Outsourcing employment to an external provider can free up time and resources while ensuring that critical HR functions are handled well. However, your partnership with an outsourcing company must be successful—otherwise, you may subsequently find yourself with a non-performing third-party partner. Here are six tips for ensuring that does not happen:
Think About You and Your Company’s Goals
Your goals must align with your partner’s to gain the most from an HR outsourcing employment partnership. To ensure a successful outsourcing partnership, ask yourself:
- What are our strategic goals?
- Also, what are the strategic goals of the HR department?
- What do we want to accomplish by hiring an outsourced HR professional?
Identify the HR functions You Want to Outsource
To determine which HR functions to outsource, you should first identify the internal HR elements you want to manage. For example, if your organization is large enough to need a dedicated human resources department − or if you have particular functions (e.g., payroll) for which training and experience are critical.
You may decide that certain areas of HR should be handled in-house. However, there are many benefits to outsourcing at least some aspects of human resources management:
- You will be able to focus on other areas of your business
- Also, you will have access to expertise in specialized fields such as employee benefits or compensation administration
- Moreover, you will save time and money by outsourcing non-core services
Choose the Right Provider for You
The right provider will have the skills, knowledge, and experience to deliver the best service. If you’re seeking employment or your HR function for the first time, you need a provider who understands how your business works.
For example, if you’re your e-commerce retailer with multiple stores across several countries, choosing a provider who has worked with retailers in a similar situation might make sense. A good provider will also be able to provide insight into how recruitment works in different countries and different sectors.
Moreover, for example, if your company is based in South Africa but has operations in Australia and New Zealand, it makes sense for you to work with an agency with experience recruiting internationally. They will be better equipped than their competitors to help you source candidates suitable for both roles – rather than just one role or another.
Create a Detailed Service-Level Agreement
A service level agreement (SLA) is an essential document that both parties should have in place before a partnership begins. An SLA details the responsibilities and expectations of both companies, outlining how they will communicate with each other and what the consequences are if things go awry.
It also includes a list of deliverables for each party to complete during their contracted period. The most important aspect of an SLA is that it lays out precisely the services each company expects from the other, as well as timelines for various tasks such as proposal reviews or project kickoff meetings.
If you’re a small team building your first internal HR system—or even if you’ve been on these systems before—it can be difficult to set realistic goals while considering all possible contingencies. This can lead to trouble in the future! By creating detailed specifications up front, you’ll avoid misunderstandings about what’s what from your new partner (and vice versa).
Make It Clear What Is In and What Is Outside the Scope of the Project
It’s important to know what is included and what is not in the scope of a project. You will want to ensure understanding or miscommunication throughout your partnership. Below are some questions you should ask:
- What is the scope of this project?
- Plus, what is outside of our agreed-upon scope?
- Who else needs to be involved for us to accomplish our goals?
- How long do we have until we have completed all deliverables, objectives, and other time frames?
Trust (But Verify)
Make sure you trust your outsourced partner and verify their trustworthiness. Communication and transparency are two critical aspects to the success of any outsourcing relationship. It’s essential to communicate with your outsourced partner regularly and ensure that they keep you updated on progress made or issues encountered.
The same applies to them communicating with you—you must know what’s what at all times, so make sure they keep you in the loop! Also, make sure that expectations are clear from the start and what will happen if those expectations aren’t met, e.g., penalties). Ideally, these would be written down in a service level agreement (SLA) signed by both parties before any work begins; however, if that isn’t possible due to time constraints or other external factors beyond anyone, at least document them verbally after agreeing upon them together beforehand.
No one will be surprised later when things don’t go as planned. Plans can change due to circumstances beyond either party. Such could have been avoided had everyone accepted clearly defined roles beforehand instead of assuming everything would run smoothly without putting anything in writing first.
Identify What You Need!
It’s important to identify precisely what you need from an outsourced HR partner and to choose the right provider for your business needs. You can build a strong outsourcing employment partnership by ensuring both parties have a crystal-clear idea of each expectation. Both parties should work hard at least to meet, but preferably to exceed those expectations together. You must know what you want to ensure a successful HR outsourcing partnership. This will help you choose the right provider for your business needs and ensure both parties understand the expectations. You should always identify precisely what you need from an outsourced HR partner.
Here Are Some Ideas About How To Do This:
- Ask yourself whether any problems with your current processes could be solved by having someone else handle them on your behalf (e.g., it may take too long for employees to be paid). If so, consider how an outsourcing provider could alleviate these issues (e.g., by making payroll run more smoothly).
- Consider whether certain HR functions would benefit from being provided externally (e.g., would it be valuable to have someone with specialized expertise in recruiting or employee training). If so, ask yourself which parts of those functions would work best as outsourced services rather than internal ones—and why this makes sense based on your business expertise.
Conclusion: How Can I Ensure a Successful Outsourcing Employment Partnership?
Remember, the key to a successful outsourcing partnership is finding the right HR partner for your business and matching their capabilities with your needs. You should develop a detailed service level agreement, clearly defining your expectations of each performance − both parties should work hard to meet or exceed those expectations together.