When do you hire an admin employee? (And when not)

What the work actually is

Write down for a week what 'the admin' actually involves. Usually: sorting and answering email, working out quotes, processing invoices, retyping things. Largely predictable processing work — and that distinction determines the best solution.

The three options compared honestly

Hiring costs €1,500–€3,000+ a month plus recruiting and onboarding — and makes sense if there's real human work too: calling customers, planning, thinking along. Outsourcing works for well-defined jobs. Automating wins for predictable streams: it's a fraction of a salary per month and is operational tomorrow.

The order that works

Automate the predictable part first. Only then do you see what real human work remains — often too little for a vacancy, sometimes exactly enough for a nice part-time role. But then you hire someone for the good work, not for the pile.

Start by measuring: the time-leak scan shows how much work is really there.