15 November 2009

4 Essential Things to Understand About HR Outsourcing

When it comes to HR outsourcing, you should understand the following things: a contract is drawn up to detail the components of the outsourcing, it is commonly applied to specialized functions, it can maximize efficiency and work quality, and it may cause problems like decreased coordination and low employee morale.

Some corporations may find it beneficial to outsource their operations, work force or departments. Outsourcing is a practice where a company hires or enters into an agreement with an external organization or service provider to perform certain operations or functions. The company sees benefits in outsourcing that outweigh those associated with performing these tasks by themselves. Outsourcing may involve a particular group of people or an entire department. Human resources outsourcing is an example of this type of management practice that is becoming quite common. Here are some essential things that you should understand about hr outsourcing:

A contract is drawn up to detail the components of the outsourcing

Basically, the outsourcing contract will spell out the details such as what services the external party will render, the corresponding costs and what quality control measures will be implemented. The contract can be broken down into essential components such as the statement of work, service rates or pricing details, governance requirements, service-level agreements, as well as transition and exit plans. It is generally a good idea for companies to look at all the possible contract options available so they can choose the best one for their company’s needs.

It is commonly applied to specialized functions

HR outsourcing is a practical option for this highly specialized function within a company. Health plan administration is an example of an HR function that may be outsourced. Large corporations may hire a third-party organization to oversee and assist the company’s employees with their health plan needs. This way, the company’s own HR team will not have to perform functions that are beyond their expertise. There are also cases in which smaller corporations outsource their whole HR department. This is quite common if the company is still starting up and has not yet built its own set of HR experts. The external HR group will be responsible for tasks from recruiting employees to overseeing the healthcare and pension needs of the company’s work force.

It can maximize efficiency and work quality

When a company outsources its HR department to a service provider that is skilled in carrying out specialized HR functions, they reduce the processing time required for such tasks. The work output of the external vendor will also likely be considerably better in quality since they have expertise in the field. The efficiency of the company’s own HR department can also be maximized since they will be able to focus on tasks that are closer in nature to the company’s core operations and business values.

It may cause problems like decreased coordination and low employee morale

HR outsourcing also poses some disadvantages especially if the outsourcing decision is not properly implemented. One common problem is decreased coordination because of a lack of face-to-face interaction between the company and the external service provider. Also, the company’s ability to develop their internal HR department may become diminished, resulting in low employee morale.

Human resources outsourcing has advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the company's leadership to weigh the pros and cons and decide whether outsourcing is the best strategy to implement.

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