Securing the talent needed for productivity and growth remains a challenge, but the methods behind work procurement have evolved.

Around 300 B.C., the first known large-scale organization of “work” was observed. During that time, the development of unique skillsets was born from necessity and influenced by both available resources and engagement of said resources. Work was organized based on a person’s abilities, and we didn’t have wide ranging labor classifications.  Form followed function, one might say.

During the 1800s and 1900s, the focus shifted as employer/employee relationships crystallized, and employers sought different kinds of resources to mitigate business risks and costs. With the industrial revolution, we saw the formation of unions, and freelancers, independent contractors, and temporary workers found footholds in the modernizing workforce. We saw function following form.

Today, advancing technology (together with other factors such as unemployment rates, talent shortages, millennial preferences, and healthcare/retirement packages) continues to evolve the talent landscape.  That evolution is bringing us back to a world in which form can follow function.  Technology is allowing companies to more readily align direct staff through RPO, contract employees through staffing companies, ICs and freelancers via management systems, and even SOW vendors.

But there is an elephant in the talent landscape. The elephant is the operational implication.  How does a company organize—and even harmonize—all of these processes across historically separately-owned HR and Procurement functions?

Total talent management organizes the workforce landscape. It manages the needs of both HR/Talent Acquisition and Procurement and provides tools to meet each party’s needs more effectively. TTM provides:

• Faster, greater access to talent
• Amplified cost savings/quality
• Unification of processes and goals
• Consolidation of points of contact
• Increased compliance controls
• Heightened economies of scale

Change is here, and we have a brave new world of talent.  Already, forward-thinking organizations are seeking to purchase not only contract labor through their successful MSPs, but also independent contractors, SOW vendors, and direct employees. They are making choices based not on resource type, but quality and cost. The right partner—who is consultative, strategic and technologically savvy—is critical to driving sustainable results… #functionoverform

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In today’s marketplace, companies are becoming more innovative in terms of streamlining their internal processes.  When done smartly, significant cost savings and process efficiencies can be had.

“Agility is what companies are after,” says Charles Moeser, Vice President at Broadleaf.  “Usually, their internal teams are saddled with responsibilities in which they don’t have expertise or that do not add value to core business missions.  That, or their time has simply been stretched too thin to afford proper attention to all duties.  Outsourcing those burdensome process points to experts in the field provides companies with the agility and flexibility needed to focus on and react to company growth and strategy.”

Indeed, the symptoms of struggling HR departments vary.  They range from overworked employees to escalating costs, and from missed deadlines to poor quality of work.  Inefficiencies in an HR department anchor the company and keep it from advancing.

Companies are increasingly turning to outsourcing as a solution, as evidenced in surveys conducted by the Broadleaf.  Some companies turn to experts for the outsourcing of entire process chains, such as Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO).  Others bring in the experts to perform needs analysis and then outsource only troublesome elements of their workflows.  In either case, all firms reported increased efficiencies, reduced costs, and improved employee satisfaction after the deployment of outsourcing solutions.

So what are companies outsourcing?  In general terms, many are looking to industry experts to provide:

• Benefits Administration
• Co-Employment Risk Mitigation
• Employee Training
• Labor Relations
• On-boarding and Off-boarding Processes
• Pay Rate Benchmarking and Rationalization
• Payroll Processing
• Skills Management
• Strategic Workforce Planning
• Travel Management
• Workforce Scheduling

But it doesn’t stop there.  Many companies also seek out the services of workforce solutions providers to rationalize their recruiting cycles.  As stated before, firms can either outsource all of these processes or select elements:

• Job Posting Management
• Candidate Sourcing
• Candidate Screening
• Skills Testing
• Background Checks & Drug Testing
• Reference Checking
• Job Fair Administration

HR duties are complex, so how can you be sure that you are selecting the right firm to provide an outsourced solution?  The right provider will have years of experience in the industry and understand its nuances.  It will be attentive and provide customized solutions.  It will have its own Legal Department that specializes in employment law.  And the company will itself be agile, able to rapidly and expertly adapt to your evolving needs.

In the end, outsourcing has proved a boon for the companies that have leveraged it effectively.  Identifying the processes that are prime for outsourcing—and then selecting a provider that you trust—is key.

The post What HR Processes are Leading Companies Outsourcing? appeared first on Broadleaf Results.