Some companies, whether because of accelerated growth or turnover, are choosing to forgo the recruiting and hiring process altogether, and instead hire consulting groups that can manage their IT.

Brandon App, co-owner and partner at IT consulting company Sierra Miles Group, said the Reno-based firm has been hired by a number of clients who have either experienced too much growth to handle or been hit with high IT turnover during the pandemic.

“We’re seeing a lot of people churn through employees because they’re demanding higher pay, they’re demanding remote work,” App said. “Or even healthcare (benefits). There might be scenarios where healthcare wasn’t offered, and now it’s more important than ever.”

App said Sierra Miles is not currently hiring, but he and co-owner Tim Miles are already trying to anticipate what their hiring needs might be next year — and how to attract talent when the time comes.

“Before, if we needed somebody, we would think about it maybe a month or two out,” App said. “And now, we’re looking at it more from a quarterly standpoint — as in, what are we going to need next quarter from an employee standpoint? We’re thinking a lot farther down the line.”

App said Sierra Miles has been a remote-first company since it launched in 2015. The company moved into a new Reno office in February 2020, only to go fully remote a month later when the pandemic hit.

Now, most of the firm’s employees work a hybrid of remote and in-person hours, said App, noting that anyone is allowed to work fully remote if they want.

“If you can get your job done at home or you can securely do it at a coffee shop, we really don’t care,” App said. “We just want to make sure that the job is done.”

Read the article in full at Northern Nevada Business Weekly.