A potential vacancy gives you an opportunity to review requirements and check whether:

• it is a straight-forward replacement

• a different job needs to be advertised

• the work can be covered by other means.

You need to be open-minded, creative and explore options. For example, could you:

• Reallocate work? A reorganization of responsibilities within existing staff may give development opportunities or simply be sensible

• Contract out all or part of the work? Many organizations are assessing the costs of employing people against the costs of contracting out the work. Is using agency staff an option?

• Cover the responsibilities by introducing more flexible working hours for existing staff?

• Use an internal secondment?

• Upgrade software and train existing staff?

What's important is that you rigorously question the need to fill a vacancy and the nature of the vacancy.