
Another employee may already possess some of the necessary experience or may be ready to progress with suitable support. Training records, previous experience, qualifications and development discussions can help managers identify possible internal candidates.
Records alone should not be treated as a complete measure of capability. Having attended a course does not necessarily mean somebody is ready to take responsibility for the work. Managers should also consider practical experience, performance, confidence and the employee’s own career ambitions.
An internal move may still create another vacancy elsewhere, but it can provide a useful development opportunity and retain knowledge within the business.
- What does the replacement genuinely need to bring?
Once the work has been reviewed, the business can separate essential requirements from skills that can be developed after appointment.
Some roles genuinely require a qualification, licence or level of experience from the first day. Other requirements may have remained in the job description simply because they were included in the previous advert.
Being precise about what is essential can widen the pool of suitable applicants without lowering standards. It can also prevent employers from searching for an unrealistic copy of the person who has left.
The revised recruitment brief should explain the problem the new employee needs to solve, the results expected from the role and the capabilities that will help them succeed.
- How will the business know whether the decision worked?
The vacancy reset should continue beyond approval of the job advert.
The revised responsibilities should flow through the advert, interview questions, offer, onboarding plan and probation objectives. Otherwise, the business risks carefully redefining the position before reverting to the old version once recruitment begins.
After the employee has had time to settle into the role, the manager should review whether the original need has been addressed.
Is the critical work being completed? Were the right skills recruited? Has responsibility been allocated clearly? Does the employee have the training, information, and authority needed to succeed?
For SMEs, improving recruitment quality does not begin when an advert reaches an applicant tracking system. It begins with a clear understanding of the work, skills, and business need behind the vacancy.
Author Bio: Josh McNicholas is a Senior Member of the Evalu-8 HR Software team and has worked with leading organisations across multiple industries to improve their HR & people processes through digital transformation