It wasn't that long ago that the decision to improve the efficacy of your staffing program boiled down to one option: How much time and effort would go into training your staffing team to improve on its ability to execute on a well thought-out staffing program.
Thousands of dollars and countless educational sessions later you had a better-trained department. But did you always realize an acceptable ROI on your training dollars? There were numerous classes on how to use the Internet, how to source more effectively (I conducted a few of them myself over the years), how to better utilize technology or even how to develop metrics. All of these were valiant efforts to improve the overall skill set of the staffing communities.
The legions of trainers who advocated interesting and creative ways to manage the staffing process did their best to cross pollinate their samples of success and provide whatever insight they could to help struggling organizations become more efficient. In many cases the model helped organizations find their way and eventually turn what was once an abysmal excuse for a staffing strategy in to a somewhat successful attempt at a 'Best in Class" approach to staffing.
However, no matter what some companies attempted, for whatever the reason, all of their efforts were for not and the company still struggles to this day to optimize their efforts when it comes to executing on a well defined staffing strategy.
There are yet other examples of companies who took a completely different view of the various challenges and came to the conclusion that the best decision was to outsource the staffing component. The argument is a simple one, "If our core business is producing the world's best widget then let's focus on doing that better than anyone else and outsource things like staffing to a company whose core business is staffing."
The argument seems pragmatic and beyond reproach from a very simplistic viewpoint. Many times it is a simple as all of that. Nothing could sway their decision to the contrary. However far-reaching business decisions are never just that simplistic.
Over the next few weeks or so I'll be blogging on this topic and summarize some of the recent conversations I've had with some interesting HR people from various industries. They have all come to their own unique conclusions yet all convey the same simple message --Regardless of which direction you´re headed in, make the decision and make it work, soon!
Indecision is the one option that will most assuredly result in your demise. With the evolution coming in technology, as well as overall market conditions, committing to a more efficient staffing process is a necessity.
Which side of the argument are you headed for? Are you an advocate of outsourcing? Do you firmly believe in your organizations ability to compete when it comes to staffing by developing the expertise in house?
Weigh in by posting your comments here and let us know where you see the market leaning.
What do you think of shift in Staffing technology and where it is headed?
In the next few weeks we have a number of Webcasts scheduled that will talk about optimizing technology as well as successful Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). Interesting stories to be told but as always we want to hear from you.
