A shortage of technical personnel.
Now what?

07-05-2018

It will sound familiar to many when I say that there is a shortage of good technical forces. There is a clear trend in the labor market where the demand for technically trained personnel is increasing and the supply is decreasing, according to the news item from the UWV (23 March 2018). All the more reason to cherish good staff. But what to do if the market continues to grow and the projects keep rolling in? Still accepting projects, disposing of projects or perhaps collaborating with competing colleagues?

A competing colleague is an euphemism for an employee of a competing company. This term is regularly used when referring to a colleague who works for a competitor, or by competitors who do not directly see each other as attackers.

Let it be clear that a competitor is and will remain your competitor, but I do believe that a collaboration is indeed possible. When such steps are taken, it is wise to make clear agreements about the purpose of the collaboration and the benefit that each party will derive from the collaboration. Sometimes it is even advisable to put these agreements on paper.

One thing is already clear to me: Not all colleagues see the advantages of a collaboration and choose to divest projects. Or they decide to take on the impossible work with consequences for the quality of the work delivered. Fortunately, there are also parties with whom there is successful collaboration, and where there is an interaction in the division of work between the competitors. If the result after the cooperation is a satisfied customer, with more turnover and profit for the cooperating parties, I would say that it is successful and that the chosen path can be a good solution for the shortage of technical personnel.

If all this sounds familiar, please contact me at the VEDS Group. Who knows, we can do something for each other!

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