The holidays can be a joyous time of year filled with family, friends, and food. But, in the midst of the feasts comes the stress of preparation and execution. From hosting to attending, to coordinating and all the while maintaining your full-time job, the holidays can easily become a burden to manage.
Our intentions are always there. We tell ourselves, "This year I'll learn from the mistakes made in years past!" You figure that you'll start preparing earlier, you won't attend as many friend- and work-related events, and you'll definitely chop down your Thanksgiving dinner guest list.
Learn From Last Year
But alas, each year you fall into the same trap. You overcommit, find yourself under-performing and definitely getting overly stressed. It happens. Why? It's human nature to fall into a cycle. And, no matter how much we can anticipate the rush, something always seems to come up that pushes our start date a little further back with each passing week.
Being in the workforce solutions industry, I can't help but relate everything in life back to work. Which makes me think: why is it that even under extreme circumstances, like the holidays, we are less likely to ask for help? You can do it all, without losing control. How, you ask? Outsource.
Interestingly enough, the Thanksgiving meal conundrum is strikingly similar to the cycles that many Human Resources and Recruiting departments endure year-over-year. Even with the best workforce plans in place, the struggle to keep up with hiring volume and recruiting tasks, especially during seasonal or business peaks, is a very real one. As the workload piles up, deadlines are missed, and as a result, output suffers.
Thinking about the holiday meal, if I outsource some of the tasks I'm least comfortable with, like making desserts or certain side dishes, I can focus all of my efforts on preparing the best main course. But, because I like to maintain control, it feels unnatural for me to ask my guests to contribute to the meal. Plus, I've always done it this way.
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When it's Time to Ask for Help
However, season after season I notice the same cycle: there are too many people to feed, not enough time to get everything done, and by the end of day, I'm burned out and ready for everyone to head home. If I'm honest with myself and those around me, I can delegate and outsource parts of the meal without sacrificing quality and minimizing my risk of burning the turkey!
In essence, this is exactly how Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) services work. On a larger scale, RPO Providers help companies develop, implement and optimize recruitment processes and strategies. An RPO Program can offset certain aspects of your hiring process, such as sourcing, recruiting or onboarding. Conversely, it can be a total workforce solution to achieve significant strategic advantages; such as cost savings or long-term sustainable results. But, most importantly, it can help you and your staff focus on your core jobs.
When considering RPO as a strategy, consider that it's not the all-or-nothing, enterprise-wide outsourcing program it is commonly known for. There are few companies that offer RPO out-of-the-box, as most programs are customized to meet your specific needs.
So next year, I challenge you to take my outsourced approached to not only Thanksgiving dinner, but also to your recruiting processes in your organization. It can give you the breathing room in your both your holiday and workforce planning. Happy Thanksgiving!
