As companies turn to Recruitment Process Outsourcing as a talent acquisition strategy, consider there are four key elements that go into a winning HR business case to get your RPO program off of the ground.
As the talent market becomes increasingly difficult to penetrate and manage, the recruitment function has had to undergo a transformation. From social recruiting to employment branding to HR and data analytics, the recruitment lifecycle is no longer linear. Consequently, companies are making newer and larger investments in talent acquisition just to maintain the status quo.
For some organizations that means contracting Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) services to assist in one or more aspects of the recruiting and hiring process. In fact, according to this global recruiting report, the RPO Market is anticipated to grow 18% over the next four years; specifically in the areas of blended RPO solution and multi-country recruitment process outsourcing.
After deciding that RPO is the best talent acquisition for your organization, it's time to develop a case for this additional resource. But, what goes into a winning HR business for RPO services anyway? As this pre-recorded webinar demonstrated, talent acquisition professionals identified four key elements essential to gaining leadership buy-in for RPO services.
How to Build a Business Case for RPO
From presenting your initial findings to outlining the presentation, follow these four easy steps when creating your next HR business case for Recruitment Process Outsourcing.
Step 1: Define Your Comfort Level
During the live webinar, we asked attendees to define their understanding of RPO. Are you a first-time buyer implementing an RPO program? Or, are you a seasoned professional within your organization who is comfortable moving straight to the RFP? Depending on your answer, you might have some research and development to tackle before accessing the benefits of RPO as it relates to your hiring needs.
Step 2: Address the Obstacles Head-On
Some RPO programs never get off the ground out of fear or uncertainty. The questions below address these legitimate concerns that often bubble up during this vetting process.
- Will my employees be outsourced?
- Will I lose control of my department?
- How will I demonstrate the value of an RPO program?
- What additional costs will I incur?
Be prepared to identify and address obstacles head-on to eliminate any confusion or hesitation upfront.
Step 3: Tie it to an Upcoming or On-Going Challenge
The hesitancy to adopt an RPO program typically stems from the O in RPO (outsourcing). Something must not be doing well for us to outsource a function of HR. But consider the RPO provider acts as an extension of your existing recruiting resources. The idea being the provider steps in to manage a specific area and enabling the in-house talent acquisition team to gain greater focus.
Organizational instances when RPO is proven to benefit talent acquisition
Step 4: Identify the Stakeholders
Another obstacle every HR business comes across is addressing the hesitancies of key stakeholders. When building your HR business case, be sure to identify who you are speaking to in advance and include their concerns as well as how to adapt your organization to change management. For example, if cost-savings is top of mind, focus the business case on this aspect of RPO.
RPO Webinar attendees identified these as the common executives needed for buy-in
By knowing what to include and what you can prepare for, not only will you present a winning business case, but concurrently vet your decision to implement RPO is the right one.