The 'We're so understaffed' myth

Your company's probably NOT actually understaffed. You probably are just using the people you do have incorrectly, or letting them skate on true responsibilities.

I've had a bunch of different jobs, and at every single one, someone in a middle management role or higher has constantly referred to how understaffed their department (or the entire organization) is. Then, let's say I've been in 1,900 or so happy hours and whatnot. Whenever someone talks about their current work deal, they usually include some variatio…