The fastest way to lose your best QS

"The modern QS role is like a game of whack-a-mole."

I've spoken with a lot of QS's this year from a whole plethera of different sectors, but there was definitely a common theme:
A lot feel that the modern QS role is designed like a game of whack-a-mole.

One QS. One project. No support.

They’re expected to carry the full commercial function - with little to no support.
Cost planning. Procurement. Valuations. Subcontractor queries. Client meetings. Payment notices. Variations. Disputes. CVRs. Forecasts. Closeout. The list goes on.
The thing is, they’re not short of ability. They’re short of breathing space. They feel constantly pulled in six directions at once, and for good reason.
Emails, site-walks, client calls, late revisions to the BoQ…  it’s not a lack of structure, it’s a lack of support. The work comes in all at once, from all directions.
You clear one urgent issue and three more pop up before you’ve even sat down, via every single channel; email, phone, Teams, someone knocking on the site office door.
And because every task is urgent, none of them get the time they truly deserve. That constant switching isn’t a skill gap, it’s a system gap.

Here’s how it will play out:

Errors will start to creep in.
No second pair of hands = every urgent task lands on them, and they inevitablt start to drown. Things start getting missed or overlooked.
Work runs late into evenings. Family life becomes impacted, and their mental health deteriorates.
That’s when CV's start circulating. And by the time anyone notices, it’s too late.
They’re burnt out, they feel unseen, unheard, and unappreciated.

Now you’re left with:

• The hardest role to fill in construction, especially mid-project.
• A bumpy handover (if you’re lucky enough to get one)
• Internal costs overruning
• Damage to your business's reputation
• Even more pressure on you and the existing team

The phrase 'hamster wheel' comes to mind, because in these conditions, your replacement QS will shortly be drafting their notice and following suit. And on the wheel turns.

The business cost of one person carrying too much?

Say goodbye to your margin made on that project they were handling.
Clients get nervous and then your reputation is on the line.
If you were lucky enough to get a handover, data gets lost and you end up paying twice not just in money, but time as well.
If the market hears you’re struggling, other QS's will avoid you.
This isn’t about capability.
It’s about capacity.
When the role is designed like whack-a-mole, with every task treated as urgent, the QS is always forced into survival mode, not strategic delivery.
That’s when you lose your best people.
Not because they can’t handle the work, but because the setup made it impossible to do the work well.