As the landscape of doing business shifts, as off shoring and outsourcing become more prevalent in a companies quest to be lean and mean, as profitability accountability becomes pervasive across the horizon; who Human Resources is and how they operate must alter for this department to remain inside companies.
Now more than ever there are more Human resources out-sourcing alternatives, there are companies that perform payroll administration and everything that entails, there are companies that take over compensation and benefits, there are PEOs that adopt every employee and every payroll, benefits and all administrative issues from 401k to beneficiary change. Actually this sector of HR outsourcing is one of the fastest growing business process out-sourcing models; for example Paychecks is one of the largest employers in America.
Another out-sourcing model that is becoming pervasive is Recruitment Process Outsourcing, this is when a company completely removes recruiting and staffing from the inside operation of HR. An outside company handles every aspect from creating job specification to on-boarding candidates.
Even more interesting is the surge of Human Capital Consulting firms, like Keen Hire that companies outsource the entire talent life cycle to - from benchmarking roles and accountabilities, and talent attraction programming to recruiting, selection, on-boarding and succession planning. Some firms label themselves as organizational development consultants, others as Talent Management Outsourcing, others as RPO.
And another interesting twist is the emergence of off shored recruiting resources; in these operations all job board recruiting, or sourcing is processed and for a very low fee.
What this means for the Human Resources Agent currently employed in Corporate America is, accountability and performance metrics are key. If a company does not directly see and feel your value and how it impacts their bottom line, you soon find yourself as part of a Reduction in Force, aka a RIF.
Why is it that in every recession an abundance of human resources professionals and recruiters find themselves out on the street while others are busier than ever. There are no accidents. The ones that are eliminated are the ones whose skills are narrow and their impact is nil. Companies realize that the work these folks generate can more cost effectively and efficiently be done elsewhere. The ones who get to stay are the ones who not only do their job extremely effectively; they honor the company’s values, contribute in multiple areas and generate a measureable return on investment. You may be saying to yourself, well, “that is Jack of all trades and a master of none”.
As times change, as the economy is impacted by global forces, we as human capital specialists whether internal or external must also change. We must take a good look in the mirror and inquire about our ability to generate ROI, profit and powerful impact. If we don’t know how to do that, we must identify how and take the necessary steps to master both how and what we can do to impact a companies success. The impact is always measured by metrics.
Metrics effecting a companies ability to compete, retain ideal customers, generate profitable revenue, eliminate extraneous expense, and develop powerful leaders are the type the metrics a CEO or CFO will respond to with an open mind and an open heart.
If you want a seat at the Talent table, at the ‘people table’ it is time to investigate the future of human resources metrics and where your role is in that future. Then its time to get to work on establishing how you attain those metrics!
