Human Resources do a lot of work. They build the framework of the company, swell the ranks of the business, maintain employee satisfaction, and train people for leadership positions—all at the same time. They’re centred on people, and in all corporations, people are the backbone of your success. But still, theirs is an unsung duty.Their work is further complicated by having to juggle tasks that are out of their scope because, most of the time, these things overlap each other. For example, productivity for promotion is often tied to an employee’s job satisfaction, which is under talent management. Job retention is the focus of talent management, who can only do so much to quell understaffed departments when recruitment is lagging. The intersection of tasks makes it difficult for HR employees to focus their efforts on hiring more people of substance, who would add value to the business.
Luckily, the rise of outsourcing companies has helped other companies help themselves. These specialized firms know what they’re doing because they usually focus on a specific role or process. You can be sure that you’re going to get the best output from them.
Does it sound like outsourcing is expensive? HR departments, especially those in small- and medium-sized companies, usually work with a constrained budget. However, don’t count big industries out; a staggering 56% of HR practitioners believed that they would save money from operational costs. Take a look at this and other common misgivings to see how outsourcing can help boost your company’s recruitment and quiet your fears:
Let’s face it: recruiting is expensive. In addition to the budget allocation for your HR department, you have to spend money on training and promoting an employee. Multiply that by ten for a department, and another five for a project. The costs really add up, so more often than not, your recruiters are stuck looking for leads in their current contact pools, using the same methods time and again.
Did you know that 41% of employers choose outsourcing, and they maintained budgets without adding more employees to the department? That’s right: you can get more money to innovate your recruitment strategies. For example, you can spend more on social media ads, since 83% of job-seekers are active on Facebook. Alternatively, you could go above the line and place tarps in high foot-traffic areas in cities. This is entirely up to you.
GOING DIGITAL: Outsourcing firms use all media available when trying to hire employees
More money can also mean more allocations for employee engagement. Companies with engaged employees enjoy 25% better retention rates than those who have disengaged workforce. Have more social interaction events, get healthier food, or improve your processes. Once you’ve engaged them, you don’t have to recruit more people—or spend more money. The cycle continues.
You may want consider it soon, too. In 2013 alone, more than two million jobs were outsourced. If it were really draining costs, the outsourcing industry would have died out already.
Headhunters—not the scary, sword-wielding ones—are independent contractors that help other companies recruit. As independent sources of contacts, they often have connections with different companies and industries that supply them with a constantly evolving pool of leads. They usually cultivate these source pools first because they focus searching for applicants on a micro level, so their specialty is filling unique or top-management roles.
MYTH: Headhunters don’t actually collect heads
Instead of wasting time and money dedicating a resource to look for people for specific roles, you can have them focus on volume hiring for the company’s expansion. Some headhunters also have fees that you can negotiate depending on your needs (e.g. payment per accepted applicant, payment per successful interview, etc.).
Outsourcing firms have recruited them all: from maintenance personnel to CEOs in various fields. More often than not, their firm will have some strategy in hiring that you haven’t tried yet. By integrating your own processes with theirs, you can dramatically improve the number of hires you can get for your company.
Assuming that you’re a small business, you can even learn from how they recruit. When your company grows and gets the numbers it needs, you can use the strategies you picked up from them to improve your recruitment tools and strategies. It’s a win-win!
Outsourcing processes is more than work-sharing; it’s a partnership to improve your business
Outsourcing is an advantage ripe for the plucking. Your company’s hiring processes, whether pinpointed or in volume, can get a boost without encumbering costs. You’ve positively dispelled the notions associated with outsourcing at this point. In your next operations meeting, we hope that you can recommend taking outsourcing for a spin for your company.
If you’re still on the fence about outsourcing and how it can help your business, why not avail of a free consultation? Don’t worry: this is non-committal. We want to help you benchmark your business.